Solid Waste Landfill Design

Learn about the critical factors of solid waste landfill design, operations, evolving industry issues, and economics. Learn from expert and diverse course faculty (top-flight researchers, owners at the cutting edge of evolving practice, industry experts). Get a firm grasp of the background and design specifics to compete in this industry, including industry-leading information on the principles and practices of solid waste landfill development, design, construction, operations, and management. Understand practical emerging technologies including

• Civil engineers and landfill designers
• Landfill owners and operators
• Local, county, and state regulatory agency staff and officials
• Public works professionals and municipal engineers
• Geotechnical and geoenvironmental engineers
• Geological engineers, hydrogeologists, and geoscientists
• Facility managers with on-site disposal cells
• Contractors and estimators
• Geosynthetic manufacturers and product representative
• Planners

This course will guide you through the development process of a successful solid waste landfill, from cradle to grave. Industry experts -- including James Tinjum, Craig Benson, Mark Torresani and John Welch -- will share critical factors and insights.  Interactive discussion and idea exchange will be emphasized. Learn more and enroll today.

Day 1 – Landfill Development and Revenue Streams

A Brief History of Solid Waste Management and Design (Tinjum)

• Introduction and course goals
• Evolving contaminants, risks, and opportunities
• Evolving standards-of-practice and performance-based design

Keynote: Financial Management of a Solid Waste System (Welch)

• Solid waste economics
• Evolving revenue streams and value-added processes
• Planning financial outlays and tipping fee impacts
• New technologies for metrics tracking, airspace management and analysis (compaction rates, equipment usage)
• Planning for expansion (vertical and horizontal, greenfield sites

Investigating Hydrogeologic Conditions and Groundwater Monitoring (Leier-Engelhardt)

• Designing an investigation program
• Exploration methods
• Monitoring wells and analysis of groundwater data

Borrow Source Investigations (Tinjum)

• Properties of suitable liner/cover soil
• Compaction specifications and QA/QC
• Incorporating reasonable soil specifications
• Composite barrier systems and performance calculations
• Class Activity

Geosynthetic Design for Containment Systems (Tinjum)

• Polymers 101
• Geosynthetic types and functions
• Contaminant transport mechanisms
• Composite barrier systems and performance calculations

Geosynthetic Clay Liners (GCLs) (Benson)

• Types and styles of GCLs
• Compatibility with various types and leachate
• Advances in polymer-amended bentonite

Day 2 – Designing from the Bottom Up

Geometric Design (Torresani)

• Base grades
• Slopes and Berming
• Phasing

Liquid Management Systems, Part I (Daigle)

• Leachate collection systems (drainage sand/stone, drainage geosynthetics, base grades and toe drains)
• Geometrical design
• Leachate head calculations
• Pipe network, clean outs, pumps, and on-site storage

Liquid Management Systems, Part II (Daigle)

• Effects on solid waste management systems
• Dewatering system design an operation
• Economic analysis of dewatering system

Final Covers for Waste Containment Facilities (Benson)

• Functions and types of cover systems
• Cover selection criteria
• Design of cover drainage
• Alternative Covers, design and PET calculations

Landfill Drainage and Runoff Control (Powers)

• Runoff amounts
• Open channel flow and culverts
• Sedimentation/detention basins

Tour of Dane County Landfill (Welch)

• Gas to energy system tour
• BioCNG system tour
• Interim cover system and gas management
• Expansion phasing

Day 3 – Evolving Topics in Landfill Management, Operations, and Risks

Gas to Energy Systems Selection and Design (Welch)

• Developing a solid waste biogas project
• BioCNG selection, design, and operation
• Financial considerations and clean fuel incentives
• Pipeline-grade gas conversion

Slope Stability Basics, Approach, and Calculations/Analyses (Benson)

• Failure modes, triggering mechanisms, and factors affecting landfill system stability
• Measuring and incorporating interface values
• Calculations approaches and examples
• Slope stability analysis and reporting

Gas Collection and Managing Air Emissions (Wntheiser)

• Sources of landfill air emissions
• Managing landfill air emissions
• Monitoring and controlling landfill gas migration
• Noxious/nuisance gas control

Slope Stability Basics, Approach, and Calculations/Analyses (Benson)

• Failure modes, triggering mechanisms, and factors affecting landfill system stability
• Measuring and incorporating interface values
• Calculations approaches and examples
• Slope stability analysis and reporting

Management of Leachate, Liquids, and Gases in Landfill (including PFAS) (Quinn/Wade)

• Fate and Transport in Solid Waste Management Residuals
• Liquids Management and Treatment
• Remediation Technologies and Treatment
• Life-Cycle and Economic Assessment

Leachate Recirculation and Bioreactor Landfills (Marten)

• Conventional versus Bioreactor Landfills
• Regulations and Practice-Based Considerations
• Design of Leachate Recirculation Systems
• Operational and Monitoring Considerations
• Economics

Day 4- Special Topics

Waste Relocation and Expansions (Torresani)

• Environmental, regulatory, legal, and economic drivers
• Health and safety considerations
• Geotechnical considerations

Design of Coal Combustion Residual Impoundments and Landfills (Trast)

• Transporting and relocating CCR
• Solid waste management plan
• Leachate characterization and management

Post-Closure Management and Redevelopment Options (Buechel)

• Long-term, post-closure maintenance and controls
• Redevelopment options, economics, and study needs
• Closure Case Studies

"It was an awesome course! Highly recommend."
—Hailey Fitterer, HDR, Inc.

"Extremely helpful to get a taste of so much!"
—Nigel Baummer, HDR, Inc

"Wasn’t expecting this much pertinent information as a geologist and was pleasantly surprised."
—T.J. Daniel, Bunnell-Lammons Engineering

"Great information, networking, and references. Too often, binders/slide handouts are useless once back in the office, not the case here."
—Jason Hinds, FMG Engineering, Rapid City, SD

"Great technical discussions that gave reasons behind technical requirements and regulations."
—Noah Watt, Waste Management

"(Elevated Temperature Landfills) very, very informative. Big issue with clients, so truly helpful."
—Christian Kessler, WCGRP

"Very good topics presented by very qualified instructors. The course provides current relevant information for regulators, consultants, and landfill operators."
—Brent Luebbe, NE Dept. of Envir. Quality

"I thoroughly enjoyed this course and will recommend it to colleagues in the future."
—Aaron Lowell, Civil and Environmental Consultants

"I really enjoyed the course. Learning everything from the liner to the final cover systems definitely makes me more confident in looking through a plan set."
—Nick Dykstra, Cornerstone Environmental Group LLC

"Great overall course for all aspects of landfill design from permitting to closure."
—Rochelle Staples, Stantec Consulting Ltd.

"I came with a breadth of knowledge gained from 2 years of experience.  This class expanded the breadth and added depth."
—Spenser Harveg, Parkhill, Smith & Cooper

Craig Benson

Dean, School of Engineering and Applied Science, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA

C. Lee Daigle

Senior Project Manager, Tetra Tech, Madison, WI

Paula Leier-Engelhardt

Principal, HydroGeo Solutions LLC, Little Suamico, WI

Betsy Powers

Senior Project Manager/Civil Engineer, SCS Engineers, Madison, WI

Kenneth Quinn

Technical Director, Hydrogeologist, TRC Companies, Madison, WI

Krishna Reddy

Professor, University Scholar & Distinguised Researcher, University of Illinois, Chicago, IL

James Tinjum

Dr. James M. Tinjum, PE, is responsible for outreach, research, and continuing engineering education in the areas of geotechnical, geoenvironmental, and energy geotechnics with an emphasis on transmitting practical research applications directly to the engineering community. Over the past 10 years, he has specialized (consulting, expert support, and research) in foundation investigation, monitoring, and research into foundations for wind turbine generators. 

Mark Torresani

Vice President/Engineer, Cornerstone Environmental Group, LLC, Madison, WI

Amanda Wade

TRC Companies, Inc. Madison, WI

John Welch

Dane County, Madison, WI

Paul Wintheiser

AECOM, Sheboygan, WI