Landfill gas assessment

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Background
August 2009 update on landfills assessed by EPA as requiring improved gas management
Clayton South Area
Springvale South Area
Lyndhurst Area
Downloadable Reports
Downloadable Community Information

Background:

EPA Victoria completed a comprehensive methane gas assessment on Victoria’s licensed landfill sites in early 2009.

This assessment was undertaken in response to an incident in late 2008 when methane gas was found to be migrating from a closed landfill in Cranbourne into a residential estate. The assessment found no other sites impacting homes in the same way.

The assessment looked at 260 licensed landfill sites across Victoria and identified eight sites requiring further investigation.

Methane detected at two of these eight sites, Bosworth Road, Bairnsdale and Hallam Road, Hampton Park, is likely to have come from natural sources and not the landfills. Voluntary environmental audits are being undertaken at these sites, and will be available for download via the links below.

The remaining six sites, all in South-East Melbourne fall into three areas, Lyndhurst, Clayton South and Springvale South. The operators of these six sites have actively undertaken works aimed at containing methane within the landfill site. These sites have voluntarily undertaken environmental audits as a further precaution to assess if other actions are warranted.

Refer below to August 2009 update on landfills assessed by EPA as requiring improved gas management for audit and site specific information.

While the assessment showed that landfill gas is being adequately managed, it has highlighted the important roles of siting, design, construction and management of buffer distances between landfills and any building development. EPA is therefore undertaking a review of its Best Practice Environmental Management Guidelines for Siting, Design, Operation and Rehabilitation of Landfills (PDF file, 851 KB). Where these features are not present EPA will continue to require landfill operators to conduct periodic assessment of methane management controls.

EPA hopes that the assessment provides reassurance to those living near landfills that there is no cause for concern.

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August 2009 update on landfills assessed by EPA as requiring improved gas management:

Landfill owners are continuing improvements on the six landfill sites assessed by EPA Victoria as requiring strengthened gas management. These sites are in the Clayton South area, Springvale South area and Lyndhurst area.

These sites were identified by EPA, following the comprehensive methane gas assessment of licensed landfill sites completed earlier this year.

The owners and operators of the six landfills have taken responsibility for the need to appropriately manage their sites, voluntarily undertaking environmental audits to assess if any further actions are warranted. Investigations so far have found no methane impacts on homes or people’s safety near these landfills.

The Victorian community rightly expects that all landfill owners monitor and manage their landfills appropriately, and EPA Victoria will continue its role regulating and monitoring landfill operators’ progress to ensure continued safe management of landfills.

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Clayton South Area:

Clayton Road Regional Landfill, operated by Clayton Road Joint Venture:

Neighbouring properties have been offered in-building monitoring and to date no methane has been detected.
Extra gas monitoring bores have been installed in target locations around the perimeter of the site.
A cut-off trench (which is an underground wall that blocks gas movement by creating a physical barrier) has been installed along a section of the site’s boundary with Clayton Road. The effectiveness of the wall will continue to be reviewed.
The on-site gas extraction system has been, and will continue to be, improved to control migration.
An interim gas management plan has been drafted and commented on by the Auditor. This will be further developed over the coming months to meet the Auditor’s recommendations.
The Audit is complete and will be available shortly.

Fraser Road landfill, operated by Transpacific Industries Group Ltd:

Neighbouring properties have been offered in-building monitoring and to date no methane has been detected.
Additional gas monitoring bores have been installed in target locations around the perimeter of the site.
On-site gas extraction has been and continues to be optimised. This will be reviewed as part of the Audit.
A gas management plan has been developed, and will be reviewed and further developed as recommended by the Audit.
The Audit is complete and will be available shortly.

Heatherton Road Landfill, operated by Transpacific Industries Group Ltd

Neighbouring properties have been offered in-building monitoring and to date no methane has been detected
Additional gas monitoring bores have been installed in target locations around the perimeter of the site.
The on-site gas extraction system is being fully redesigned, and improvements will be implemented over the next few months.
A cut-off trench (which is an underground wall that blocks gas movement by creating a physical barrier) was installed along the southern section of the eastern boundary. Its effectiveness will be reviewed as part of the Audit.
A gas management plan has been developed for the site, and will be reviewed and further developed as recommended by the Audit.
The Audit is due in December 2009.

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Springvale South Area:

Clarke Road Landfill, owned by City of Greater Dandenong

Neighbouring properties have been offered in-building monitoring by City of Greater Dandenong. To date no methane has been detected.
Extra gas monitoring bores have been installed in target locations around the perimeter of the site.
The efficiency of the on-site gas extraction system is being reviewed as part of the Audit.
The gas management plan has been developed, and will be reviewed and further developed as recommended by the Audit.
The Audit is due in October 2009.

Spring Road Landfill, owned by Glynlee Pty Ltd

Neighbouring properties have been offered in-building monitoring by Glynlee and EPA. To date no methane has been detected around properties that have been monitored.
Gas monitoring bores have been installed in target locations around the perimeter of the site.
The efficiency of the on-site gas extraction system is being reviewed as part of the Audit.
EPA has requested a gas management plan.
The Audit is due in September 2009.

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Lyndhurst Area:

Taylors Road Landfill – operated by SITA Environmental Solutions

Additional gas monitoring bores have been installed in targeted locations around the perimeter of the site.
The on-site gas extraction system has been improved.
A cut-off trench (which is an underground active extraction drainage wall that prevents gas movement) has been installed along part of the northern boundary.
The existing gas management plan has been enhanced, and will be reviewed and further developed as recommended by the Audit.
The Audit is complete. Download the executive summary, full audit report and appendices below.

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Download reports

Landfill gas assessment February 2009.