City of Linden
Linden Landfill Gas Venting Project
Union County, NJ
Project No. S342005-02
To All Interested Government Agencies and Public Groups:
The City of Linden is pursuing financial assistance from the New Jersey Environmental Infrastructure Financing Program for the installation of 18,650 linear feet of gas venting piping, condensate pumping station and appurtenances at the Linden Landfill.
The Department of Environmental Protection (Department) has reviewed the proposed action for potential environmental impacts in accordance with N.J.A.C. 7:22-10. Based on planning information submitted in support of the proposed action, the Department has determined that it qualifies for a Level 1 environmental review. The rules provide that this level applies to certain categories of actions that are expected to have little or no adverse environmental impact.
Based on the Level 1 environmental review, the Department has made a decision to approve the planning information for the proposed action. This decision is a part of the financial assistance application process, but is not a commitment of federal or state funds. An environmental summary of the proposed action, including the basis for determining that it qualifies for a Level 1 environmental review is enclosed. The applicant is responsible for advertising this decision and for making the planning and decision documentation available for public review.
Project Cost: $1,269,000
Proposed Loan: $1,269,000
Comments supporting or disagreeing with this determination should be addressed to: Anthony Puniello, Ph. D., Section Chief, Technical Services Section, Municipal Finance and Construction Element, P.O. Box 425, Trenton, NJ, 08625-0425.
Very truly yours,
Stanley V. Cach, Jr
Assistant Director
Municipal Finance and Construction Element
Division of Water Quality
I. Proposed Action
The City of Linden is a heavily developed urban area that encompasses 11.34 square miles in northern Union County. The City is bordered by the City of Elizabeth to the northeast, The Borough of Roselle to the northwest, the townships of Winfield and Clark to the west, the City of Rahway to the southwest, and Carteret Borough to the south. The city is located within the Arthur Kill Watershed Management Area and has an estimated population of 36,374.
The Linden Landfill is located in the southwest corner of Linden along the Rahway River. The property is also bordered to the north by fuel tank farms and to the west by Kings Creek. The landfill property is designated as Block 581, Lots 11.03 and 17 and encompasses 176.5 acres. The landfill itself encompasses approximately 54 acres. The landfill operated for a period of more than 50 years but ceased to accept waste during 1999. The Linden Sanitary Landfill was closed in the year 2000 and received approval if a Closure and Post-Closure Care Plan on May 24, 2002. In addition to constructing a final cap as part of the environmental improvements, a passive gas control system consisting of 54 passive vent pipes was designed to control landfill gas produced at the site in accordance with the approved closure plan.
An Administrative Court Order (ACO) was issued on April 25, 2007 to convert the existing passive gas control system to an active gas extraction, collection and control system- EA ID# NEA070001-134264 (SW). The active gas collection system will thermatically destroy the methane and the resulting emissions will be greatly reduced. Methane is a green house gas that remains in the atmosphere for approximately 9-15 years, and is over 20 times more effective in trapping heat in the atmosphere that carbon dioxide over a 100-year period.
In order to remain in compliance with the ACO, the City of Linden proposes to convert the existing passive gas control system to an active gas control system. The project involves the following modifications:
-installation of 18,650 linear feet of 4-inch, 10-inch, and 12-inch high density polyethylene conveyance header and lateral piping;
-installation of 14 metal manifold chambers and 54 horizontal wellheads to control the gas flow from existing wells;
-installation of an enclosed flare skid (with blower and knock-out pot) gas control system;
Installation of 6 U-traps/Drywells at various locations around the conveyance piping, including liner disruption and repair;
-decommissioning of 3 existing gas wells; and
-installation of a condensate pump station, which is designed to collect the condensate that is generated from vapor within the landfill gas, and pumps the condensate into the existing leachate control system and ultimately to the Linden Roselle Sewerage Authority facilities for treatment. The pump station is comprised of a 2-foot high density polyethylene pipe approximately 12-feet deep (which acts as a wet well), with a submersible pump and associated appurtenances to pump the condensate into the existing leachate control system.
A total of approximately 4 acres of landfill, grassed area will be disturbed for the construction of the gas venting system, condensate pump station and appurtenances. Of those 4 acres, approximately 1,000 square feet (0.023 acres) of Exceptional Resource Value Transition Area will be disturbed for installing the lateral pipes connecting the existing gas wells GW-18 & GW-19 in the southwestern portion of the landfill. A Freshwater Wetlands General Permit GP-5 was obtained for this proposed disturbance. No new rights-of-way are required for the proposed work and no disturbances of open space, wetlands, endangered or threatened species, floodplains, or parks will occur. Environment impacts will be minimized by requiring the use of proper construction techniques and restoring disturbed areas after construction. Anticipated impacts include those associated with noise generation from construction equipment, construction debris and traffic detours.
Based on the information provided, it has been determined that the proposed project will have no significant adverse impact on environmental or cultural resources. The Department has not received any adverse public comment concerning this project.
The project is intended to serve a predominantly developed area. As the Department supports the award of financing to facilitate improvement of inadequate infrastructure in areas of the State that have already been developed, funding of the proposed project is consistent with New Jersey’s smart growth objectives.
The 2008 median annual household income for the residents of the City of Linden is $46,346. The City of Linden issued a bond ordinance in order to raise the necessary funds for the proposed project loan. No increase in sewer user costs is anticipated as a result of the proposed project.
II. Alternatives Considered
A. No Action
Under the no action alternative, no improvements would be made to the City of Linden landfill and methane gas emissions would continue to be released into the environment. In addition, the no action alternative is not viable due to the April, 2007 ACO, which states that an active gas control system must be installed to treat landfill gas. Therefore, this alternative was not selected.
B. Installation of Gas Venting System (Selected Plan)
The improvements, as described in Section I, would involve the installation of approximately 18.650 linear feet of various sized high density polyethylene piping, construction of a condensate pump station, decommissioning of 3 existing gas wells as well as additional improvements. This alternative was determined to be the most cost effective, environmentally sound, and implementable alternative to address the needs of the City of Linden landfill closure process, and was therefore selected.
III. Eligibility for Level 1 Environmental Review
A. The proposed project conforms to a category of actions eligible for a Level 1 environmental review because it proposes rehabilitation of existing conveyance and collection facilities and does not create a new discharge, reduce the level of treatment, or result in an increase in the quantity of an existing discharge.
B. Information regarding the proposed project leads to the conclusion that none of the criteria for disqualifying an eligible category for a Level 1 environmental review are present:
- the project is not expected to have a permanent adverse or a significant temporary adverse effect on the human environment;
- the project is not expected to have a permanent adverse or a significant temporary adverse direct or indirect impact on cultural resources, endangered or threatened species or designated habitats, wetlands, floodplains, important farmlands or other environmentally critical areas;
- the user cost for the project will be below 1.75 percent of the median annual household income; and
- the project is not expected to result in significant adverse public comment.
IV. Conclusion
The environmental review of this project indicates that it conforms to a category of projects that, by their nature, generally will have little or no adverse impact on the environment. Project documentation submitted in support of this project and reviewed by the Department indicates that the potential for environmental impacts will be minor. The potential for impacts will be further minimized by incorporating the standard environmental protection measures contained in the “Environmental Assessment Requirements for State Assisted Environmental Infrastructure Facilities” (N.J.A.C. 7:22-10) into the design and construction of the project. In addition, permits will be required to be in place before project construction can proceed.
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