Washington Park

Washington Park. landfill to brownfield. , Booker T. Washington Park's upper level was at one time a functioning quarry, until it became home to a sanitary landfill in the 1950s. Although the landfill was covered often by dirt to cause decomposition, smells and insects filled the air. Everything from furniture, everyday trash, food scraps, and toxic paints was thrown into the landfill., Finally, in 1963 the city closed the landfill, but the after effects are still evident today. The rolling terrain is a consequence of the refuse settling as time goes by. Also, the harmful greenhouse gas methane, caused by trash decay, presents a problem when it comes to building on or landscaping the area., Today, issues arise as to what can be done with the unstable land. Revegetating the area is an option; however, the methane gases cause difficulty in doing so, and soil depth must be at least eighteen inches deep on the landfill cap. Trees can be planted, but they must maintain a shallow root system so as to not penetrate into the ground. In order to keep the roots growing horizontally, trimming must be done often to cause lateral root growth rather than a large taproot. This maintains a shallow root system which is important for keeping the containment system of the landfill intact., Native species are best for this type of revegetation because they are adapted to disturbances and changes in the area. Grasses and wildflowers are well suited, as they have a mat like root system that prevents soil erosion over the landfill. Shrubs, such as spreading yews, are also good choices seeing that their roots are larger, but not as invasive as tree roots. However, some trees such as pin oaks, eastern white pines, red maples, American basswood, and ginkgo can tolerate the methane gas production relatively well. If clusters of these species are planted, bird species may then migrate to the area and disperse seeds of other species, developing an understory that will hopefully promote succession., Not only are gases a problem, but Lick Run creek also has shown side effects from the landfill. The creek actually goes under the landfill area in a culvert tubing system. This concrete tube prevents leachate, or liquid waste from the landfill, from entering the waterway. However, Lick Run could be contaminated by the landfill through runoff water that makes its way to the lower portion of Booker T. Washington Park. Also, if there are any leaks in the sealing of the landfill, this liquid could become part of the groundwater and pollute the creek in that manner., What can be done? Landfill gas from pre-existing landfills is now being used as an alternative energy resource. It has the potential to be used to fuel cars in the form of compressed natural gas, and hopefully many other fuel powered items in the future. As far as reducing future waste in the landfills, household recycling can decrease the amount of waste in landfills greatly. Also, buying in bulk reduces the amount of packaging per item that could end up in the trash. Composting is another alternative for food scraps and lawn trash that can be done per household, and has great benefits when added to garden soil. Taking a few simple steps can go a long way when it comes to recycling and keeping excess trash out of the landfill.,

"Household recycling can decrease the amount of waste in landfills greatly."

, [Captions:] , The main image is an aerial photograph of Washington Park in 1959. Just below the line of trees in the middle, the scarred terrain of the landfill is evident. The right half of the photograph is present day. The photo below shows the structure of a modern landfill. Ground water monitoring wells are usually located around the landfill to make sure that leachate is not invading the water supply. Gas monitoring tubes are also present to regulate and collect methane to be used in other processes., Clay barrier , Prevents underlying soil and water from contamination., Plastic liner , Prevents underlying soil and water from contamination., Leachate collection , Perforated pipes in a layer of sand collect rainwater that has filtered through the landfill (leachate)., Refuse cell , Compacted garbage is always surrounded by soil from daily cover., Daily cover , No land refuse is left exposed overnight - at the end of each day, all refuse is covered with at least six inches of compacted soil.