City of Melfort - Melfort Landfill Decommissioning - Progressive Closure of the Active Landfill

pre-construction

The main objective of the project is to decommission and close the existing waste disposal cells (Approximately 120,000 square metres) to mitigate the migration of identified onsite groundwater and soil impacts. Project scope includes the development of a Closure Plan for the site, detailed design of the final cover system, construction tender, the construction of a final cover including construction management, quality assurance services, and regulatory reporting. Evaluation of final cover systems to identify the most suitable final cover system for the site based on climate, available materials, risk to receptors, etc. is part of the Closure Plan. This may include implementing an evapotranspiration biocover that uses methanogenic bacteria in the final cover system that passively converts methane from landfill gas to carbon dioxide thus reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Following project completion, the site will return to native vegetated land that may act as a minor carbon sink for greenhouse gas reduction. The final cover will be constructed in two stages as each area of the landfill reaches in final waste contours in the 2023 and 2026. It is imperative that these final waste contours are achieved to promote drainage off the final cover system. This progressive closure strategy is commonly applied at operating landfills to reduce leachate generation rates by constructing the final cover over sections that are ready to be decommissioned.