Gerry Friesen, while working for HLA, served
as the lead designer and certifying engineer for this 300-acre regional landfill
serving west Hawaii. The conceptual design for the facility included a facility
operating plan; a fill sequencing plan; an environmental monitoring plan; and
designs for the leachate, landfill gas, and surface water management systems.
After obtaining state regulatory agency approval, Mr. Friesen was responsible
for the design of each of the management systems and oversaw construction of the
first 2 refuse cells.
Constructed in 1993, the landfill was one of the first in the
country to be permitted to utilize a geosynthetic clay liner (GCL) in lieu of
two feet of low-permeability soil. In order to obtain approval, it was necessary
to demonstrate both to the state regulatory agency and the EPA that the
alternative liner system could meet the performance standards established by
RCRA Subtitle D. The innovative design enabled the client to utilize on-site
soils to construct almost all of the liner system components.
Over the life of the landfill, the alternative liner system
should save the client approximately $20 million. When completed, the project
received the Harding Award for Technical Excellence.
Contact: Steve Cossulo
District Manager
West Management of Hawaii
(808) 668-2985
