Lipari Landfill: Leachate Containment System – Geotechnical Considerations

The Lipari Landfill, located near Pitman, New Jersey, is a 16-acre former sand and gravel and waste disposal site that operated from 1958 through early 1970. This site was ranked the number one site in the U.S. EPA's first National Priority List of uncontrolled hazardous waste disposal sites. Site investigations and analysis of contamination both on- and off-site began in late 1979. Design of the Phase I remediation, consisting of encapsulation utilizing a vertical barrier keyed into a relatively impermeable clay layer and a cover over the entire site, began in late 1982. Construction of the leachate containment system began in the fall of 1983 and was completed in November 1984 at a cost of approximately $2,205,000. U.S. EPA is about to implement the Phase II remedial actions consisting of batch flushing, extraction and treatment of contaminated groundwater and removal and treatment of stream and lake sediments contaminated by leachate migration through surface waters. This Phase II program is expected to cost about $12.3 million and take about 7-1/2 years to complete.