MUD MEETS GARBAGE: ANALYSIS OF A WESTERN VIRGINIA LANDFILL FROM THE EROSION AND SEDIMENT CONTROL PERSPECTIVE

New River Resource Authority owns and operates a large solid waste disposal facility (landfill) for several member jurisdictions in the Valley and Ridge province of southwestern Virginia. The landfill is located on southeast-dipping Mississippian strata which produce steep slopes and erodible soils that present a variety of erosion and sediment control (E&SC) challenges. We analyzed the facility to determine first the comprehensiveness of federal and state regulations and permit documents that address E&SC at a site such as this, and second to identify in the field what E&SC problems had occurred and any corrective actions that might be needed. A review of regulatory and permit documents showed that measures to be taken during construction and closure are well described, but little is said about E&SC during the long-term, day-to-day operations, particularly in the active landfill and borrow areas. Field inspection of the entire facility revealed a number of problems (mostly minor), including hillside gullying, saturated ground and subsidence, inadequate drainageway linings and outlet protection, and poor maintenance of some E&SC measures. Corrective actions are suggested. Perhaps the most significant discovery is that the main sediment basin is filled to capacity and must be cleaned out. We conclude that E&SC best management practices required specifically under Virginia law work well over a long period of time, given that the measures are installed to specification, then inspected and maintained on a regular basis.