The Pozďátky Landfill

Location: The Vysočina Region, Třebíč area

Brief history:

The industrial waste landfill of the BOPO, a.s. Třebíč was put into a test operation on 1st Jan. 1994 and was approved on 4th Jan. 1995. The landfill was operated by AVE Třebíč, s.r.o. (later IH - NVI, a.s., Hradec Králové).

In 1996 an excessive amount of the acid water infiltrated from the landfill was found. District Authority in Třebíč gave only a conditional approval for the next operation. Since 1st Feb. 1997, on the ground of neglect of duty by operator and unable conditions, the landfill has been out of order. There took turn several operators, they pursued monitoring and transport of the waste waters only. In 1999 a bankruptcy order on a company’s assets of the further landfill-owner, DEP-POZ, s.r.o. Třebíč was made.

In 1997 and 2000 the outflow of acid seepage waters reached outside the landfill body and thereby a large pollution of underground waters and environs came. The vegetation was damaged and the wildlife kill was recorded. The situation was solved by District Emergency Committee and Fire-Brigade Třebíč. Removing of the acid waters (c. 500 m3) supported DIAMO’s Division GEAM Dolní Rožínka. The monitoring and transport of a waste waters was undertook by District Authority Třebíč.

In 2002 the Association of Municipalities entered on setup procedure of a remediation hits. The risk analysis and landfill disposal project was done. By Government Decree No. 590 from 12th June 2002 was approved repurchase of the landfill and the remediation process was started. However in July 2002 a trustee of bankruptcy sold the landfill to ICKM Real Estate, s.r.o. In 2003 this company put to the municipality of Slavičky a new project of utilization of the area as a waste management centre (landfill enlargement on solidificated waste for a term of 25 years). The project was rejected as incomplete, risky and because of bad experience in the past. In 2004 the landfill was settled to a subsidiary Třebíč s.r.o. (later Logika, s.r.o.), that carried out the monitoring, transport of a waste waters and newly covered the waste by foil at Sector ZN-1.

In June 2005 the company Logika, s.r.o. notified a purpose on repairing and reconstruction of the landfill Pozďátky (new landfill for solidificated waste from the Sector ZN-1, encapsulotion of the Sector ZN-2 in-situ and extension of commercial operation) to Ministry of the Environment. After E.I.A. process in January 2007 the Ministry of the Environment issued a concurrent decision on in-situ remediation, however without the extension and the next commercial waste disposal. After that the company backed out of its purpose and discontinued the activities at the landfill.

The Government of the Czech Republic once for all entered on solution of this task. By Government Decree No. 129 from 2th February 2009 was approved repurchase of the landfill from Logika s.r.o. DIAMO, s.p. settled the property price and prepared upgrade of the risk analysis, feasibility study and remediation project. Financing is secured within the Operational Programme Environment.

Description of the situation at the landfill:

The landfill is situated in a valley sloping to the Prašinec stream c. 1 km southwest of Pozďátky village. Only the first part of the landfill has been built as 5th classification by course of regulations in force. There is an unsheltered Sector ZN-1 (5 000 m2 area, 26 500 m3 capacity) for storage of hazardous waste in packing and covered Sector ZN-2 (1 700 m2 area, 9 800 m3 capacity) for storage of bulk waste with high-level leachability of the components. The body of the landfill is constructed from mineral impermeable bed (local material with Ca-bentonite), and from two layers of bentofix mat (D&BFG 5000) and foil (PEHD 2 mm) protected by geotextile (800 g.m-2) and layer (400 mm) of screened material (16/32). Under the impermeable bed is a drain tube to discharge pure underground waters. Both the Sectors have gravity drainage system with leakage sumps (28 m3 at ZN-1, 5 m3 at ZN-2) for landfill waters. Water from the sumps was splashed on landfill and evaporated.

Since the start of the test operation, by the available data, 24 173.9 tonnes of waste (23 340.7 t at Sector ZN-1, 833.2 t at Sector ZN-2) has been stored on the landfill. It includes also 9 844.5 tonnes of copperas from titanium white production stored there in 1996 within the removal of environmental ballast at Precheza a.s. Přerov. The copperas dramatically deteriorated quality of inside landfill waters.

Type of industrial activity:

Waste disposal on the secured landfill.

Present-day conditions:

Unfinished construction of the industrial waste landfill by the project from 1992. Since 1997 the Sectors ZN-1, ZN-2 has not been in operation due to suspect of damage of impervious membranes at the Sector ZN-1. Both Sectors are full only in part of designed stowage capacity. The Sector ZN-1 is levelled by foam concrete (CENIX S/a) and covered by PE foil keeping off a rainfall intrusion to the landfill body.

The water from foil is pumped to the bypass duct. The water from the landfill drainage systems is polluted by stored waste. Precaution has been done (Installed mobile water treatment plant) and started preparing of the landfill remediation incl. environment.

The Environmental Problem and its Solution

Contaminated underground waters

The contaminated underground waters discharged from drainage systems via shaft at the lowest-lying site of the landfill and next flowed on the surface into Prašinec that is after c. 800 m joint the river Markovka, right-hand affluent of Jihlava river. The affection of the water quality in the Prašinec stream (decrease in pH, higher concentration of sulphate and iron) has been proved on the base of analysis. The quantity of the water discharge and pollution depend on intensity of rainfall (until 60 m3.day-1 in the spring thaw, under 0.5 m3.day-1 in drought period).

Preliminary measure is remediation pumping to abatement of underground waters pollution. Waters are pumped from the shafts of drainage systems into a storage tank and purified at the mobile container treatment plant. The waters are pumped back into the drainage system after decreasing of contaminants on the allowable limits.

Stored wastes

Quality of underground water is impacted by landfill leachate.

Considering the fact that the mechanism of the landfill waters infiltration into the underground waters is impossible to determine it has been decided on waste removing from the Sectors ZN-1 and ZN-2. After ex-situ waste disposal at the processing plant and remove of contaminated bedrock will be provided soil investigation and reclaiming of the effected area.