Pennsylvania DEP issues plan approval for leachate system at Westmoreland Sanitary Landfill

The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has authorized an air quality plan approval to install an onsite leachate treatment and evaporation system at Westmoreland Sanitary Landfill, Rostraver Township, Pennsylvania. The site is operated by Pittsburgh-based Noble Environmental.

DEP says evaporating liquid leachate at Westmoreland Sanitary Landfill would eliminate risks of spills, impacts and traffic associated with trucking leachate offsite for disposal.  

The air quality plan approval establishes emissions limitations and monitoring requirements. DEP is reviewing a waste permit modification application, which, if approved, would authorize the use of the evaporator system for the treatment of the landfill’s leachate. Both the plan approval and waste permit modification must be obtained prior to operation.   

“DEP carefully and thoroughly reviewed the application while also considering feedback from the public,” DEP Southwest Regional Director Jim Miller says. “This authorization meets or exceeds the air quality regulations and includes a number of safeguards and conditions to be protective of public health and the environment.”  

The approved leachate treatment and evaporation system includes pretreatment of the leachate. DEP says the evaporator will include a three-stage demisting filtration system with a 99 percent removal efficiency of filterable particulate matter. The air quality plan approval also includes measures to monitor pollutants that may be emitted through the evaporation process or are present in the leachate.  

Modeling and calculations show any radionuclides emitted into the air will not pose a health risk, DEP says. Radiation monitors will be placed in six onsite locations.

The plan approval requires that a third party conduct an audit inspection of the leachate pretreatment and evaporation system every 12 months. DEP says audits would include a full system inspection, cleaning, instrument calibration, training of operating staff, operator certification and system restoration as needed.   

As previously reported by Waste Today, DEP executed a consent order and agreement (COA) late last year, requiring Westmoreland Sanitary Landfill pay $62,475 for issues related to leachate storage and other violations of the state’s Solid Waste Management Act and Clean Streams Law.

Supporting documents and additional permitting and compliance information can be found here.