How to Problem Solve Leachate and Landfill Gas Issues Using Data Management Tools
de maximis Data Management Solutions, Inc.
Do more with your investment in environmental data.
The advantages of real-time data in the landfill industry
This article is based on a presentation by Laura Williams of Sanborn Head & Associates. Sanborn Head works in partnership with ddms, Inc. to implement data management solutions for the landfill industry.
Being in the landfill industry has never been simple, and it’s only getting more complicated.
“We see multiple challenges, from increasing volumes and types of waste, to continually changing regulations, to the inherent challenges of collection and containment,” said Laura Williams of Sanborn Head & Associates, an engineering and technical consulting firm serving clients in the development, energy, industrial, and solid waste markets. “Then add to that the risk of managing the byproducts of landfills including gas and leachate.”
As an example of just one harmful gas, US municipal solid waste landfills are the third- largest source of methane — a climate pollutant with 80 times more warming power than carbon dioxide in the short term.
The first step to managing gas and leachate in landfills is to understand volumes, types, and locations. That’s a challenge in and of itself. Think of traditional data collection like trying to understand a book by reading a few words at a time, days or weeks apart. That gives you a sense of how hard it can be to get useful information when it’s based on critical data collected manually during periodic site visits.
The solution? Using advanced telemetry for data collection (without site visits) combined with data management systems that provide real-time data acquisition, analysis, and control. With those tools in place through SCADA (supervisory control and data acquisition) systems, landfill operators can accurately and efficiently monitor and analyze data.
This real-time access, through systems like ddms’ Project Portal®, allows landfill operators to make informed business decisions and proactively mitigate risk. (ddms is a consulting firm providing environmental data management services, analytics, visualization, and enterprise implementation services to a multitude of industries through their team of scientists.)
Upcoming Events
Connect with our ddms team at RemTech Banff, Oct 15-17, and join us at the 2025 Global Summit on Environmental Remediation, Nov 4-6, to participate in a data management session co-led by Siobhan Kitchen and a presentation on “Insights in Environmental Data Management Planning: Lessons Learned and Best Practices” presented by Samantha Bennett.
In Case You Missed It
If you’re curious about, or working through, an EQuIS implementation, you may find this helpful. Niveda (Niv) Moorthy, from CEMEX, a sustainable construction materials company, and Mark Packard, CEO of ddms, Inc., walked through their implementation at the Europe EQuIS User Group on June 4, in Birmingham, UK. You can see the presentation here.‘CEMEX EQuIS Journey'.
Do Even More With Your Data
What’s New with Project Portal? Think of Project Portal as your environmental data management Swiss Army knife — but one that keeps improving over time by adding even more tools. From a new Rules Engine that acts like an intelligent early warning system (you can set up custom rules like “let me know when there have been no results in the last 30 days”) to dashboard widgets for high-frequency data, Project Portal continues to innovate to streamline your work and turn your data into insights.
Enhancements include:
- Automated monitoring and alerts through the new Rules Engine
- Parameter mapping that visualizes your environmental data
- Portfolio tools to see all projects together at a glance
We hope you find this useful. If you have ideas for future content or questions, please email us at sales@ddmsinc.com.