Operations

At Green Ridge, we will manage and operate the site with area residents in mind. A detailed staffing plan with operational and environmental plans and safeguards in effect will help ensure that Green Ridge is a good neighbor and a valued member of the community.


The Green Ridge facility will be staffed by approximately 16 full-time employees and led by Jay Zook, the General Manager of the facility, who has more than 15 years of experience in the waste management industry. Our on-site team will also include weigh station operators, equipment operators, facility foremen, and laborers. Depending on seasonal conditions and the scope of proposed construction projects, more equipment operators and laborers may be employed.

Green Ridge facility hours for typical weeks (i.e., no holidays) are provided below.

Facility Hours

Sunday: Closed
Monday- Friday: 6:00AM - 4:00PM
Saturday: 6:00 AM – 12:00 PM

Convenience Center Hours

Sunday: Closed
Monday - Friday: 8:00 AM – 4:00 PM
Saturday: 7:00 AM – 12:00 PM


The facility will not accept material or perform construction and maintenance activity on New Year's Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas. The hours of operation will be posted on a sign at the landfill entrance and will list operational rules, and facility usage information will be issued to haulers frequenting Green Ridge. These days and hours of operation are shorter than the standard in the Waste Disposal Industry.

In the event that emergency or supplementary disposal operations are required for extended hours during the regular workweek, weekends and holidays, the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality and the County will be notified and appropriate arrangements will be made to allow for the extension of services at the facility.

The traffic impact that the facility will have on the County as a whole will be minimal because Green Ridge is on the far eastern edge of the County, and most of the trucks will be coming from the east. Green Ridge will not relocate Pine Grove Road. If the Virginia Department of Transportation determines additional road improvements are deemed necessary, these improvements will be made by Green Ridge at its expense.

The hours of operation, set in compliance with industry best practices, will help minimize truck traffic during standard peak travel times for the public.

As required by state and local regulations, stormwater will be managed during construction, operation, and post-closure of the site. These efforts include diverting stormwater run-on and runoff from the disposal units, and directing the stormwater into a series of controls which will include drainage channels and stormwater management basins. These controls evolve as the landfill evolves and all controls are permitted by VDEQ. The stormwater outfalls will be regulated under a VPDES General Permit for Industrial Discharges, which requires the outfalls to be sampled twice a year. Significant inspections of the stormwater management system are required under the Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan with associated record keeping. When the facility closes, the stormwater will still be managed as the facility stabilizes, requiring a series of berms and downslope drains to move the stormwater off of the cap.

Leachate is liquid that has passed through the landfill waste, often consisting of stormwater that falls on active surface areas and liquids from the waste itself (i.e. disposed of juice in bottles, liquid from food, etc.). Our goal is to minimize the generation of leachate and the permit will require its removal. The landfill is designed to efficiently and effectively collect leachate and to direct it to a holding facility. By regulation, this holding facility must be able to store (at a minimum) the maximum expected production of leachate for any 7-day period. The leachate will be stored and hauled to a permitted wastewater treatment facility which must approve its acceptance.

The VDEQ permits will require a significant amount of environmental compliance monitoring. This will primarily include groundwater monitoring, storm water monitoring from permitted outfalls, and gas monitoring. Some air monitoring associated with the Title V permit will also be required. The compliance network is designed to protect human health and the environment by acting as an “early warning” system should any constituent of concern be identified at any of the monitoring points. VDEQ has a prescribed protocol for addressing constituents of concern or exceedances which is designed to clearly identify the problem, to determine additional monitoring requirements and to outline corrective measures. Strict reporting requirements require timely submittals to VDEQ after sampling events. This information will also be provided to the County.

One of the most effective ways to keep odor from a landfill to a minimum is to tightly control what materials are accepted. For a number of reasons, including odor control, Green Ridge will not accept any waste water treatment sludge (human or animal waste) or processed sheet rock. This decision plays an important role in controlling odor at the site. We will cover the waste daily with a combination of dirt and/or Rusmar foam, minimizing the size of the active face of the facility. In the unlikely event it is necessary, we will utilize non-toxic odor neutralizing agents.

Green Ridge will develop and comply with an Odor Management Plan (OMP) subject to approval by the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality. Odor complaints can be submitted to VDEQ, but we will take additional measures available to remove odors using neutralization agents and daily covers.

As the waste decomposes, the production of landfill gas will occur. Landfill gas is a function of an anaerobic process so will not occur for the first several years. Methane gas in and of itself is odorless but other non-methane gases (such as hydrogen sulfide) are responsible for potential odors from landfills. As indicated previously, Green Ridge will be controlling the potential for odors by controlling the incoming waste. Landfill gas, once sufficient quantities are generated and collected can be used beneficially. Potential beneficial uses can include the production of electricity, natural gas (once the landfill gas is scrubbed), evaporation of leachate or for heating on-site facilities (directly). Potential energy production at the end of the life of the landfill (35 years) has been estimated to be 10 – 20 MW depending on collection efficiency. Thus, there is a significant resource that can be captured and utilized from the landfill gas while at the same time helping to control odors. The timing of beneficial use will be a function of the operations. During earlier years when insufficient landfill gas is produced or collected, the landfill gas will be flared to destroy the methane.

Green Ridge will take the necessary steps to prevent noise levels associated with operations from exceeding 67 decibels (a sound level comparable to the noise a dishwasher makes), when measured at the property line of the facility site. This sound threshold does not include ambient noise, nor does it include the normal sounds of trucks entering the site. Green Ridge will make every effort to reduce noise, including the use of modified safety beepers that only go off when backing into an obstruction. It is unlikely that there will be significant sound issues that are bothersome to neighbors. Except for occasional bird control, no external speakers will be used at the facility.

Although the facility will remain open on most nights, minimizing light from the facility seen by nearby residents is very important to us. Except for the entrance lighting and lighting at intersections, all outside lighting will be designed to minimize ambient light coming from the facility.

Minimizing dust in the area will be part of our daily operations at Green Ridge. The water wagon will be used to water down roads and help prevent dust from becoming airborne. Permanent access roads will be composed of asphalt, but temporary access roads will be constructed using crushed stone or other suitable materials and watered as needed. Dirt and/or Rusmar foam will also be applied as needed, to aid in the prevention of dust being generated from wind on the landfill waste.

Keeping roads leading to and departing from the facility clear of mud and debris is an important part of being a good neighbor. In order to keep mud and debris off of nearby roads, “rumble strips” will be utilized. Upon exiting the facility, vehicles will be driven over the “rumble strips,” which will consist of a serrated pavement surface. The induced vibration will remove any mud or loose debris from the vehicles. Green Ridge will also sweep its mile long entrance road from Route 60 each day that the facility is open.

At Green Ridge, we will be using compactors, bulldozers, track excavators, dump trucks and a water wagon. The compactors, bulldozers and excavators will be used to support routine waste disposal and daily cover operations, and the water wagon will be used for dust suppression on facility roads. Light trucks will also be used by employees in order to gain access to various portions of the facility.

Additional monitoring and specialty equipment and machinery may be used on a temporary or rental basis. These include generators, air compressors, light plants, vacuum tank trucks and graders. This equipment will be used for a variety of purposes including access road construction, maintenance, and repair. During the winter, loaders and sand spreaders will be used to remove snow and ice. Specialty equipment may also be used to obtain water levels in monitoring wells and survey equipment will be used to monitor lift heights and maintain grade control on exterior landfill slopes.

Routine maintenance and prompt repairs will ensure that the facility will operate at a high level of efficiency throughout the life of the project. However, as is the case with any industrial operation of this size, equipment will occasionally break. In the event of heavy equipment breakdown or malfunction, emergency repairs will be conducted immediately to ensure that operations can resume quickly. If it is determined that equipment will not be available within 24 hours, a local equipment leasing or rental firm will be contacted to temporarily replace the inoperable equipment. Green Ridge estimates it will have $7 - $9 million dollars of equipment onsite, significantly increasing tax revenue for the County.

Transparency is a core principle of our organization. A log of all reports and resolutions will be maintained onsite and will be available and produced to the County for the purposes of reporting and discussing landfill operational issues. It is Green Ridge’s intent to operate in full accordance with the rules and regulations of the Commonwealth of Virginia and to be proactive in the resolution of issues that may be raised by residents, the County and/or state regulators.

Green Ridge will operate as a modern recycling and waste disposal facility with industry-accepted operational controls. In addition to managing every aspect of the facility, we will develop a set of contingency plans to quickly and effectively address any unforeseen circumstances during the operational, closure and post-closure phases of the facility.

Fire

In the event that a smoldering load of waste arrives at the facility, the vehicle will be moved to a more isolated area and the local Fire Department will be contacted. Onsite personnel will determine whether an attempt to use on-site equipment to control the fire should be made. If it is deemed that the fire can be controlled using facility personnel and on-site equipment, either the water wagon, the excavator, or both, will be used to apply a mixture of soils and water to the fire. Green Ridge will reimburse the County for any costs associated with any fire and rescue services.

Odor

In the event that odors from the facility are detected off-site, the facility will initiate a response to determine where the odors are originating from, and once identified, placing additional cover material on the recently placed waste that may be causing the odor. Masking agents may also be used to help reduce odors. Should these methods fail, methane and carbon dioxide levels will be measured in the vicinity that the odors were detected and more extensive odor control practices may be instituted. Additional contingency and control practices may include the installation of temporary flares to control landfill gas that may be contributing to the off-site migration of odors. Should these steps fail, a formal study will be conducted to determine the type and source of gas causing the problem and an action plan to address it will be implemented.