17    DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS FOR A WISCONSIN
PAPER MILL LANDFILL
Evelyn L. Fisher, Project Engineer
Becher-Hoppe, Inc.
Wausau, Wisconsin 54402-8000
Garry T. Griffith, Process Engineer
Nekoosa Packaging Corp.
Tomahawk, Wisconsin 54487
INTRODUCTION
Several years and thousands of hours have been dedicated to the task of developing and obtaining
approval for the new three-million-cubic-yard landfill for the Nekoosa Packaging Corporation in
Tomahawk, Wisconsin. This labor was rewarded in 1987 when the 55-acre site was approved by the
Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and the first 5-acre phase was constructed. We present
the case history of this landfill because the project has several unique features which required special
design considerations. These special design considerations were required because the site did not have
all of the desired locational and design features specified in the State of Wisconsin solid waste
management regulations.
If one defines an ideal landfill site as a location having a sound natural clay base and being remote
from existing water bodies or potential aquifers, highways, private residences, etc., then this site could
not be called ideal. But we also considered its convenience to the waste source, the 1200-ton-per-day
pulp and paper mill, and the absence of significant impact from the existing 30-acre natural attenuation landfill located adjacent to the new site. These factors led us to believe this is a very good site,
worthy of special design considerations. As such, locational factors as well as critical timing requirements have affected the final landfill design.
In developing this landfill, the following four factors were particularly important:
1. Spacial Constraints. Less than 80 acres of company-owned land were available for the
landfill. This land is situated between existing highways, the pulp and paper mill, and the
old landfill as shown on Figure 1. Also nearby are the Wisconsin River (Lake
Mohawksin) and the Spirit Flowage with some private residences located in the shoreline
areas. Approximately 4.5 acres within this area have been defined as a wetland, which
requires special protection. The Wisconsin Solid Waste Regulations' include setback
limits for most of these items.
2. Landfill Liner Material. The Wisconsin Solid Waste Regulations require major landfills
such as this site to provide an impervious liner. The Wisconsin Department of Natural
Resources (WisDNR) Bureau of Solid Waste Management personnel prefer, almost
exclusively, the use of a high quality, recompacted, natural clay liner. We evaluated soil
resources within 50 miles of the landfill site and found little that met the recommended
clay specifications. After unsuccessfully presenting various other liner designs to
WisDNR, we pursued the investigation and use of a marginal clay site located 27 miles
from the landfill. The landfill and the clay source locations investigated are presented in
Figure 2 which was based on information from the literature.*
3. Separation from Groundwater. The groundwater table on the mill property is rather
shallow, 2 to 7 feet below the ground surface. The WisDNR personnel require a minimum of five to ten feet of unsaturated soil below the base of the landfill liner and above
the groundwater.
The options available were to lower the water table or to build up above the existing
grade to achieve this separation distance. A combination of the two methods was used in
the design.
43rd Purdue Industrial Waste Conference Proceedings, © 1989 Lewis Publishers, Inc., Chelsea, Michigan 48118.
Printed in U.S.A.
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