Field work is now complete on the expansion of the methane gas collection system at the closed Kentwood Landfill. Kent County Department of Public Works (DPW) installed eighteen new gas wells to extract the methane gas from the western edge of the landfill. Eight additional wells were installed to provide access for continued routine monitoring of the site.

During routine monitoring in fall of 2016, the DPW discovered methane gas migrating outside the solid waste boundaries of the Kentwood Landfill causing potential for methane gas intrusion into nearby City of Kentwood buildings and neighboring residences. Kent County DPW organized a project team and worked alongside the City of Kentwood, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Michigan Department of Environmental Quality and engineering consultants to design a second methane extraction system.

In fall 2017, after extensive investigation and continued monitoring, DPW moved forward with the installation of eighteen new gas wells between 15 and 106 feet deep and added eight monitoring wells. On Dec. 27, a new flare system was activated and is now extracting methane gas along the western boundary of the landfill where methane was found to be migrating. DPW will monitor the newly installed system and will continue to routinely test onsite and off site monitoring wells indefinitely.

“Work at the site progressed as expected and the new flare is now activated,” said Molly Sherwood, Environmental Compliance Manager at Kent County DPW. “Our project team is confident that this expansion will serve the site well to control the methane that is migrating outside the boundaries of the landfill.”

Kent County DPW continues to offer no-cost, third-party methane testing for the 150 residences within 1500 feet of the landfill’s western boundary. To date, voluntary testing in nine residences and weekly monitoring of City of Kentwood facilities has shown no methane vapor intrusion into building structures.

The cost of this new extraction system was roughly $1 million with funding provided through the Kent County Solid Waste Surcharge.