Tag Archives: Kentwood landfill

Kent County DPW complete expansion of methane collection system in Kentwood

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Field work is now complete on the expansion of the methane gas collection system at the closed Kentwood Landfill. Kent County Department of Public Works (DPW) installed eighteen new gas wells to extract the methane gas from the western edge of the landfill. Eight additional wells were installed to provide access for continued routine monitoring of the site.

During routine monitoring in fall of 2016, the DPW discovered methane gas migrating outside the solid waste boundaries of the Kentwood Landfill causing potential for methane gas intrusion into nearby City of Kentwood buildings and neighboring residences. Kent County DPW organized a project team and worked alongside the City of Kentwood, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Michigan Department of Environmental Quality and engineering consultants to design a second methane extraction system.

In fall 2017, after extensive investigation and continued monitoring, DPW moved forward with the installation of eighteen new gas wells between 15 and 106 feet deep and added eight monitoring wells. On Dec. 27, a new flare system was activated and is now extracting methane gas along the western boundary of the landfill where methane was found to be migrating. DPW will monitor the newly installed system and will continue to routinely test onsite and off site monitoring wells indefinitely.

“Work at the site progressed as expected and the new flare is now activated,” said Molly Sherwood, Environmental Compliance Manager at Kent County DPW. “Our project team is confident that this expansion will serve the site well to control the methane that is migrating outside the boundaries of the landfill.”

Kent County DPW continues to offer no-cost, third-party methane testing for the 150 residences within 1500 feet of the landfill’s western boundary. To date, voluntary testing in nine residences and weekly monitoring of City of Kentwood facilities has shown no methane vapor intrusion into building structures.

The cost of this new extraction system was roughly $1 million with funding provided through the Kent County Solid Waste Surcharge.

Kentwood landfill update, Wyoming councilor Postema on latest WKTV Journal: In Focus 

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Dar Baas, Director of the Kent County Department of Public Works, visits the set of WKTV Journal: In Focus. (WKTV)

WKTV Staff

news@wktv.org

 

On the latest episode of “WKTV Journal: In Focus”, WKTV’s public affairs show, we bring to the public a discussion with the Kent County official leading methane mitigation efforts at the closed Kentwood landfill — and the free testing available to property owners around the site.  And, in the second in a series of interviews with Wyoming’s new city councilors, WKTV’s Ken Norris also talks with Rob Postema on his first few months on the job.

 

The new episode will air twice a week on WKTV channels starting this week and running through Sept. 22. Along with all episodes of WKTV Journal: In Focus, the new interviews are also available on YouTube at WKTVVideos.

 

In the interview with Darwin J. “Dar” Baas, Director of the Kent County Department of Public Works, he told WKTV that while about 150 property owners within 1,500-feet of the landfill’s western boundary are eligible for free on-site testing for methane, so far, only eight of the property owners have had their homes tested.

 

“We coordinate it, and then a local engineering firm — Fishbeck, Thompson, Carr & Huber — they actually come in and do the testing,” Baas said. “They have a form and a system that they use. Takes about an hour. It is very non-intrusive. For those that have had the testing done, they have been very pleased with how quickly we are in and out. And how well it goes.”

 

At the time of the interview, none of the tests had come back positive. The county is the point agency on the closed Kentwood landfill and methane mitigation efforts. Recently, the county announced expanded mitigation efforts.

 

In the interview with Postema, he talked about his long history in the city, including a stint as a member of the city’s planning commission.

 

Wyoming City Councilor Rob Postema. (WKTV)

“Planning commission is a good lead-in to being on city council,” he said. “You get involved with meeting with a lot of the citizens, at some of the public meetings, and you really get a good feel for how city government works. … But what you are really not prepared for is some of the other issues that they deal with, the non-zoning issues. I’ve had a great experience, so far, everybody views city council as ‘Its a team’.”

 

Postema, who was elected last year to represent the City’s Third Ward, grew up in Wyoming, attended Lee and South Christian high schools, graduated from Calvin College, and now works with his father and brother at an architectural and engineering firm in the city.

 

“WKTV Journal: In Focus” will started airing on Tuesday, Sept. 12, and will air on Tuesdays and Thursdays, at 6:30 p.m., on cable television in the Wyoming and Kentwood areas on Comcast WKTV Channel 26 and on AT&T Channel 99 Government channel.

 

Visit here for a YouTube video of the episode

 

Kent County expands Kentwood landfill methane mitigation, ‘indefinite’ testing  

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A warning sign on a fence surrounding the inactive, but methane producing, Kentwood Landfill. A city building is shown in background. (WKTV/K.D. Norris)

by K.D. Norris

ken@wktv.org

 

As part of its continuing efforts to test for and mitigate methane migration outside the boundaries of the inactive Kentwood landfill site, the Kent County Department of Public Works beginning this month will place additional gas monitoring probes as well as a second “flare” — a system to burn off escaping methane gas.

 

About 150 property owners within 1,500-feet of the landfill’s western boundary are being notified of the expansion of the county’s efforts, which will start later this month and should be complete in early October. Property owners will also be reminded of free on-site testing for methane continues to be available. So far, only eight of the property owners have had their homes tested.

 

“Testing has consistently shown that the methane is not entering the (city or residential) buildings,” Dar Baas, Kent County DPW Director, said in a supplied statement. “Public safety continues to be our priority and we will continue monitoring for methane indefinitely.”

 

The 72-acre municipal landfill site was closed in 1976. It continues to be designated a federal Environmental Protections Agency (EPA) Superfund site. It is bordered by the City of Kentwood City Center, library, and the City of Kentwood Public Works facility to the west; the City of Kentwood Justice Center to the northwest; and Plaster Creek and open ravine areas to the north, east and south.

 

Since August 2016, Kent County and City of Kentwood have been monitoring the air quality inside the city buildings on the west side of the landfill.

 

One of the landfill monitor wells at the site of the Kentwood Landfill. (WKTV/K.D. Norris)

According to the county DWP, methane gas forms naturally in landfills. In 2015, the county DPW had installed a series of collection wells and a flare to contain the methane on-site to limit migration. During routine monitoring in 2016, the county DPW discovered migration of methane gas to the west of the landfill. So, according to the supplied statement, “it was clear that a larger system would be needed.”

 

“To increase the effectiveness of the existing landfill gas collection system, additional gas collection wells will be installed in nine locations along the west edge of the landfill beginning in August 2017,” the county statement continues. “Seven additional gas monitoring probes will also be installed to the west of the landfill, and a second flare will be installed next to the existing flare southeast of the library.”

 

Funding for this project and other Kentwood Landfill remediation efforts comes from the Kent County Solid Waste Surcharge. The county has contracted with a third-party firm — Fishbeck, Thompson, Carr & Huber, Inc. — to provide the free residential testing.

 

For more information on the free on-site methane testing available to property owners, call the Kent County DPW at 616-632-7920. Project updates will be posted to Kent County’s website at accesskent.com/kentwoodlandfill.