Assignment:
Summarize what Landfill Leachate does to groundwater.
There is a danger of contaminating groundwater sources especially in unlined landfills since the leachate could reach the water table. Once groundwater is contaminated, health and environmental risks will occur. Therefore, leachate control in landfills is an important aspect of municipal solid waste management. Leachate within the body of a landfill site is rarely static. Water enters the landfill principally as rainfall infiltrating from the surface, but in some cases also as surface or ground water inflows (Appendix A). Any resulting leachate which is not contained and managed within the site, could seep through the base or sides of the site or overspill to the surface. Calculating the volume and predicting the composition of leachate that will be generated can evaluate the pollution potential.
The different factors that affect leachate composition advance aerobic or anaerobic conditions that allow different chemical reactions to take place. Most landfill leachates have high biological oxygen demand, chemical oxygen demand, ammonia, chloride, sodium, potassium, hardness and boron levels8. Ammonia is a contaminant, which may be used as an indicator of contamination, particularly in terms of surface water, as it can be toxic to fish at low concentrations (1 mg/l)8. Chloride is a mobile constituent and can also be used as an indicator of contamination. The leachate from landfills for non-hazardous waste may produce reducing conditions beneath the landfill, allowing the solution of iron and manganese from the underlying deposits.
Leachates from landfill sites for non-hazardous waste often contain complex organic compounds, chlorinated hydrocarbons and metals at concentrations which pose a threat to ground and surface waters9. Solvents and other synthetic organic chemicals are significant since they are hazardous at very low concentrations and are resistant to degradation. Moreover, they may be transformed in some cases into more hazardous compounds. Landfills have the potential to produce leachate for several hundred years.
This paper will outline the importance of landfill leachate by defining what leachate is and its effects on groundwater and its concern on public health through an example of a leachate landfill (The New York City's Fresh Kill site) and Alberta's role in landfill control."
Your answer must be typed, double-spaced, Times New Roman font (size 12), one-inch margins on all sides, APA format.