Prediction of long-term erosion from landfill covers in the southwest
- Univ. of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM (United States)
Erosion is a primary stressor of landfill covers, especially for climates with high intensity storms and low native plant density. Rills and gullies formed by discrete events can damage barrier layers and induce failure. Geomorphologic, empirical and physical modeling procedures are available to provide estimates of surface erosion, but numerical modeling requires accurate representation of the severe rainfall events that generate erosion. The National Weather Service precipitation frequency data and estimates of 5, 10, 15, 30 and 60-minute intensity can be statistically combined in a numerical model to obtain long-term erosion estimates. Physically based numerical models using the KINEROS and AHYMO programs have been utilized to predict the erosion from a southwestern landfill or waste containment site with 0.03, 0.05 and 0.08 meter per meter surface slopes. Results of AHYMO modeling were within 15 percent of average annual values computed with the empirical Universal Soil Loss Equation. However, the estimation of rill and gully formation that primarily degrades cover systems requires quantifying single events. For Southwestern conditions, a single 10-year storm can produce erosion quantifies equal to three times the average annual erosion and a 100-year storm can produce five times the average annual erosion.
- Research Organization:
- US Department of Energy (USDOE), Washington DC (United States)
- OSTI ID:
- 576561
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-970208-Proc.; ON: DE98001967; TRN: 98:005170
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: International containment technology conference and exhibition, St. Petersburg, FL (United States), 9-12 Feb 1997; Other Information: PBD: [1997]; Related Information: Is Part Of International Containment Technology Conference: Proceedings; PB: 1140 p.
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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