Field Hydrology of Water Balance Covers for Waste Containment
Publication: Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
Volume 141, Issue 2
Abstract
A study was conducted at 12 sites across the United States to evaluate field-scale hydrology of landfill final covers using water balance methods to control percolation. The sites were located in climates ranging from arid to humid, with annual precipitation varying from 119 to 1,263 mm. Fifteen test sections were constructed with large () drainage lysimeters for continuous and direct monitoring of the water balance over a period of 3–6 years. Monolithic and capillary barrier designs were used for water storage, and plant communities consisting of grasses, grasses and shrubs, or grasses and trees were used to promote evapotranspiration. Data from these test sections are analyzed along with data from 10 other sites in the literature to draw general inferences regarding the hydrology of water balance covers. Percolation ranges from (0–34% of precipitation) on an average annual basis and is shown to be affected by annual precipitation, preferential flow, and storage capacity of the cover. Evapotranspiration is the largest component of the water balance ( of precipitation) and varies with water availability from precipitation, energy demand as characterized by potential evapotranspiration, and type of plant community. Surface runoff is the smallest fraction ( of precipitation) and depends on the saturated hydraulic conductivity of the surface soils, intensity of precipitation, and the occurrence of snowmelt and frozen ground.
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Acknowledgments
The U.S. EPA and a consortium of partners supported the field research described in this paper through the Alternative Cover Assessment Program. The Thailand Research Fund (TRG5380020) and the Research Fund of Chulachomklao Royal Military Academy supported Dr. Apiwantragoon. Mr. Steven Rock was the program manager for the U.S. EPA. The data analysis described in this paper was supported by the U.S. Department of Energy under Cooperative Agreement No. DE-FC01-06EW07053 entitled The Consortium for Risk Evaluation with Stakeholder Participation III awarded to Vanderbilt University. The opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed herein are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the Department of Energy or Vanderbilt University.
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Published In
Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
Volume 141 • Issue 2 • February 2015
Copyright
© 2014 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Dec 25, 2012
Accepted: Aug 25, 2014
Published online: Oct 28, 2014
Published in print: Feb 1, 2015
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