Leachate Management

Managing leachate, the liquid byproduct of landfills, is an important component of landfill operations. PBS&J has successfully combined its expertise in landfill engineering with wastewater treatment design to offer landfill owners the specialized expertise necessary to develop cost-effective and environmentally responsible leachate management programs. PBS&J also assists treatment plant operators in accommodating leachate that is delivered to wastewater treatment facilities.

Characterization, Collection, and Disposal
Unlike domestic and other industrial wastewaters, the quantity and quality of leachate varies widely – the result of both environmental and operational factors. PBS&J draws upon two decades of field experience and an extensive database developed as a result of that experience to provide accurate leachate characterization information.

PBS&J also assists in assessing the practicality and cost-effectiveness of treating leachate off-site rather than on-site. With an understanding of both conventional wastewater treatment operations and landfill operations, we are well versed in issues concerning leachate that is transferred to a receiving wastewater treatment plant. PBS&J has developed a five-step systematic approach to evaluating cotreatment at publicly-owned treatment works that is cost-effective and has been widely accepted by wastewater operators.

On-Site Treatment
Since leachate varies widely over time in both quantity and quality, even within the same landfill, PBS&J designs leachate management and treatment programs that:

• Provide treatment that is simple, yet reliable over a wide range of waste characteristics.
• Optimize system flexibility to easily accommodate changing flows and characteristics.
• Satisfy regulatory and operational requirements while minimizing capital and operating expenditures.

Bioreactor Landfills
PBS&J is very familiar with a wide range of leachate treatment technologies, including recirculation, in which leachate is transferred from the bottom of the landfill to the top. We have been closely involved with organizations that are refining the process of leachate recirculation to create landfills that are “bioreactors,” using leachate and other sources of liquid to maximize the decomposition process and thereby extending the life of a landfill.

Leachate Evaporation and Cotreatment
Landfills that collect and flare their landfill gas have an opportunity to use this energy to economically manage leachate via evaporation. PBS&J assists landfill owners in evaluating the cost-effectiveness of this disposal alternative and in implementing leachate evaporation systems. PBS&J also offers experience in cotreating leachate with other wastewaters, including domestic wastewater and septage.

Comprehensive Services
PBS&J provides comprehensive leachate management services, including:

• Leachate collection system design
• Leachate quality and quantity characterization
• Leachate permitting services
• Negotiation assistance with receiving utilities
• Treatment/pretreatment facility design
• Leachate evaporation
• Leachate recirculation and bioreactor landfill design
• Storage and truck loading facilities
• Construction administration
• Start-up assistance
• Operations and maintenance services