Public Health and Environment Protection

The Tontitown Landfill is operated safely and in compliance with state and federal environmental laws. The rules and regulations under which the Tontitown Landfill is permitted and operated are some of the strictest in the nation. The active portions of the Tontitown Landfill are scientifically engineered to minimize environmental impacts through use of sound planning, design and operations, which provide safe disposal of waste within its facility.

The Tontitown Landfill is the only Class 1 landfill in the state of Arkansas that is constructed with a double composite liner system: a primary composite liner and a secondary composite liner on the bottom, both of which are designed to provide an impermeable layer to protect groundwater.

The Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality inspects the Tontitown Landfill on a regular basis. These unannounced inspections include a thorough review of facility operations and records. The Tontitown Landfill consistently meets or exceeds state and federal environmental standards.

• In 2003, the Tontitown Landfill was ranked in the top third of Arkansas landfills for environmental compliance.
• The ADEQ regularly inspects the Tontitown Landfill, which has consistently received the state's best ranking.
  
  
• As of June 2004, the Tontitown Landfill received perfect scores for six out of its last eight inspections.

Groundwater protection is an integral part of construction and operations. Groundwater monitoring wells around the site are sampled and analyzed on a scheduled basis by trained monitoring technicians. The water quality data is evaluated by independent professionals and submitted directly to ADEQ.

A leachate collection and extraction system is placed over each liner system. (Leachate is liquid generated from rainfall and the natural decomposition of waste.) Leachate is collected in lined sumps and pumped to double-walled tanks, located above ground. The liquids are transported to a permitted wastewater treatment plant for disposal.

The landfill employs an aggressive gas collection and recovery system to control landfill gas, which is formed by the decomposition of solid waste. Approximately 75 collection wells have been installed in and around the landfill facility to collect gas that is thermally destructed at a central, high-temperature flare. The silent flare is permitted by the ADEQ Air Quality Division and has no adverse impact on public health or safety. Sixteen gas monitoring probes are in operation around the perimeter of the landfill to detect the potential presence of landfill gas migration. Complete information on ADEQ solid waste regulations can be found at www.adeq.state.ar.us.