From: | Lenny Siegel <lsiegel@cpeo.org> |
Date: | Tue, 06 Jan 1998 00:06:41 -0700 |
Reply: | cpeo-military |
Subject: | Military Landfills |
This is a note I prepared in response to a general query on military base landfills: Most U.S. military bases have one or more abandoned general purpose landfills. Sometimes the are covered by athletic fields, golf courses, etc., and even locating them may be difficult. It takes a persistent investigatory team, and usually requires anecdotal testimony from former base workers. These are dumps containing residential garbage; landscape refuse such as cuttings from golf courses; construction debris; oils, paints, and solvents; pesticides; batteries. That is, they contain hazardous substances, but the bulk of the trash is not particularly hazardous, althoug the rotting organic waste may generate methane. Unless one can pinpoint the toxic wastes, treatment is impractical. Removal (dig and haul) is sometimes used, if the parcel is required for construction or if it's in an evnironmentally sensitive area, but that merely moves the waste, without reducing the toxicity. Current laws and regulations make off-site removal very difficult. In the U.S., EPA's presumptive remedy for such landfills is capping, which is designed to keep rain and other precipitation from flowing into the waste and causing contaminants to leach. If toxic leachate has been detected, then groundwater monitoring and sometimes even extraction (pump and treat) are required. Often there is a debate over the make-up and thickness of the cap. Institutional controls are required, however, to prevent activities likely to pierce the cap. At military bases with multiple dump sites, however, another alternative is often backed by the military, regulators, and the community: landfill consolidation. That is, material from one landfill is moved to another, and only the receiving area is capped. Because one party owns property containing multiple landfills, it's not necessary to obtain a permit for off-site disposal. (Everything is on site.) Consolidation reduces the area to be capped - thus with a restricted land use. Depending upon the concentration and toxicity of the hazardous waste being moved, treatment - or disposal in a haazardous waste landfill - may be required for a fraction of the waste. Finally, consolidation is often cheaper than other alternatives, included multiple caps in place. All of these factors, of course, vary from landfill to landfill and base to base. Each must be evaluated in its own right. Lenny Siegel Director, SFSU CAREER/PRO (and Pacific Studies Center) c/o PSC, 222B View St., Mountain View, CA 94041 Voice: 650/961-8918 or 650/969-1545 Fax: 650/968-1126 lsiegel@cpeo.org |
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