Leachate problem plaguing Virginia landfill

The Southeastern Public Service Authority (SPSA) has planned a special meeting April 12 to discuss solutions to a leachate problem discovered in January at a Suffolk, Virginia, landfill. According to a report in the Virginia Pilot, a massive buildup of leachate was discovered back in January.

The report says a buildup of more than 10 million gallons of “garbage juice” was discovered and that in one of the two cells affected, around 30 feet of water had accumulated in some areas. State regulations require no more than 1 foot of water.

The article indicates SPSA has been searching for solutions, including trucking the leachate to a wastewater treatment plant in Newport News, which could cost $6.7 million and take a year.

Virginia Beach City Manager Dave Hanson reportedly said during a work session that the problems at the landfill were caused by “mismanagement or malfeasance or neglect.”

Rowland “Bucky” Taylor, SPSA’s executive director, reportedly said Tuesday evening that it’s too early to predict how much the leachate problem will cost. He said the SPSA staff is aiming to present a revised budget in August or September, once it has a better handle on what it will take to solve the issue.

The Pilot article says 50,000 gallons a day is currently being pumped to the Hampton Roads Sanitation District’s Nansemond treatment plan in northern Suffolk. The sanitation district has offered up four other plants to handle an additional combined 200,000 gallons daily.