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Title: Alternative Landfill Cover and Monitoring Systems for Landfills in Arid Environments

Technical Report ·
DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/808245· OSTI ID:808245

In December 2000, a performance monitoring facility was constructed adjacent to the mixed waste disposal unit U-3ax/bl at the Area 3 Radioactive Waste Management Site at the Nevada Test Site. This facility consists of eight drainage lysimeters measuring 10 feet in diameter, 8 feet deep, and backfilled with native soil. The lysimeters have three different surface treatments: two were left bare, two were revegetated with native species, and two were allowed to revegetate with invader species (two are reserved for future studies). The lysimeters are instrumented with an array of soil water content and soil water potential sensors and have sealed bottoms so that any drainage can be measured. All sensors are working properly and indicate that the bare lysimeters are the wettest, as expected. The vegetated lysimeters, both seeded and those allowed to revegetate with invader species, are significantly drier than the bare cover treatments. No drainage has occurred in any of the lysimeters. The Accelerated Site Technology Deployment program under the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Science and Technology provided the funding for this project with the objective of reducing the uncertainty associated with the performance of monolayer-evapotranspiration waste covers in arid regions such as the one deployed at U-3ax/bl.

Research Organization:
Bechtel Nevada Corporation (US)
Sponsoring Organization:
US Department of Energy (US)
DOE Contract Number:
AC08-96NV11718
OSTI ID:
808245
Report Number(s):
DOE/NV/11718-779; TRN: US0302146
Resource Relation:
Other Information: PBD: 1 Sep 2002
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English