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18-Env-A6 Solid Waste Engineering and Management · May 2014

Question 4 of 22: Sanitary Landfill Site Features

Nivaar worked solution (AI-drafted; not reviewed by a licensed engineer)

Notes on this paper

National Examination, May 2014 — 04-Env-A6 / 18-Env-A6, Solid Waste Engineering and Management. 3 hours duration, closed book, no calculator, one letter-sized aid sheet permitted. All 22 questions constitute a complete paper (100 marks total).

Reference texts: Tchobanoglous, Theisen & Vigil, Integrated Solid Waste Management: Engineering Principles and Management Issues; Vesilind, Worrell & Reinhart, Solid Waste Engineering; Davis & Cornwell, Introduction to Environmental Engineering (6th ed.); CCME, Guidance Document on Landfill Gas Management; Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999.

Question 4: Sanitary Landfill Site Features (3 marks)

Question text not reproduced: the examination questions are © Engineers and Geoscientists BC. Open the official past paper (linked at the top of this page) to read the question, then follow the worked solution below.

(1) Low-permeability native soils and adequate depth to groundwater — a natural clay/till subgrade and a thick unsaturated (vadose) zone provide a secondary layer of protection and slow contaminant migration should the engineered liner ever be breached. (2) Adequate buffer distance and site capacity — separation from residences, private wells, surface water and airports (bird-strike hazard for waste attracting gulls), and sufficient site area/depth to provide a design life of at least 20–25 years. (3) Favourable access and topography — proximity to the existing haul-road network to minimize collection-truck transport distance/cost, and site grading/drainage that supports stormwater control and the final cap's required slopes.