Matanuska-Susitna Borough

Leachate Treatment Facility

Scope

Design and build a leachate treatment facility at the Central Landfill. Leachate is the wastewater that collects in the bottom of the landfill cells. Leachate is generated from the decomposition of, and rainfall passing through, solid waste. 

Project Benefits

Currently leachate from the Central Landfill is hauled to Anchorage by private contract and disposed of in the Anchorage sewage system. The cost of this practice has gradually increased as the landfill has expanded and has reached a tipping point where the construction of a local facility makes economic sense. 

Project Status

The project is funded through a loan from the Alaska Department of Conservation Clean Water Program. The current budget is $5M. Leachate treatment was originally part of the Septage and Waste Treatment Facility project. Due to permitting and funding constraints, the Borough decided to separately treat leachate with a small filtration system. The engineering team conducted a three-week pilot study in the fall of 2018, the results of which are included in the Parametric Study Report. The design team of Clark Engineering and HDL Engineering Consultants have advanced the plan's design to the "Plans in Hand" level (75%). They are currently working towards final design in December 2019 and permitting through DEC over the winter. Construction is tentatively scheduled to begin in the summer of 2020 with operations commencing in the fall of 2020.