Landfill siting in New York: Case studies confirming the importance of site-specific hydrogeologic investigations

Conference · Mon Mar 01 00:00:00 EST 1993 · Geological Society of America, Abstracts with Programs; (United States)

OSTI ID:5853342

Cloyd, K C; Concannon, P W ^[1]

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1. New York State Dept. of Environmental Conservation, Avon, NY (United States)

Landfill siting is one of the most problematic environmental issues facing society today for a variety of both technical and political reasons. New York State has approached many of these issues by requiring both generalized siting studies and detailed hydrogeologic evaluation of any proposed landfill site. Geographic Information Systems (GIS) have emerged as an appropriate tool for accumulating information for preliminary decision making. Recently, Goodman and others have suggested the use of a terrain suitability map (land use map) as a mechanism for simplifying landfill siting. They propose the use of existing geologic and morphologic information to eliminate large areas of New York from consideration as potential landfill locations. The study concludes that the Appalachian Plateau region (the Southern Tier), and the Erie-Ontario Plain are the most suitable areas for landfill development in the state. An evaluation of the geology at existing landfills and the impacts that relate to the facilities has shown that suitable sites do indeed exist in areas deemed unacceptable by Goodman and others. Conversely, a number of landfills located in suitable terranes have proven to be developed on less than suitable sites. While evaluation of existing information plays an obvious role in preliminary siting studies, it is not a substitute for detailed hydrogeologic investigation. It is local hydrogeological conditions that are most important in determining the suitability of a site for landfill development rather than the regional geologic context of the site.

• OSTI ID: 5853342
• Report Number(s): CONF-9303211-; CODEN: GAAPBC
• Journal Information: Geological Society of America, Abstracts with Programs; (United States), Vol. 25:2; Conference: 28. annual Geological Society of America (GSA) Northeastern Section meeting, Burlington, VT (United States), 22-24 Mar 1993; ISSN 0016-7592
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
58 GEOSCIENCES
SANITARY LANDFILLS
SITE CHARACTERIZATION
SITE SELECTION
COMPUTER-AIDED DESIGN
DECISION MAKING
GEOLOGY
HYDROLOGY
INFORMATION SYSTEMS
NEW YORK
DESIGN
DEVELOPED COUNTRIES
MANAGEMENT
NORTH AMERICA
USA
WASTE DISPOSAL
WASTE MANAGEMENT
540250* - Environment
Terrestrial- Site Resource & Use Studies- (1990-)
580000 - Geosciences