RIBBON CUTTING CEREMONY OFFICIALLY CLOSES CRAZY HORSE CANYON LANDFILL
The Landfill Industry’s First Large-Scale Implementation of ClosureTurf™
June 24, 2013, Atlanta, GA– Salinas Valley Solid Waste Authority Board President Fernando Armenta, Alternate Vice President Jyl Lutes, Chief Administrator Officer Patrick Mathews and several other state and local dignitaries cut the ceremonial ribbon last week to officially celebrate the completion of the Crazy Horse Canyon Landfill Closure Project. This project is a milestone in the landfill industry as the first large-scale implementation of the successful ClosureTurf™ cover system.
The Crazy Horse Canyon Landfill, located approximately nine miles north of the City of Salinas in northern Monterey County, is owned and maintained by the Salinas Valley Solid Waste Authority (SVSWA). Opened in 1934, the landfill was in operation for 75 years. It was closed in 2009 when it met capacity.
As with most mature landfills, adjacent homeowners previously complained about dust generation, wind-blown litter, odors and general site appearance. SVSWA considered multiple post closure options but landed on a product called ClosureTurf™ created by a company called Watershed Geosynthetics. Consisting of an engineered system of an impermeable geomembrane layer underneath for drainage and friction, high-strength polyethylene yarn synthetic turf on the surface for durability and aesthetics, and sand infill for longevity and protection from heavy equipment traffic, the product was specifically designed to improve upon the performance of costly traditional vegetation covers.
“We are honored to unveil ClosureTurf™ along with the SVSWA,” said Mike Ayers, Watershed Geosynthetics CEO. “Numerous performance testing and real-world applications have proven that we have solved the ongoing maintenance and costs issues that every landfill faces. There is not another solution that compares.”
ClosureTurf™ permanently caps the landfill to seal in disposed garbage, eliminate gas emissions, keep the storm water runoff clean for the local community and provide a pleasing appearance to the site.
Other benefits for the SVSWA included:
– Eliminating 26,000 round trip truck loads bringing outside soil to and from the site (equivalent to 660,000 miles).
– The combination of soil import elimination and reduced heavy equipment needs reduced the project’s carbon footprint by 70%.
– Eliminating dirty storm water runoff by replacing a traditional vegetated cover with a cover system that produces very clear and clean water free of fertilizer and muddy runoff.
– Eliminating the chance of slope failures caused by high seismic loads (site is adjacent to San Andreas Fault).
– Reducing yearly maintenance activities, including rebuilding of slopes, re-vegetation, dust control, mowing of weeds and grasses (to reduce fire danger) and control of rodent populations, to essentially zero.
SVSWA Board President Fernando Armenta remarked, “We are extremely impressed with ClosureTurf™ in many facets. This kind of closure system has the potential to increase landfill air space capacity at other facilities. For the State of California, such capacity is a finite and valuable resource.”
The Crazy Horse Canyon Landfill Closure Project completion also promotes implementation of a solar energy farm on the site.
“We’ve been extremely impressed with the stability of our slopes and quality of the water runoff,” said Dave Meza, SVSWA Project Manager. “Plans now include a 2 mega-watt solar array system down the road, which will mean this land will produce a renewable energy source that gives back to the environment.”
Overall, the post closure care efforts at the site will be less intrusive on the site’s residential neighbors, who are simply relieved with the site’s closed condition. Many have already contacted the SVSWA to compliment the appearance of the site.
