Client: Real Estate Developer
Project: Landfill Closure Plan Modification and Wetlands Mitigation
Location: New Jersey
Description: EWMA was retained by a real estate developer to prepare and implement a major modification to a New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) approved closure plan for a landfill (approximately 14-acres on a 60-acre property) located in New Jersey. In addition, a section of the landfill impacted approximately three acres of wetlands, which required permitting and mitigation. The wetlands had been filled by the landfill owners, and EWMA proposed to excavate the backfilled material, place it under the cap and then restore, monitor and utilize the wetlands as the stormwater runoff area instead of building a detention basin as originally proposed.
The original closure plan was prepared by another consulting firm to fulfill the requirements proposed in a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) for the landfill that was executed with the NJDEP in 1994. The landfill operated from 1957 to 1980, and was used for the disposal of paper, wood, steel, metals, plastics, other bulky waste materials and residual sand that settled in the milling processing tanks during recycling activities. The originally-proposed closure plan was incorrectly prepared based upon the requirements for landfills closed after January 1, 1982 (N.J.A.C. 7:26-2A), and included construction of a storm water detention basin and a multi-component engineered final cover system consisting of a four-foot cover layer. The landfill, however, ceased operations in May of 1980, and was not subject to the post-1982 NJDEP closure requirements, and therefore the closure plan required modification.
During a pre-application meeting, EWMA and the client met with representatives of the NJDEP to convince them to agree to a much more cost-effective closure plan. During this meeting, EWMA demonstrated that the landfill was not subject to the post-1982 requirements, and convinced the NJDEP to grant closure approval that included a reduced two-foot soil cap, elimination of the geonet drainage layer and no drainage basin. The components of the closure plan also consisted of implementing a methane monitoring system and installing and sampling sixteen ground water monitoring wells for a period of two years. By utilizing EWMA‘s modified closure plan, the area around the landfill remained zoned for single family residences, providing the developer added land value.
In addition to implementing the closure requirements for the landfill, EWMA performed a remedial investigation and conducted remedial cleanup activities associated with the adjacent mill area’s drainage ditch, sewage lagoon and sludge drying pit. EWMA investigated sixteen potential areas of environmental concern (AOCs) in the mill area. The results of the investigation culminated in excavation of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs)-laden soil hot spots, and gaining the NJDEP’s approval to consider the mill as one complete AOC, instead of the sixteen AOCs that were originally identified at the property. Once the NJDEP agreed to consider the mill as one complete AOC, engineering controls were instituted to prevent migration of contaminants and a Deed Notice was recorded, allowing for redevelopment of the mill property to proceed.