Quarry Landfill Capping Progress

What steps have been taken?

The City of Bristol, Virginia has spent several years and millions of dollars to mitigate odors at its quarry landfill. The City has relied heavily on steps outlined in a Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ)panel of experts report to conduct this work.  The City has engaged in the process of completing these steps with the assistance of a variety of experts, engineers, and area contractors.  This work is in addition to the prior efforts at the quarry landfill and is anticipated to result in the “capping” of the quarry landfill.

These steps build upon Bristol, Virginia’s initial efforts, which included:

• The City contracted SCS Field Services to upgrade the quarry landfill gas extraction and dewatering systems by installing new pipes, collectors, and headers in an effort to mitigate odors and emissions identified in the southeast portion of the quarry landfill.
• Charles R. Underwood, Inc., was hired to replace leachate and gradient pumps within the wet well at the quarry landfill to promote enhanced leachate collection and treatment operations.
• Installed 21 new gas extraction wells during Q4 of 2021.

In acting on the recommendations of the DEQ Panel Report, Bristol, Virginia has also undertaken a variety of actions including:

• Installation of a sidewall odor mitigation system (SOMS) completed in June 2023.
• Comprehensive monitoring of temperature, gas, and water in and around the quarry landfill.
• Installation of additional gas wells to pull gas and liquid from the quarry landfill completed in June 2023.
• Installation of temperature monitoring by Connelly & Associated which was completed by the 12/31/2022 deadline.
• Implementation of a stormwater monitoring system.
• Capping of the quarry landfill with a geomembrane cap that will further stop gases from escaping, which is still an ongoing process.

The quarry landfill officially stopped accepting waste as of September 9, 2022. Since then, the City completed installation of a dirt cover on October 10, 2022 and invited Bristol, TN representatives to inspect the installation of the cover. The inspection took place on October 11, 2022. The City is continuing to monitor and maintain the soil cover.

Capping a landfill is a multi-step process that can include the use of clay, sand and gravel, a geomembrane and soil, concrete, or asphalt to begin transitioning a waste area to its next use or phase. In this case, the City is utilizing soil as the main ground cover and evaluating its options for long-term solutions or uses. To learn more about the capping process from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) website, click here.

The City continues to conduct regular inspections and monitoring for erosion, cracking, or holes to document the locations and rates of settlement within the quarry landfill in order to make repairs as needed. Groundwater monitoring wells will also be placed around the quarry landfill to help determine if any leaks are present.

What further steps will be taken in 2025?

The City of Bristol continues to work with governing agencies including Virginia’s Office of Attorney General, the Virginia DEQ and the EPA to comply with legal orders and regulatory requirements.

Other projects on deck in 2025 include:

• Installation of a new permanent flare and an emergency generator to operate critical equipment during a power outage.
  • Sealed bids were  due to the City on April 17, and it is anticipated that the work will take approximately one year to complete.
  • An air permit application has been submitted to DEQ for the flare.
  • The City is currently working on the renewal process for our Title V air permit, which is required every five (5) years by DEQ.
• Installation of two equalization tanks to pretreat leachate prior to discharging to the POTW (publicly owned treatment works – Bristol Virginia Utilities).
  • The system was designed with two tanks for redundancy in an effort to hold more leachate in the event of a hurricane or large rain event.  It will also allow maintenance to be performed on one tank without disrupting service.
  • The City is currently in the design phase of this project and hopes to have the installation completed in 2025.  It could stretch into the second quarter of 2026 depending on the timeline for procurement of the tanks.
  • The tanks will require the air permit to be amended.  The tanks will be enclosed and the gases will be directed to the flare for destruction.  The modification to the permit will be minor.
• Installation of additional cleanouts to help remove buildup within the landfill piping system allowing for more efficient operation and ultimately increasing collection of landfill gases and liquids. This process is similar to a cleanout system for residential sewer systems, but on a larger scale.

Timeline of previous remediation activities:

2021

• January
  • Engineering consultants Draper Aden Associates and SCS Engineers designed expansion of and improvement to gas collection system in the southwest corner of the quarry landfill.
• Mid-2021
  • Due to continuing issues with odor mitigation, Draper Aden designed a new odor mitigation plan including the installation of 21 new gas extraction wells, bringing the total number of such wells to 38. Solution failed to mitigate odors emanating from the landfill.

2022

• January 3
  • City Manager Randy Eads requested assistance in finding solutions from Virginia DEQ and the EPA.
• March
  • City Manager’s request results in convening of expert panel by DEQ to discuss and propose solutions to mitigate odors.
• April 25
  • Expert panel report produced.
• June
  • Per the report, Bristol began installing intermediate cover. SCS Engineers design and put to bid a dedicated system of temperature probes.
• August
  • Bristol hired expert panel member to design and consult on the odor mitigation systems recommended by the expert panel.
• August–October
  • Negotiations between engineers, DEQ, and the city leads to consensus on a timeline to complete recommended actions from the report, such as:
  • Ceasing acceptance of waste (Completed September 9, 2022)
  • Installation of intermediate cover (Completed October 10, 2022)
  • Installation of a dedicated thermocouple system temperature probe system (Completed)
  • Development and construction of the sidewall odor mitigation system (Project Completed June 2023.)
  • Leachate extraction & monitoring (Temporary Completed July 2023)
  • Enhanced gas collection systems (Completed June 2023)
  • Increase perimeter gas collection system near sidewalls (Completed June 2023)
  • Develop and implement Stormwater Plan (Once all remediation actions are completed, a temporary synthetic membrane will be installed over the landfill. Includes construction of storm water basin before installation of Ethylene Vinyl Alcohol cover.)
• November 1
  • Hosted Community Open House
• December
  • Completed installation of dedicated thermocouple temperature probe system

2023

• February 21
  • Hosted Community Open House
• June
  • Completed construction of SOMS
  • Expanded and improved perimeter gas collection system with additional gas wells near the SOMS
• July 12
  • Hosted Community Open House
• August
  • Upgrade leachate extraction and monitoring system
  • Implemented third-party air monitoring program with Stantec
  • DEQ visited landfill and found no deficiencies
• September
  • Installed 22 new Blackhawk pumps in select vertical gas extraction wells to help extract condensate and leachate from wells
• October
  • City opens hiring process for new Solid Waste Director
  • Awarded bid for permanent closure of older #498 landfill to Baker’s Construction Services
• December
  • Installed flow meters dedicated to monitoring landfill liquids and stormwater
  • City hires Laura Socia as new Director of Solid Waste

2024

• January
  • Work on closure activities at #498 landfill
  • Regular maintenance activities including moving soil, rebuilding, cleaning and replacing pumps, gas sampling and monitoring of the blower, flare and wellfield
• February
  • Fine tuning of Benzene Extraction System
  • Work on closure activities at #498 landfill
• March
  • The Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) extended the deadline for installation of the EVOH vinyl cover as settlement continues at the landfill
• April
  •  Continued closure activities at older #498 landfill
  •  Continued regular maintenance activities including moving soil, rebuilding, cleaning and replacing pumps, gas sampling and monitoring of the blower, flare and wellfield
• May
  • Installed new, larger temporary flare
  • General Assembly approved $26.5 million to help fund remediation efforts
  • Closure of the older #498 landfill
• June
  • Continued  regular maintenance activities  (moving soil, rebuilding, cleaning and replacing pumps, gas sampling and monitoring of the blower, flare and wellfield)
• July
  • Fixed force main break in the leachate collection system
• August
  • Unannounced visit by DEQ on 8/22
  • Moving soil to address areas with settlement issues
  • Installed Bentonite seals to address small leaks identified through the Surface Emissions Monitoring (SEM) inspection process
• September
  • Fine tuning of Benzene Extraction System
  • Installation of new compressor system
  •  Introduction of new online GIS-based reporting form on the City’s website
• October
  • DEQ site visit on 10/23; no deficiencies identified
  • Report received from DEQ visit on 8/22 saying “no potential issues were identified during the inspection”
• November
  • Expanded wellhead temperature system by installing additional sensors to wellheads previously without a sensor
  • Fixed a seam weld in the force main piping system
• December
  • Work on winterization activities
  • Purchased and installed new larger compressor for Benzene extraction system

2025

• January
  • Performed routine maintenance and winterization activities (moving soil, rebuilding, cleaning and replacing pumps, gas sampling and monitoring of the blower, flare and wellfield)
• February
  • Moved significant amounts of soil to address settlement issues
  • Issued bid request for permanent flare
  • Fixed piping causing problems with stormwater flow meter
  • Cleaned the tanks in the Benzene extraction system and sent the extracted waste to an offsite treatment facility
• March
  • Moved more than 360 tons of soil to address settlement issues
  • Removed and replaced dual phase extraction pump for liquids removal
  • Realign SOMS header pipe to improve efficiency
  • Held Pre-Bid meeting for new permanent flare
  • Troubleshooting faulty temperature probes throughout landfill
• April
  • Fine tuning and improving SOMS
  • Rebuilding and refurbishing pumps in the leachate removal systems