Landfill Features All in One Final Landfill Cap for Erosion Control and a Gas Collection System

Alpharetta, GA (PRWEB) July 31, 2014

After combating nearly a decade of erosion control issues, Tangipahoa Parish Waste Facility (TPWF) of Independence, LA finally found long awaited success in covering the state-owned (parish-owned) landfill known as Cell 10 ( and 11) by installing ClosureTurf, an innovative three component final closure system.

Prior to the closure, the 22-acre landfill was a 180-foot-high mound of waste with steep slopes of highly erodible soil. TPWF was under mounting pressure from the state to find an effective solution after previous failed attempts at resolving problems of erosion with traditional vegetation methods.

“We tried the conventional way, which is clay and topsoil and grass. It didn’t work, so this the next alternative,” said Site Operations Manager, Terrance Stewart.

That alternative was ClosureTurf, a patented final closure system which meets and can exceed the requirements set forth by the EPA in Subtitle D.
ClosureTurf collects gas horizontally through its Surficial Gas System, a process dramatically more effective and efficient than the labor and equipment-intensive vertical system of pipes and wells typically utilized by traditional landfill closure systems. Emissions passively rise to the surface and are collected underneath an impermeable membrane where they are pulled by a minimal vacuum system for flaring or alternative energy generation. Designed to work as a standalone system or to enhance emission control for conventional wells, this seemingly simple design has increased the amount of gas collected while at the same time decreasing the time and capital invested.

In addition to gas collection, ClosureTurf produces major savings in a number of significant elements, including a reduction of borrower soil and overall post-closure maintenance costs. “We are extremely pleased with the Tangipahoa landfill closure with Closure Turf,” said Mike Ayers, President of Watershed Geosynthetics, developer of the Closure Turf system. “Closure Turf’s benefits are well-documented, and one of those benefits is the significant post closure maintenance savings.”

“We’re anticipating that the actual maintenance that we’ve eliminated will more than pay for what it is going to cost,” said Tangipahoa Director of Finance, Jeff McNeely.

In addition, the engineered turf’s aesthetic appeal has inspired hopes of transforming the landfill into an attraction for Tangipahoa.

“It’s beautiful. I’m kind of trying to talk Burgess into possibly turning it into a vacation spot,” Stewart said.

The landfill’s closure with ClosureTurf also meets Title V, which combines all air quality requirements, permits, and compliance elements into one permit.

Acquiring the Title V permit– the highest and single most important regulation in the landfill industry—adds increased prestige to the successful ClosureTurf installation at this Independence, La landfill and the Tangipahoa Parish Waste Facility.

For a video detailing the Tangipahoa Closure by WDSU 6 News: Tangipahoa Landfill Closure

About Watershed Geosynthetics
Based in Alpharetta, GA, Watershed Geo is an Atlanta-based geosynthetic company specializing in engineered products that solve earth’s greatest challenges with solutions that reduce risks, require virtually no maintenance and stand the test of time that far exceed the performance of traditional methods through the highest levels of testing. Through best-in-class materials and extreme engineering, our goal is to unearth solutions that eliminate plaguing industry issues while delivering more aesthetically-pleasing and effective results. The company’s in house polymer scientists, geotechnical engineers and hydrologists have worked with multiple universities and private research labs to achieve unprecedented performance for its products. Watershed Geo’s stable of products include:

•     ClosureTurf (landfill and ash impoundment closures)
•     HydroTurf (high hydraulic shear protections – Revetment)
•     VersaCap (odor prevention, emission control, and leachate reduction)
•     LFG low pressure valves (GCCS system shutdown protection)
•     SynTerra Wall (MSE wall protection and aesthetics)

About Tangipahoa Parish Landfill
The Office of Environmental Services manages the Tangipahoa Parish Regional Solid Waste Facility, located in Independence, LA. The landfill is permitted to accept the following types of wastes:

•     Type II waste, defined as residential and commercial solid waste
•     Type II asbestos which is defined as non-friable asbestos
•     Type III waste which is defined as construction and demolition debris

This facility is not permitted to accept any waste defined as hazardous. It operates under Permit No. P-0217R1, viewable at the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) in Baton Rouge, or at the Tangipahoa Parish Library in Amite.

For information regarding definition of facility type and waste type, please refer to the, “Environmental Regulatory Code VII Solid Waste”, as produced by the Louisiana DEQ.