Works at Kerdiffstown landfill continue. The EPA has established more permanent offices on site, and the site now has electricity and running water.
The two gas flares running on site are now powered by mains electricity supply instead of generators. This makes flare operation more consistent and reliable. The larger flare, which burns off gas from the lined cell, currently operates for approximately 6 hours a day as gas levels in the lined cell are low at the moment. The smaller flare in the North West corner of the site operates 24/7. Recent storm damage to the odour control membrane on the lined cell has now been repaired and a more reliable anchoring system is in place that should prevent any further issues with high winds. There were some slight odours on the site during this repair work which is now complete.
While the odour reduction measures taken to date by the EPA seem to have had a positive effect, as the weather becomes colder and lower air pressure associated with winter weather dominates, the risk of odours coming from the site increases. This is because the lower air pressure allows gas from the uncapped area of the landfill to escape. It is not possible to say when, how, or even if this will happen, so the EPA asks that anyone experiencing bad odours should get in touch with our Office of Environmental Enforcement’s Dublin Regional Inspectorate and let us know – contact details are below.
Elsewhere on site, beside the lined cell, a new concrete bay has been built to manage the removal of leachate from the site. Any spill-off occurring while the leachate tankers are loaded is now channeled back into the lined cell, thereby preventing any further contamination. Tankering of leachate off-site to a waste water treatment plant continues. This measure has proven successful in that flooding of the lower site which took place in late 2010 before the EPA took control of the site has not re-occurred.
In late November the EPA hosted the second Community Liaison Group meeting at the new site offices. Members of that group, including Clean Air Naas (CAN) were brought up to date with developments at the site. The next step in the remediation project is a detailed site investigation to improve the EPA’s understanding of the site. Once this site investigation is complete plans for the remediation of the site are to be drawn up and full remediation of the site can commence in late 2012/early 2013. The EPA will continue to maintain all of the control measures put in place on the site to minimise odours and other impacts on the environment. Phase I of the site investigation will commence the start of January 2012.
The EPA will continue to issue Community Updates as remedial works on the site take place. For information about works at the site, go to External linkwww.kerdiffstowncleanup.ie