Washington County, PA Landfill Wants to Accept Semi-Solid Waste from Marcellus Drillers

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An industrial landfill in Washington County, PA that already accepts “solid waste” from Marcellus Shale drilling operations is now seeking permission to also accept semi-solid waste from Marcellus Shale drilling.

MAX Environmental Technologies Inc., which operates a similar landfill in Yukon, Westmoreland County, applied to the state Department of Environmental Protection for a permit April 20 to process Marcellus Shale waste, mostly drill cuttings and muds, for disposal on its Bulger property.

The company proposes to mix the waste with coal ash, soil, sawdust or other absorbent materials to stabilize the low volume of fluids in the waste before using the solid residual waste to build a dome over two impoundments that eventually must be capped with a synthetic liner, covered with two feet of soil then planted with vegetation to comply with a consent order to remedy the long-standing waste site.

The goal is to create gradients to allow rain water to flow off the domed site rather than percolate through the waste, become contaminated and reach groundwater.

Eric Chiardo of the Civil & Environmental Consultants, which prepared the MAX permit application, said the company would accept no more than 40 trucks per day and 900 total tons of waste that would then be solidified at the site to turn the semi-solid waste into dry material that would be suitable as fill material.*

*Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (Jul 19, 2011) – Washington County landfill wants Marcellus Shale waste