Effects of Flooding on Non‐operating Landfill22/10/2015 1

Greg A. Whyte, PhD (candidate), MBA, CFPrincipal/Cirrus Environmental

The Effects of Flooding on a Non-Operating Landfill in High River, AB

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70 yr. old un-lined, municipal dump-site Setback variance from 300m to 20m Potential for hazardous and toxic waste Inundated by floodwater – potential receptors No impact

1 “The 2013 Flood Increased Risk to Residents”

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“As a planning tool, a flood hazard study should provide quality information for years to come”

“The studies show what the future flooded areas would be if the flood areas are developed appropriately”

AEP Flood Hazard Identification Program (FHIP) Long-term Planning 2013

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AEP - Flood Hazard Map High River Post-Flood

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Ooops.

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Past practices 10 years of environmental quality data DEM/ground survey Intrusive investigation Conceptual Site Model (CSM)

Planning a Data Collection Program2

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Past Practices -Waste Disposal Using Natural Features

1 Overland floodwater2 Undifferentiated waste & hazardous/toxic chemicals

3 Rain water & snow melt4 Residences5 Domestic use water well6 Shallow water‐bearing zone

7 Groundwater8 Riverbed cobbles & gravels9 Stream10 Buried waste11 Leachate

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Digital Elevation Model (0.5M LIDAR) and GPS-RTK Ground Survey

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Using the DEM to understand flood impact

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Job Hazard Assessment! ASCM damage - road construction Risks with assessment activities in un-lined landfill Hazardous materials in drill cores and on surface

Executing the Data Collection Program3

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Establish background conditions Verify historical data - even if its your own! Spend time to get the hydrogeology right Use the CSM as a base-model Big picture - risk focused

Data Interpretation and CSM5

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Conceptual Site Model

Effects of Flooding on Non‐operating Landfill22/10/2015 18

Be prepared to abandon your hypothesis High-level “so what” risk-based approach Use a strong CSM as a base-model Effective communication program (stakeholders)

Lessons-learned6

22/10/2015 ©Copyright Cirrus Environmental. All rights reserved.

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