Assessment of the Performance of Engineered Waste Containment Barriers

134 Pages·2007·20.73 MB·English

by  National Research Council, Committee to Assess the Performance of Engineered Barriers

Assessment of the Performance of Engineered Waste Containment Barriers
http://www.nap.edu/catalog/11930.html
Assessment of the
PerformAnce of engineered WAste
contAinment BArriers
Committee to Assess the Performance of Engineered Barriers
Board on Earth Sciences and Resources
Division on Earth and Life Studies
Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
Assessment of the Performance of Engineered Waste Containment Barriers
http://www.nap.edu/catalog/11930.html
The NaTioNal academies Press 500 Fifth street, N.W. Washington, dc 20001
NOTICE: The project that is the subject of this report was approved by the Governing Board of the
National Research Council, whose members are drawn from the councils of the National Academy
of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine. The members of
the committee responsible for the report were chosen for their special competences and with regard
for appropriate balance.
This study was supported by the Department of Energy, Offce of Science (BER) Grant No. DE-
FG02-06ER64259; Environmental Protection Agency, Grant No. CR-83211601; National Science
Foundation, Grant No. CMS-0243338; and U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), Award
No. NRC-04-02-081. Any opinions, fndings, conclusions, or recommendations contained in this
document are those of the authors and do not necessarily refect the views of the organizations or
agencies that provided support for the project. Neither the U.S. Government nor any agency thereof,
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Cover: Scene from the Newcastle golf course, which was built near Seattle, Washington, over a
landfll containing demolition and inert construction waste. Photograph courtesy of OK: Golf/Golf
Club at Newcastle.
Copyright 2007 by the National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
Printed in the United States of America.
Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
Assessment of the Performance of Engineered Waste Containment Barriers
http://www.nap.edu/catalog/11930.html
The National Academy of Sciences is a private, nonproft, self-perpetuating society of
distinguished scholars engaged in scientifc and engineering research, dedicated to the
furtherance of science and technology and to their use for the general welfare. Upon the
authority of the charter granted to it by the Congress in 1863, the Academy has a mandate
that requires it to advise the federal government on scientifc and technical matters. Dr.
Ralph J. Cicerone is president of the National Academy of Sciences.
The National Academy of Engineering was established in 1964, under the charter of the
National Academy of Sciences, as a parallel organization of outstanding engineers. It is au-
tonomous in its administration and in the selection of its members, sharing with the National
Academy of Sciences the responsibility for advising the federal government. The National
Academy of Engineering also sponsors engineering programs aimed at meeting national
needs, encourages education and research, and recognizes the superior achievements of
engineers. Dr. Charles M. Vest is president of the National Academy of Engineering.
The Institute of Medicine was established in 1970 by the National Academy of Sciences
to secure the services of eminent members of appropriate professions in the examination of
policy matters pertaining to the health of the public. The Institute acts under the responsibil-
ity given to the National Academy of Sciences by its congressional charter to be an adviser
to the federal government and, upon its own initiative, to identify issues of medical care,
research, and education. Dr. Harvey V. Fineberg is president of the Institute of Medicine.
The National Research Council was organized by the National Academy of Sciences in
1916 to associate the broad community of science and technology with the Academy’s
purposes of furthering knowledge and advising the federal government. Functioning in
accordance with general policies determined by the Academy, the Council has become the
principal operating agency of both the National Academy of Sciences and the National
Academy of Engineering in providing services to the government, the public, and the scien-
tifc and engineering communities. The Council is administered jointly by both Academies
and the Institute of Medicine. Dr. Ralph J. Cicerone and Dr. Charles M. Vest are chair and
vice chair, respectively, of the National Research Council.
www.national-academies.org
Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
Assessment of the Performance of Engineered Waste Containment Barriers
http://www.nap.edu/catalog/11930.html
commiTTee To assess The PerFormaNce oF eNgiNeered
Barriers
JAMES K. MITCHELL, Chair, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State
University, Blacksburg
LISA ALVAREz-COHEN, University of California, Berkeley
ESTELLA A. ATEKWANA, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater
SUSAN E. BURNS, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta
ROBERT B. GILBERT, University of Texas, Austin
EDWARD KAVAzANJIAN, JR., Arizona State University, Tempe
W. HUGH O’RIORDAN, Givens Pursley LLP, Boise, Idaho
R. KERRy ROWE, Queen’s University, Kingston, Ontario
CHARLES D. SHACKELFORD, Colorado State University, Fort Collins
HARI D. SHARMA, Geosyntec Consultants, Oakland, California
NAzLI yESILLER, Independent Consultant, San Luis Obispo, California
National Research Council Staff
ANNE M. LINN, Study Director
CAETLIN M. OFIESH, Research Associate
JARED P. ENO, Senior Program Assistant
iv
Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
Assessment of the Performance of Engineered Waste Containment Barriers
http://www.nap.edu/catalog/11930.html
commiTTee oN geological aNd geoTechNical eNgiNeeriNg
GREGORy B. BAECHER, Chair, University of Maryland, College Park
THOMAS W. DOE, Golder Associates, Redmond, Washington
SANDRA HOUSTON, Arizona State University, Tempe
WESLEy C. PATRICK, Southwest Research Institute, San Antonio, Texas
J. CARLOS SANTAMARINA, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta
A. KEITH TURNER, Colorado School of Mines, Golden
National Research Council Staff
SAMMANTHA L. MAGSINO, Program Offcer
NICHOLAS D. ROGERS, Senior Program Assistant
v
Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
Assessment of the Performance of Engineered Waste Containment Barriers
http://www.nap.edu/catalog/11930.html
Board oN earTh scieNces aNd resoUrces
GEORGE M. HORNBERGER, Chair, University of Virginia, Charlottesville
GREGORy B. BAECHER, University of Maryland, College Park
STEVEN R. BOHLEN, Joint Oceanographic Institutions, Washington, D.C.
KEITH C. CLARKE, University of California, Santa Barbara
DAVID COWEN, University of South Carolina, Columbia
WILLIAM E. DIETRICH, University of California, Berkeley
ROGER M. DOWNS, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park
JEFF DOZIER, University of California, Santa Barbara
KATHERINE H. FREEMAN, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park
RHEA L. GRAHAM, Pueblo of Sandia, Bernalillo, New Mexico
ROByN HANNIGAN, Arkansas State University, Jonesboro
RUSSELL J. HEMLEY, Carnegie Institution of Washington, Washington, D.C.
MURRAY W. HITZMAN, Colorado School of Mines, Golden
V. RAMA MURTHY, University of Minnesota (retired), Minneapolis
CLAyTON R. NICHOLS, Idaho National Engineering and Environmental
Laboratory (retired), Standpoint
RAYMOND A. PRICE, Queen’s University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada
BARBARA A. ROMANOWICZ, University of California, Berkeley
JOAQUIN RUIZ, University of Arizona, Tucson
MARK SCHAEFER, Global Environment and Technology Foundation,
Arlington, Virginia
WILLIAM W. SHILTS, Illinois State Geological Survey, Champaign
RUSSELL STANDS-OVER-BULL, Anadarko Petroleum Corporation, Billings,
Montana
TERRY C. WALLACE, JR., Los Alamos National Laboratory, New Mexico
THOMAS J. WILBANKS, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge,
Tennessee
National Research Council Staff
ANTHONy R. DE SOUzA, Director
PAUL M. CUTLER, Senior Program Offcer
ELIzABETH A. EIDE, Senior Program Offcer
DAVID A. FEARy, Senior Program Offcer
ANNE M. LINN, Senior Program Offcer
ANN G. FRAzIER, Program Offcer
SAMMANTHA L. MAGSINO, Program Offcer
RONALD F. ABLER, Senior Scholar
VERNA J. BOWEN, Administrative and Financial Associate
JENNIFER T. ESTEP, Financial Associate
CAETLIN M. OFIESH, Research Associate
JARED P. ENO, Senior Program Assistant
NICHOLAS D. ROGERS, Senior Program Assistant
TONyA FONG yEE, Program Assistant
vi
Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
Assessment of the Performance of Engineered Waste Containment Barriers
http://www.nap.edu/catalog/11930.html

Preface
Engineered barriers to isolate potentially harmful waste location. Information on these and other aspects of barrier
from humans and ecosystems have been used for over 35 systems was gleaned from the literature, briefngs at com-
years, and much has been written about them and their con- mittee meetings and feld trips, discussions with colleagues,
stituent components. However, few reports have provided an and the knowledge and experience of committee members.
overall assessment of the performance of engineered barrier The committee met four times between October 2005 and
systems. The last broad assessment was conducted in 1995 August 2006 and visited four engineered barrier facilities:
(Rumer and Mitchell, 1995). Since that time, new materials the McColl Superfund Site and the Puente Hills Landfll in
and sensor technologies have been introduced and models to southern California and the Love Canal treatment facility and
predict contaminant transport have improved. the Model City Landfll in New york.
At the request of program managers at the Environmen- The committee thanks the following individuals for brief-
tal Protection Agency, Nuclear Regulatory Commission, ing the committee, hosting feld trips, or providing back-
National Science Foundation, and Department of Energy, ground materials: Edmond Bourke, Rachel Detwiler, Brian
the National Research Council established a committee to Downie, Richard Fragaszy, John Hino, Ron Johnson, Jack
assess the effectiveness of surface and subsurface engineered Keener, Walter Kovalick, Kai Kuo, J. Michael Kuperberg,
barriers over the long term. The Committee to Assess the Kelly Madalinski, Don McLeod, Thomas Nicholson, Scott
Performance of Engineered Barriers comprised academics Parkhill, Jacob Philip, David Rothbart, Brian Sadowski, and
and practitioners who collectively possessed expertise cover- Greg zayatz. Special thanks go to Stephen Hammond and the
ing the science and technology of waste containment system New york State Department of Environmental Conservation,
regulations, analyses, design, construction, operations, main- who provided data and information on the effectiveness of
tenance, monitoring, and performance evaluation. the state’s modern engineered barrier systems. Finally, the
The study was guided by recognition that a defensible as- committee extends its thanks and appreciation to Anne Linn,
sessment of the long-term performance of engineered waste who served so ably and cheerfully as study director. Without
barriers must take into account the materials acting both her organizational and writing skills, knowledge, enthusi-
individually and as part of a composite containment system, asm, and ability to keep the committee focused and on track,
the type of waste contained, and performance indicators completion of this study would not have been possible.
such as leakage rates, contaminant concentrations, and the
condition of system components, all as a function of time and James K. Mitchell, Chair
vii
Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
Assessment of the Performance of Engineered Waste Containment Barriers
http://www.nap.edu/catalog/11930.html
Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
Assessment of the Performance of Engineered Waste Containment Barriers
http://www.nap.edu/catalog/11930.html

acknowledgments
This report has been reviewed in draft form by individuals Stephan Jefferis, University of Surrey, Guildford, United
chosen for their diverse perspectives and technical expertise, Kingdom
in accordance with procedures approved by the National Robert M. Koerner, Drexel University, Philadelphia,
Research Council’s Report Review Committee. The purpose Pennsylvania
of this independent review is to provide candid and criti- Kenneth A. Snyder, National Institute of Standards and
cal comments that will assist the institution in making its Technology, Gaithersburg, Maryland
published report as sound as possible and to ensure that the
report meets institutional standards for objectivity, evidence, Although the reviewers listed above have provided many
and responsiveness to the study charge. The review com- constructive comments and suggestions, they were not asked
ments and draft manuscript remain confdential to protect to endorse the conclusions or recommendations, nor did
the integrity of the deliberative process. We wish to thank they see the fnal draft of the report before its release. The
the following individuals for their review of this report: review of this report was overseen by William L. Fisher, The
University of Texas at Austin. Appointed by the National
Craig H. Benson, University of Wisconsin, Madison Research Council, he was responsible for making certain that
Rudolph Bonaparte, Geosyntec Consultants, Atlanta, an independent examination of the report was carried out in
Georgia accordance with institutional procedures and that all review
Jeffrey C. Evans, Bucknell University, Lewisburg, comments were carefully considered. Responsibility for the
Pennsylvania fnal content of this report rests entirely with the authoring
M. James Hendry, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon committee and the institution.
Susan Hubbard, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory,
Berkeley, California
ix
Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
Assessment of the Performance of Engineered Waste Containment Barriers
http://www.nap.edu/catalog/11930.html
Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.