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Alternative Landfill Cover Project Profiles: Bioengineering Management Covers at Beltsville Agricultural Research Center (USDA), MD

Bioengineering Management Covers at Beltsville Agricultural Research Center (USDA), MD Last Updated: May 19, 2003
Site Information
*Site Name:
City:
*State:
Country:		Other Country:
*Site Type:		Other Site Type:
*Superfund Site:
*Federal Facility:
Bottom Liner:
Climate:		All months generally receive more than 6 cm of precipitation, with the most occurring in July and August. Snowfall typically occurs from November through March.
Annual Precipitation:
Geologic/ Hydrogeologic Setting:
Project Information
Project Name:
*Project Scale:		Other Project Scale:
Demonstration Program:
*Project Status:		Other Project Status:
Month Installed:
Year Installed:
Year Demonstration Completed:
Project Description/ Purpose:		The purpose of this project is to compare the performance of three cover designs: bioengineered management (2 covers), resistive barrier, and conductive layer barrier. Water was present in the lysimeters at the start of the demonstration to simulate a flooded disposal cell. Two water levels were tested to demonstrate the cover's ability to dewater flooded trenches. This project was included in the first phase of the ACAP.
Regulatory Status:		Other Regulatory Status:
Monitoring System:		Lysimeters (13.7m wide by 21.3m long) placed in 3.1m deep cells composed of 4 20-mil layers of vinyl sandwiched between 5 layers of protective geotextile. No drainage was allowed from the lysimeter. The water level in the cell was measured and the soil moisture content was measured by neutron probe.
Cover Design Information
*Cover Type:		Other Cover Type:
Cover Number:
Cover Size:
Design of Cover:		3.8m of uncharacterized native soil with alternate panels of corrugated aluminum and corrugated green fiberglass (1.2m wide) covering 92% of the surface with 10cm spaces in between for vegetation
Types of Vegetation:		Pfitzer junipers
Cover Installation:		Cover was constructed at a 20 percent slope.
Drainage Layer:
Biointrusion Layer:
Gas Collection Layer:
Water Balance Model:		Other Water Balance Model:
Modeling Results:
Designer Name:
Performance and Cost Information
Performance Data Available:
Summary and Description of Performance Data:		The water levels in the bioengineered cover decreased over two years until saturated conditions in the lysimeters were eliminated. The water level in the reference covers gradually increased until near the surface when the water was pumped out. No measurable water was observed in the lysimeters of the bioengineered covers from 1989-2000. After 10 years, runoff of precipitation was 57%, evapotranspiration was 43%, and deep percolation was 0%.
Maintenance Activities:
Summary and Description of Costs:
Performance and Cost Comments:		At the beginning of the demonstration, the water level was 90 cm above the bottom of the lysimeter. Since this cover eliminated the water from the disposal cell, the researchers reported that this type of cover may also be used for a remedial action for dewatering existing problem sites.


*Cover Type:		Other Cover Type:
Cover Number:
Cover Size:
Design of Cover:		3.8m of uncharacterized native soil with alternate panels of corrugated aluminum and corrugated green fiberglass (1.2m wide) covering 92% of the surface with 10cm spaces in between for vegetation
Types of Vegetation:		Pfitzer junipers
Cover Installation:		Cover was constructed at a 20 percent slope.
Drainage Layer:
Biointrusion Layer:
Gas Collection Layer:
Water Balance Model:		Other Water Balance Model:
Modeling Results:
Designer Name:
Performance and Cost Information
Performance Data Available:
Summary and Description of Performance Data:		The water levels in the bioengineered cover decreased over two years until saturated conditions in the lysimeters were eliminated. The water level in the reference covers gradually increased until near the surface when the water was pumped out. No measurable water was observed in the lysimeters of the bioengineered covers from 1989-2000. After 10 years, runoff of precipitation was 57%, evapotranspiration was 43%, and deep percolation was 0%.
Maintenance Activities:
Summary and Description of Costs:
Performance and Cost Comments:		At the beginning of the demonstration, the water level was 90 cm above the bottom of the lysimeter. Since this cover eliminated the water from the disposal cell, the researchers reported that this type of cover may also be used for a remedial action for dewatering existing problem sites.


Point(s) of Contact
Primary Contact
Role in Project:
Organization:
First Name:
Last Name:
Title:
Address (Street, City, State, Zip):		T-9F33, Washington, DC 20555
Phone:
Fax:
Email address:
Web address:

Secondary Contact
Role in Project:
Organization:
First Name:
Last Name:
Title:
Address (Street, City, State, Zip):
Phone:
Fax:
Email Address:
Web Address:

Secondary Contact
Role in Project:
Organization:
First Name:
Last Name:
Title:
Address (Street, City, State, Zip):
Phone:
Fax:
Email Address:
Web Address:

Reference(s)
		Gee, Glendon W., and others. 1998. Alternative Cover Assessment Project Phase I Report. December. http://www.acap.dri.edu
		O'Donnell, E., and P. Godwin. 2000. "Control of Water Infiltration Through Covers at Radioactive Waste Disposal Facilities, Uranium Mill Tailings Sites, and Decommissioning Sites-Results of 13 Years of Cover Performance in Lysimeters at a Humid Region Site, Beltsville, Maryland." Proceedings, WM 2000 Conference, Tucson, AZ. February 27-March 2.
		Schulz, R.K., Ridky, R.W., and E. O'Donnell. 1988. "Control of Water Infiltration Into Near Surface LLW Disposal Units." NUREG/CR-4918. Volume 2.
		Schulz, R.K., Ridky, R.W., and E. O'Donnell. 1997. "Control of Water Infiltration Into Near Surface Low-Level Waste Disposal Units." NUREG/CR-4918. Volume 10.


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Bioengineering Management Covers at Beltsville Agricultural Research Center (USDA), MD

Last Updated: May 19, 2003