RENO COUNTY — The Board of County Commissioners will take up an item to keep methane gas emissions in compliance with EPA and KDHE regulations as part of its meeting on Tuesday.
According to agenda documents, Reno County Municipal Solid Waste Landfill Facility conducts quarterly surface methane emissions monitoring at the landfill as required by EPA and KDHE in accordance with New Performance Standards set forth in 40 CFR 60.1958 (c) and (d), 40 CFR 60, Appendix A Method 21, and SEM Work Plan dated October 2016.
Surface emissions monitoring consists of using a calibrated instrument to scan the landfill cover and penetrations (such as around gas wells, sumps, etc.) for methane leaching through the cover and into the atmosphere. The threshold for a reportable exceedance is 500 parts per million.
In the last year, there has been an initial exceedance detected in every quarter from the 3rd Quarter 2022 through the 2nd Quarter 2023. After an initial exceedance, corrective actions (such as adjusting the waste cover or turning up the surrounding wells) are taken. The location is re-monitored within 10 days and again 10 days after that (if the first 10-day re-monitoring resulted in an exceedance). All locations are monitored again for a one month recheck.
If three exceedances are detected at a location in one quarter, then a notification is submitted to KDHE and – in accordance with 40 CFR 63.1960 (c)(4)(v) – a new well must be installed within 120 days of the initial exceedance.
The facility can submit an alternative remedy request in lieu of installing a new well. Two locations have had three exceedances in a quarter resulting in a notification being submitted to KDHE. In the third quarter of 2022 a notification was submitted to KDHE for Well 63, and in the fourth quarter of 2022 a notification was submitted for Well 78.
On behalf of Reno County Solid Waste, SCS Engineers has submitted a request for a timeline extension for both locations in order to address other gas system issues.
Well data shows that there are several wells that are not functioning properly on the Reno County MSWLF resulting in an insufficient amount of landfill gas being captured. Without improvements to the Gas Collection and Control System (GCCS) on Site D, these problems will persist and Reno County will continue to get exceedances.
Eventually these exceedances may be unable to be corrected, and will result in Reno County MSWLF being out of compliance with the EPA and KDHE New Performance Standards.
SCS Engineers has designed, maintained, and built the GCCS system at the Reno County MSWLF.
They have the most background information and knowledge to complete this design and construction efficiently and effectively to keep the gas system running and Reno County in compliance.
SCS will have a technician on staff performing the CQA during the project daily as well as Field Services performing the work as they have done on past projects with the Gas System.
The cost of the project is not to exceed $532,077.
The Board of County Commissioners meets Tuesday at 9 a.m. in the Veterans Room at the Reno County Courthouse.
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