A landfill site in northern Wales which lies only a few metres above the local water table was lined with a mixture of locally available sand and imported bentonite. To test the permeability and leachate attenuation capacity of this liner special test chambers lined with high-density polyethylene (HDPE) were constructed underneath the sand-bentonite liner and instrumented to collect samples of any infiltrating water. Over an 18-month period there has been less than 1 mm of infiltration from a completed section of the landfill into the test chambers. No evidence of contamination of the groundwater by the landfill has been detected in test wells. The sampling continues.
Clegg, G., Marples, A.E., Davies, J.N. & Tewes, K.J.W. (1985), Development and sealing of a landfill site, Solid Wastes, November 1985, LXXV, 657-663.
2.
Haxo, H.E. Jr, Haxo, R.S., Nelson, N.A. et al. (1986), Liner materials exposed to toxic and hazardous wastes, Waste Management & Research, 4, 247-264.
3.
Herzog, B.L. & Morse, W.J. (1986), Hydraulic conductivity at a hazardous waste disposal site; comparison of laboratory and field-determined values, Waste Management & Research, 4, 177-187.
4.
Hoeks, J., Glas, H., Hofkamp, J. & Ryhiner, A.H. [1987], Bentonite liners for isolation of waste disposal sites, Waste Management & Research, 5, 97-105.
5.
Robinson, H.D. & Blackley, S.G. (1987), Attenuation of contaminants: how reliable a philosophy ? Surveyor, 168, 12-15.
6.
Robinson, H.D. & Lucas, J.L. (1984), Leachate attenuation in the unsaturated zone beneath landfills: instrumentation and monitoring of a site in Southern England, WaterScience and Technology, 17, 477-492.
