Laserfiche WebLink
III. Environmental Setting, Impacts, and Mitigations <br /> L. Public Health and Safety <br /> ASWAT reports characterize releases of toxic air contaminants and subsurface gas migration <br /> from landfills. Ten toxic compounds are tested: vinyl chloride,benzene,ethylene dibromide, <br /> ethylene dichloride, methylene chloride,perchloroethylene,carbon tetrachloride,methyl <br /> chloroform,trichloroethylene,and chloroform. Eight of the ten toxic compounds -- all except <br /> ethylene dichloride and methyl chloroform -- are classified as carcinogens. <br /> Leachate and Water Quality <br /> The Solid Waste Assessment Test(SWAT)Report prepared for the Austin Road Landfill in 1987 <br /> reported low concentrations of volatile organic compounds in the groundwater beneath the <br /> landfill. In 1991 the City implemented a Corrective Action Plan that has been approved by the <br /> 1 RWQCB. The plan calls for the extraction and treatment of groundwater. Additional <br /> discussions of background conditions are presented in Section III.K.,Hydrology,Geohydrology, <br /> and Water Quality. <br /> Fires and Accident History <br /> A fire potential exists at all sanitary landfills because much of the organic refuse in municipal <br /> waste is flammable or ignitable. Some improperly disposed household or commercially <br /> generated hazardous wastes also are flammable. Smoldering refuse, accidents,carelessness,or <br /> equipment malfunction can cause fires to break out at landfill sites. If improperly controlled,a <br /> fire within a landfill could be encouraged and prolonged by operation of the gas extraction <br /> system,which could draw oxygen into the smoldering area. The landfill has experienced three <br /> "hot loads" (smoldering material)in the past three years (Giambastiani, 1993). <br /> A landfilling operation is essentially a continuous construction project. Over the life of the <br /> landfill,the operator will be constructing an earthen mound to safely contain waste. As with any <br /> other large construction project,equipment fail and human error can result in injury to workers. <br /> The landfill operator maintains a special occurrence log. Table III.L.1 lists the "special <br /> occurrences for the period X- Y. [The incidents listed in Table III.L.1 are fairly typical of a <br /> landfill operation of comparable sized?] <br /> The act of transporting waste or any other material is subject to the risk of traffic accidents. <br /> Transportation accidents involving waste hauling vehicles can result in both physical injury to <br /> III.L.8 <br />