Lab 6

The oldest form a waste management, landfill, appears to be an effective way to remove trash. However, landfills are permanent; once you fill the land with trash it will stay there forever. When the trash begins to decompose, we face the risk that toxic substances will sink into our groundwater supply or even be released into our air. This is why all precautions should be taken in choosing where to install a landfill.
In recent news, a debate revolving around a landfill in Kettleman City, California has risen. Some would like the landfill to expand while others oppose it. It is believed that the toxic wasteland in central California is releasing arsenic into this farming town’s water supply. Arsenic has been shown to cause health problems when elevated levels enter the human body. A team has been sent to see if this is truly the case, and whether the landfill is safe enough to expand.
In Lab 6, we checked the suitability for potential locations to put a landfill in Gallatin County, Montana. Our suitability analysis included the counties slope of elevation, distance to landfills, soil drainage, stream buffers, and land cover. All this information helped us determine what part of Gallatin County could most safely accommodate a landfill.
One of the more important factors that we analyzed is the slope of elevation. Topography of an area is crucial in deciding where a landfill ought to go because it must be on relatively flat land so the waste will settle evenly. Another crucial factor is soil drainage. You would not want to put a landfill on weak soil with a shallow rock depth. This would inhibit growth and your landfill as well as cause harsh damage during earthquakes. I feel these two factors are the most important when deciding where to locate a landfill.
After completing Lab 6 and checking my analysis, I see potential spots in Gallatin County to place a landfill. I believe the planner of Gallatin County should create another landfill above the existing landfill in the Northeast part of the map. This area has little slope of elevation, good drainage, and doesn’t have a stream flowing through it. All these factors should make this an ideal location for a landfill.