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