Landfills are designed to store the ever-increasing refuse of our society and not let any potential contaminants migrate beyond their boundaries. The key to successful waste disposal is to ensure the trash is kept isolated from any precipitation, which could facilitate the offsite movement of unwanted, sometimes hazardous, substances.
Those living near the Ironwood Landfill operated by Waste Management near Florence, Arizona, can thank E & E Companies for help keeping any nasty stuff from migrating offsite.
“The four-month project involves placing a base layer of fill material on top of the existing landfill cap," says Buddy Escapule, owner of E & E Companies. “This fill will create a three percent slope from the center of the landfill to the outer edges to ensure drainage follows this path. After the base layer is complete, we'll place a two-foot final cap on the top section and slopes to protect the surface from any trash exposure.”
Escapule explains that a berm will be built around the perimeter to divert water to 18-inch culvert pipes that will be installed from the top cap to a drainage channel placed around the perimeter of the entire landfill area. “The benefit of the project is to make sure run-off from rain is controlled and cannot expose any of the material below the capped surface,” he says.
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This article originally appeared in the bimonthly Arizona Contractor & Community magazine, Jan/Feb 2023 issue, Vol. 12, No. 1.