Location: Aberdeen, South Dakota
Client: Brown County Landfill
Background
The Brown County Landfill is a solid waste facility that services the City of Aberdeen and surrounding communities. Similar to other facilities throughout South Dakota, the site is underlain with high quality clay soils. A portion of the facility was constructed adjacent to sand outwash. A groundwater underdrain pumping system was installed to safeguard the facility’s clay liner. Since installation, the system has been saturated with landfill gas. HEI was contacted to assist the facility with an assessment of the various on-site pumping systems.
The Project
HEI assessed various riser structures, leachate pumps, leachate cleanouts, groundwater pumps and discharge piping, and associated control systems.
Based on these observations, HEI provided the Brown County Landfill a list of recommendations for potential improvements and repairs to make to the pumping stations.
HEI recommended updating and/or completely replacing various control panels and associated electrical services. It was also suggested to extend all cleanouts and risers to avoid sediment intrusion into the pumping and drainage systems.
In the fall of 2014, HEI initiated a project to modify and improve the existing groundwater underdrain pumping system. HEI completed a retrofit design of the existing system, including the installation of a riser structure to facilitate ease in maintenance, removing the need for confined space entry into a potentially hazardous environment. HEI coordinated closely with the pump manufacturer to provide a system that meets the needs of the facility.
Client Benefits
- Design of a groundwater extraction system capable of operation in hazardous environments.
- Redesign and construction of an existing groundwater underdrain pumping system at the facility with the goal of minimizing long-term maintenance costs.
- Increased safety for site personnel.