Laserfiche WebLink
III. Environmental Setting, P g Impacts, and Mitigations <br /> G. Air Quality <br /> Screening-level health risk assessments for landfill gas emissions have been calculated for <br /> several recent new landfill sitings in California. They generally employ standard conservative <br /> methods that are designed to overestimate the potential for health risk from a proposed facility. <br /> Often,worst-case meteorological conditions and standard models are used to simplify the <br /> screening-level analysis,which is generally considered to present an upper bound to the level of <br /> health risk posed by the project. The screening-level health risk assessment result determines <br /> whether further analysis is required. These risk assessments,done under the AB 2588 guidelines, <br /> use a health risk standard of ten additional cancer cases in one million(10 x 10-6). <br /> A screening-level risk assessment prepared for the proposed Keller Canyon Landfill in Contra <br /> Costa County indicated a lifetime cancer risk of eight in one million(8 x 10-6)as being the <br /> highest risk for any residence within 2,000 feet of the landfill. This estimate was based on: the <br /> existing topography and meteorology of the area around the proposed landfill,50 million cubic <br /> yards of refuse capacity for the landfill,the nearest residence being located about 2,000 feet from <br /> the waste placement area, and a landfill gas collection system that was 75 percent efficient in <br /> collection and 90 percent efficient in destruction of toxic air contaminants (Contra Costa County, <br /> 1990a). <br /> A screening-level risk assessment was also prepared for the proposed Marsh Canyon Sanitary <br /> Landfill in Contra Costa County. The calculated lifetime cancer risk of this proposed landfill <br /> was 1.5 in one million(1.5 x 10-6). This estimate was based on: the existing topography and <br /> meteorology of the area around the proposed landfill, 100 million cubic yards of refuse capacity <br /> for the landfill,the nearest residence being located 3,000 feet from the waste placement area and <br /> 180 residential units located within 3,600 feet,and a landfill gas collection system that was <br /> 75 percent efficient in collection and 90 percent efficient in destruction of toxic air contaminants <br /> (Contra Costa County, 1990b). <br /> The Bay Area Air Quality Management District determined that the gas emissions of the Keller <br /> Canyon Landfill and the Marsh Canyon Landfill would not represent a significant impact to air <br /> quality or public health. Both of these landfill are Class II landfills with a higher waste disposal <br /> volume than the project(15 million cubic yards). <br /> The SWAT results did not indicate the presence of any chemical above the recommended level. <br /> On the basis of these examples of screening-level health risk assessments(Class II landfills not <br /> having,g significant health effect),and the comparative size of the proposed project,toxic air <br /> IH.G.15 <br /> i <br />