Landfill Leachate Remediation Project - Armstrong, BC
Method
The pump was sized appropriately for the need.
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We have 1 and ¼ acre to install 250 trees. We have 500 character “spitters”. A spitter produces one gallon per 7 minutes with optimum pressure. At our low pressure, (10 psi), it takes 13 minutes.
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Irrigation main lines are all two inch. From the pond to the tree site two inch 160 psi in 500 foot roles was installed along the best route, (unfortunately along property lines) in plain site to be mindful of possible damage. This also eases winterizing.
Weeding is done by hand as needed. Staying ahead of weeds is the rule.
A Plumbing “tree” allows us to meter, isolate and watch pressures.
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We can clean filters during fresh water application. If needed, the “plumbing tree” has within, a pressure control to disallow aeration of product, thereby keeping fumes in the product at bay. (10 psi was found to be optimum).
The appropriate irrigation configuration allows for roto tilling or “aeration” and weeding, so across the rows, the two inch pipe with ¾ inch risers was buried on grade for easy drainage. The rows are 5 meters or 16 feet apart for possible future large vehicle traffic. Any single row, (3/4inch line), is kept as close as possible to 50 spitters to balance the system as evenly as possible.
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Plantation configuration is in north and south halves.
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There are 7 rows in the south and 6 rows in the north. All told there are 250 trees supplied by 500 spot spitters through ¾ inch lines fed by 2 inch headers. In the first year, 500 hundred trees were planted to increase first year leachate usage. In the second year those were removed, the lines pulled slightly, to allow for two spitters per tree. Trees within the rows are 10 feet apart.
Upon the advice of the soil agronomist, fresh water was mixed at a ratio of 20% to leachate. That was accomplished by watering with an independent fresh water source into the existing leachate irrigation system after doing the desired volume of leachate. In the final year of a five year test we ceased fresh watering on two rows of two different varieties. Only enough fresh (potable), was allowed in those two systems to leave potable water in the line’s system. (leachate left in the line may grow algae in hot weather; thereby causing plug-ups).
We installed our own fresh water tank, supplied with the municipal water connection to give us a large volume quickly and to keep us visibly isolated away from the municipal potable water supply. (See photo below, backflow prevention)
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We installed a tank on the hill 60 feet above with a two inch line supplying 1250 gallons US in 40 minutes for 250 trees through 500 spitters. A flush toilet apparatus and float shut off automatically to keep the tank full as well as provide the visible back-flow.
Five varieties of hybrid poplar are on the site. Three have emerged as appropriate contenders. Weather, soil, salinity or conductivity charts and watering rates are all listed in appendices listed in Results; give a rough idea of tree’s ability regarding remedying badly polluted water.
Attendance to the task is a daily routine. Field notes are in a science book kept up from the outset.