Section Eleven
LANDFILL LEACHATE
73    LEACHATE GENERATION IN A LINED LANDFILL.
A CASE STUDY OF THE CENTRAL SOLID WASTE
FACILITY AT SANDTOWN, DELAWARE
N. C. Vasuki, General Manager
Delaware Solid Waste Authority
Dover, Delaware 19903
INTRODUCTION
Solid waste disposal is a major environmental problem throughout the United States and most
industrialized countries. Contamination of ground and surface water from previously abandoned
disposal sites and some currently operating sites have brought extraordinary media attention to the
disposal problem. Although the population is running scared of landfills, the nation will continue to
rely on landfills as the major repository for unprocessed or unburned solid waste for at least the next
ten to fifteen years. In the meantime, many communities are moving towards beneficial combustion
of solid waste as fuel for steam and electricity production.
Even with such plants, a landfill is needed for ash disposal, emergency by-pass, and non-
combustible wastes. Consequently, the nation will continue to rely on landfills as the ultimate repository of residues and wastes. Surprisingly, despite this extraordinary dependence, the design of landfills and leachate collection systems is still based upon empirical procedures.
Landfills generate methane gas as a major constituent of the decomposition gases. Migration of
landfill gas and the emission of volatile organic compounds are also perceived as threats to the
environment. It has now become practical to capture the landfill gas for beneficial use although the
mechanisms of gas production, collection, and movement within the landfill are not fully understood
and the design depends on empirical procedures.
The State of Delaware relies on groundwater as the major source of drinking water. Prior experience with leachate contamination of aquifers has made the state very sensitive to methods of disposal
of solid wastes and sewage sludge. In order to forestall an impending crisis in solid waste disposal, the
Delaware General Assembly authorized, in 1975, the creation of the Delaware Solid Waste Authority.
Three new landfills have been developed by the Delaware Solid Waste Authority to serve each of the
three counties of the state, and a major complex for materials recovery and energy recovery has been
constructed in the most populous northern county.
CENTRAL SOLID WASTE FACILITY-SANDTOWN, DELAWARE
The first new landfill constructed by the Authority is in Kent County, Delaware. The County's
population of 100,000 (1985) resides in an area of 594 square miles. Dover, the capital of the State, is
located in Kent County. The major industries in Kent County include 1) General Foods
Corporation —a manufacturer of chocolate, coconut, rice, and other prepared food products; 2)
International Playtex Corporation —manufacturer of rubberized goods for consumer and industrial
applications; 3) Scott Paper Company —manufacturer of paper towels and industrial wipes; 4) Reich-
hold Chemicals, Inc. —manufacturer of synthetic latex materials for paint and other chemical products; 5) PPG Industries, Inc. —manufacturer of latex paints; 6) Country Pride Foods —poultry processing; 7) Dover Air Force Base —the largest Military Air Transport Command Base on the eastern
seaboard; 8) ILC Industries —manufacturer of space suits; and 9) State of Delaware —State Government capital complex.
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