Cap Installation Begins At French's Landfill Site

Crews are now in the process of installing a final cap over top of the former French's Landfill site off Sally Ike Road in the township's Herbertsville section.

The 42 acre tract is in the process of receiving the cap, which will consist of what is known as a geosynthetic clay liner, according to Assistant Township Planner Tara Paxton.

A geosynthetic clay liner is one of the most common types of landfill caps, according to the federal Environmental Protection Agency.

Last week, crews began rolling out a woven fabric-like layer that unravels like a carpet over the entire site. After the fabric, which is made of a "geotextile" substance, covers the entire landfill site, a layer of clay will be poured on top, and it will be capped with an additional cover layer.

"They roll it out, overlap the edges, then seal the edges with a fine powder," said Paxton. "It has to overlap at every edge."

Once those steps are completed, another layer called a geomat is laid over the site, which helps stabilize the clay liner. Two feet of soil is placed on top of the geomat, and landscaping items such as grass can be planted in the soil.

Paxton said over time, as it rains, the clay will get wet and the entire liner will absorb seal.

"The rain water will flow linearly down the slope of the landfill," said Paxton, and will not interact with whatever substances have been buried at the site, which served as a local dump for more than 30 years.

The process of installing the clay liner will take until the end of June or early July to complete, Paxton said. Then, sometime in July, clean soil can be deposited at the site.

Fencing and landscaping tools are already at the site, which will be seeded when the soil is deposited so the grass can stabilize the soil.

Township officials have signed a redeveloper's agreement to eventually turn the landfill site into a solar farm.