Casella New York Landfill Expansion on Track for December Delivery

To continue the reduction in odor permeating the Ontario County landfill in New York, Casella Waste Systems Inc. received permission from the state Department of Environmental Conservation (NYDEC) to expand gas collection at the landfill.

According to the NYDEC, the landfill is located on routes 5 and 20 in the town of Seneca, Ontario County, N.Y., which is a mixed solid waste landfill accepting non-hazardous solid waste.

The NYDEC states on its website that the landfill expansion would consist of two stages, which would cover approximately 16 acres around the northern and western boundaries of the landfill, and the Eastern, which would cover approximately 27.5 acres to the east, including the existing soil borrow area.

Jerry Leone, Casella’s regional environmental compliance manager for the company’s Western Region based in Ithaca, N.Y., says approximately 30-50 cubic feet per minute per well from a total of 12 wells.       

“We’re replacing wells that were recently decommissioned, and we’re proactively adding other wells to ensure odors are minimized,” he says.

The expansion of the landfill gas collection system will begin this month. Casella is adding 12 new vertical gas wells, which will be tied into the existing gas collection system and should be online by mid-December.

The north and a portion of the western side slopes have recently been seeded in preparation for winter and Casella says it is continuing the clean out of the two main storm water retention ponds. A majority of the final cover system also has been removed, according to a statement on Casella’s website.

“There are a series of integrated underground manifold laterals and header lines that are connected to large blowers that draw a constant vacuum on the landfill,” says Leone. “Approximately one well per acre is typically installed. The gas is lighter than air and travels upward and outward where it can be captured and then used to produce energy.”

The gas is used to produce enough electricity to power approximately 7,000 homes. Some of the gas is directly used to fuel Casella’s office facility—specifically the boiler—adjacent to the landfill.

Leone says the next set of wells will likely be installed in the autumn of 2016. Casella manages and collects gas from active facilities and several closed landfills.