Albert Coleman
Biology
Global Problems, Local Solutions

Typical Leachate is composed of of nitrogen, iron, organic carbon, manganese, chloride and phenols, yet the composition varies from site to site. The degree in severity of Leachate in dependant on the composition of the material in dump sites. Rainwater leaking into dump sites causes the mixture of several chemicals in a dumpsite and eventually the creation of Leachate. Leachate refers to landfill leachate inside the waste management industry and outside. Yet leachate is also used when referring to the liquid created when water penetrate through any permeable substance.

Several conflicts arise when dealing with Leachate. In many cases Leachate is harmless for its composition is dependent on the material in landfills. Yet in many cases Leachate becomes toxic. Leakage of Leachate in the environment can be dangerous for wildlife and it can be very hazardous to the human population. Ground water accounts for 40 percent of the world’s drinking water. 40 percent of the world depends on ground water as a drinking source. That percentage includes millions of people; millions of people who are potentially at risk. When Leachate leaks into the environment it can potentially contaminate ground water and the results are catastrophic.

Modern day landfills are equipped to deal with the leachate problem as they have been built with the proper systems in order to collect and dispose of Leachate. They are designed with a slope, usually at about 3 percent, so that liquids leak into collection sumps. These collection sumps include a riser called HDPE and pump. Leachate drains to the leachate collection system, and then drained to an onsite leachate storage tank. The leachate is transported to an standard wastewater treatment plant for discarding. The systems vary from landfill to landfill, yet the basics are same and usually there is not much conflict when dealing with Leachate. Yet conflict does arise when the disposal process is neglected. There have been several cases where landfills have been disregarded standard procedure when dealing with toxins and the margin of error increases significantly. In many cases leachate has leaked after being unattended to while in storage. A prime example of that would be that of A Mr. Monroe Branstad who was charged with putting the health of the environment at risk. Leachate was just one of several toxics that Bandstand neglected to manage and dispose of and as a result the biological waste leaked into the environment. The outcome of his negligence were dreadful and the pollution maybe long term. His tardiness is said to be a direct cause of the death of thousands of fish in the Winnebago River along a 16 mile stretch. Mr. Monroe Branstad has been ordered to pay 17,000 by a court for his action. This is just one of several cases concerning leachate and in each case the environment was put at risk. So the ultimate responsibility falls upon landfill owners and those who manage Leachate. The responsibility of properly dealing with the hazardous toxins falls upon humanity and only humanity. Increase awareness about the potential effects of leachate would be a positive step in dealing with it and so I create a write up discussing Leachate and its effects and sent it to nearby landfills and dumpsite workers in my community. I also took a trip to the Waste Management in Columbus, New Jersey and interviewed workers on toxins and Leachate specifically. The information went in my write up and allowed me to create a concise, informative text to send to the dumpsites