Project
Lynn Landfill Cap Repair
IndustrialEpsilon is providing environmental consulting services for the Lynn Landfill as the owner seeks to cap the landfill and examine potential re-use opportunities.
Overview
Decades ago, Massachusetts enacted regulations requiring more stringent rules for closing and capping solid waste landfills to protect the environment and human health. Those rules led to most landfills in the state being closed and capped. Additionally, landfills capped before those more stringent rules were established fell into a regulatory limbo – closed in accordance with the “old rules” but not capped with a modern, more effective, capping system. Also over time, even landfills capped properly can require maintenance and re-capping. The state has been working to identify landfills that need to be re-capped to meet current design standards or that are in need of repair. Epsilon has been working with solid waste managers to navigate landfill capping and repair projects through the complicated environmental permitting process to bring these sites into compliance with modern capping systems. One example of a landfill repair is the Lynn Landfill.
Contribution
The Lynn Landfill is an approximately 22-acre site along the Lynn Harbor shoreline, on filled tidelands. Epsilon supported the lead designer with environmental consulting services needed to repair this landfill. Key environmental issues and constraints increased the degree of difficulty for permitting. It included on-site vegetated wetlands, filled tidelands, adjacent coastal wetland resources, nearby hazardous waste sites, and flood plain. In addition the site is located in a Designated Port Area and within an Environmental Justice community. The future master plan for the project area is to incorporate the site into a waterfront public park.
To address those many issues, our team delineated wetland resources, determined the limit of filled tidelands (Ch. 91 Jurisdiction). Following those basic services, Epsilon worked to secure the required permits and approvals needed for this repair project. First, we secured an Order of Resource Area Determination to define wetland resources so that project design could proceed to avoid those areas and accurately calculate unavoidable wetland impacts. We then secured the required environmental permits, including an order of Conditions under the Wetlands Protection Act, MEPA Certificate, and Chapter 91 License.
Permits were secured on schedule and construction is in process.
Landscape view of the Lynn Landfill Cap Repair project 
Landscape view of the Lynn Landfill Cap Repair project 
Landscape view of the Lynn Landfill Cap Repair project 
Landscape view of the Lynn Landfill Cap Repair project
Achievement
The cap repair project will re-cap the exposed capping membrane to prevent its damage. This will prevent human exposure to landfilled waste and discharge of landfilled waste to the environment. The project was advanced according to MassDEP policy that allows importing soils from urban construction sites for which there are limited disposal opportunities in the Commonwealth. The capping and grading design was carefully laid out to accommodate future re-use as a public waterfront park. The project team used its decades of landfill closure and re-use experience to layout final grades to integrate the landfill into a future public park.
Any Questions?
Any particular questions regarding projects we have done, markets or services that you have questions on, or even a simple inquiry we are here to connect you! Please do not hesitate to reach out.