Charlotte County Utilities
Treatment Facilities - Leachate Treatment Facility
WHAT IS LEACHATE?
Leachate is the liquid that percolates down through a solid waste landfill
mound picking up dissolved and suspended solids and materials. Charlotte
County is using a state-of-the art treatment technology to treat and
dispose of leachate produced at the County's Zemel Road Municipal Solid
Waste Landfill. The landfill is located on a 308-acre site and accepts
municipal waste from throughout the County.
LEACHATE TREATMENT FACILITY
Average Daily Flow
0.035
Total Yearly Flow
8.068
LEACHATE TREATMENT FACILITY
Charlotte County Utilities contract operates and maintains the Leachate
Treatment plant for the Charlotte County Environmental Services Department.
LEACHATE TREATMENT PROCESS
The 0.25 million gallons per day (mgd) Powered Activated Carbon Treatment
(PACT) plant was constructed in 1992, it was placed into service in April
1993. The treated leachate meets or exceeds the final effluent standards
for disposal to a 1.50 mgd deepwell injection system located adjacent
to the treatment plant.
The landfill has a vertical bentonite (clay soil) slurry wall that blends
with the natural confining layer of soil surrounding the landfill below
ground. This slurry wall separates the interior landfill leachate, groundwater
and lakes from the groundwater outside of the landfill that surrounds
the entire site. Leachate seeps down through the landfill to a french-drain
type collection system and is pumped to the treatment facility for biophysical
treatment.
The heart of the facility is the PACT tank system that uses a combination
of powdered activated carbon and aerobic bacteria (called sludge) to simultaneously
adsorb and metabolize the leachate contaminants. The PACT tank goes through
an aeration cycle, and then aeration is shut off to permit settling of
the sludge. After the settling is completed, the clear water or effluent
is removed by pumping it to the sand filter for final polishing. The PACT
tank is then refilled with raw leachate and the aeration blower is restarted
to start the process over again. After the bio-physically treated
effluent passes through the sand filter, it is chlorinated and is pumped
down the deepwell injection system to an approximate level of 3000 feet
below ground in a confined saltwater aquifer.
