130 Environmental Park Landfill Effect on Ground Water

• Location

• Carrizo-Wilcox aquifer recharge zone

• 100 Year Flood Zone

• Flawed Technology– Leachate Generation– Transport Mechanism

• Health Risks

• Conclusion

Landfill Location • US EPA Subtitle D location criteria – Landfills should not be located:

– in a floodplain• Part of the property is in the 100 year flood plain

– within 200 ft of a fault• We have been told by hydrogologist that there is a fault right under the site. (Need

study)– in a geological unstable are

• Clay is unstable in the area (water pipes pull apart, Exxon gas station foundation cracking)

– in a wetland• Wetlands near by (Toll Rd 130 built long bridge over wetland near by)

– in a seismic impact zone• Need to be studied

– near an airport runway• 22 miles from Austin-Bergstrom Airport

Source: http://www.gfredlee.com/Landfills/Checklist_LF_Issues.pdf

Carrizo-Wilcox Recharge Zone

• The 1200 acre property proposed for the proposed Caldwell County Landfill (130 Environmental Park) has a portion of the property that is in the Carrizo-Wilcox aquifer recharge zone.

Carrizo-Wilcox aquifer (2)• The groundwater pumped from the Carrizo-Wilcox aquifer is used primarily

for municipal public water supply, rural domestic use, and manufacturing in approximately 60 counties in Texas. Approximately 35 percent of the total groundwater removed from the aquifer is for municipal water supply. The aquifer provides water to ten to twelve million people (National Wildlife Federation et al, 2006)

• Groundwater in Caldwell County remains the primary source of potable water. Most water utilities have wells that pump water from local aquifers. The groundwater of the Carrizo-Wilcox Aquifer in Texas is one of the greatest assets of the East-Central region of Texas. It provides water for agriculture, industry, and human consumption and use.

• Over-pumping has caused major declines in some areas, and with an increasing population pollution becomes more of an issue.

• Now and in the future, the aquifer needs to be carefully monitored, managed, and protected so it can provide millions of people the water they need to survive.

• Source feather wilson,scott jones

Caldwell County Flood Plain

• The 1200 acre property proposed for the Caldwell County Landfill has a portion of the property that is in the 100 year flood plain

Flawed Technology (Leachate Generation)

• Frequently in review of a proposed landfill, the regulatory agency staff does not adequately or reliably evaluate the potential for a proposed landfill to endanger public health, safety and the environment.

• Landfills have the potential to generate leachate (garbage juice) that will pollute groundwater with hazardous and deteriorating chemicals that are a threat to human health and the environment for hundreds of years.

• The very best landfill liners today are made of a tough plastic film called high density polyethylene (HDPE). A number of household chemicals will degrade HDPE, permeating it (passing though it), making it lose its strength, softening it, or making it become brittle and crack.

• Not only will household chemicals, such as moth balls, degrade HDPE, but much more benign things can cause it to develop stress cracks, such as, margarine, vinegar, ethyl alcohol (booze), shoe polish, peppermint oil, to name a few.

• Source: (1) Dr Fred Lee (2) (Environmental Research Foundation, Annapolis, MD

Flawed Technology (Transport Mechanism)

• A key issue of concern with respect to the potential for a landfill to pollute groundwaters is whether the landfill is sited where there are groundwaters hydraulically connected to the base of the landfill that could be used in the infinite future for domestic water supply purposes.

• Haxo and Lahey (1988) have discussed the transport of organic solvents through intact (without holes) flexible membrane liners. This process is described as "permeation" where the solvents dissolve into the plastic liner material and exit the liner material on the downgradient side

• (outside the landfill). Sakti et al. (1991) have provided information on the rate of penetration of HDPE geomembrane liners by a variety of dilute aqueous solutions of organic solvents.

• Common organic solvents that are often disposed of as wastes in landfills can quickly pass through an HDPE liner. This is of particular importance since these chemicals are significant threats to groundwater pollution through their high mobility, persistence and potential to cause cancer in those using domestic water supplies containing these solvent

• Source: http://www.gfredlee.com/Groundwater/lfgwthrt.pdf

Health Risks Linked to Landfills

• Studies have shown possible increased risks of certain types of cancer, including bladder, brain and leukemia, among people who live near landfills.

• Further, a study by researchers at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine also found that babies born to mothers who live near landfills have a greater risk of birth defects.

• A recent study found that living near a landfill could expose residents to chemicals that can reduce immune system function and lead to an increased risk of infections.As opposed to children living in clean areas, the study found that "children living near to waste sites, whether landfills or contaminated bodies of water, are hospitalized more frequently with acute respiratory infections, said Dr. David O. Carpenter, director of the Institute for Health and the Environment, at the State University of New York at Albany. Children living near waste sites also had increased rates of hospitalization for asthma.

• Sources EPA: Municipal Solid Waste, Reuters September8, 2008, Rachel’s Democracy and Health

Conclusion• The groundwater of the Carrizo-Wilcox Aquifer in Texas is one of the greatest assets

of the East-Central region of Texas. It provides water for agriculture, industry, and human consumption and use.

• Over-pumping has caused major declines in some areas, and with an increasing population pollution becomes more of an issue. Now and in the future, the aquifer needs to be carefully monitored, managed, and protected so it can provide millions of people the water they need to survive.

• Placement of a landfill at a location in near proximity to the aquifer recharge zone and floodplains leads to unacceptable risks concerning groundwater contamination

• There are experts in the field that question the reliability of landfill liner technology and indicate that liners not only fail mechanically due to puncture or ground movement, they also fail due to permeation and penetration of common organic solvents.

• This landfill is a forever proposition. Do we really want to take the risks to current and future generations given all the risk factors presented? It is easier to prevent a disaster than to suffer the consequences.

• Source: Feathergail Wilson, Professional Geologist. Mr. Wilson also provided valuable details and information regarding the groundwater resources in the region.

• Source: SG. Fred Lee, PhD, PE, BCEE, F.ASCE and Anne Jones-Lee, PhDG. Fred Lee & Associates