When Baldwin County began planning the closure of the Union Church Landfill, their original vegetative cap was not performing as intended. Erosion, challenging site conditions, and ongoing maintenance demands — including repeated sod replacement, mowing, and the use of herbicides and pesticides — were creating significant operational and environmental burdens for the county.
In our new project video, Oasis Consulting Services explains how they were initially brought on to design a traditional solid waste closure, only to discover that a conventional grass cap would likely continue to struggle over time. Instead, the team sought an alternative approach that could reduce lifecycle costs while still meeting Georgia Environmental Protection Division (EPD) requirements.
That alternative became ClosureTurf® — Watershed Geo’s engineered synthetic final cover system. As Michael Monteleone, P.E., of Oasis notes in the video, ClosureTurf represented “a whole new concept” for landfill closure in Georgia at the time, with no comparable systems on the market. The project ultimately became a $2.7 million turnkey design-build effort, delivered through a trusted partnership between Baldwin County, Oasis Consulting, and Watershed Geo.
Because this was the first alternate cap ever proposed in Georgia, regulatory acceptance was a major hurdle. Oasis and Watershed Geo worked closely with Georgia EPD, including early UV exposure testing to demonstrate the product’s long-term durability. Once approved, ClosureTurf not only set a precedent in Georgia — it also helped Watershed Geo secure acceptance as a Subtitle D-compliant closure solution in other states.
Seven years after installation, the results speak for themselves. ClosureTurf has performed as a “one-and-done” solution with no major issues, eliminating the need for onsite maintenance staff. Baldwin County has realized approximately $1.5 million in cost savings by using ClosureTurf.
The project has also earned multiple industry awards for Oasis Consulting, recognizing both technical innovation and cost-effective environmental design. As Michael reflects in the video, leading this groundbreaking project remains a career highlight — and a powerful example of how innovative engineering can deliver real value for public agencies.
Learn more about the project: https://watershedgeo.com/projects/baldwin-county-landfill/
