The landfill gas collection expansion at the Ottawa Valley Waste Recovery Centre (OVWRC) has finished on-time and under budget.
General Manager Sue McCrae says this is an expansion of the gas collection system which has been in place since 2009. McCrae says the wells are installed to draw methane gas from finished areas of the landfill.
Methane gas is generated from decomposing garbage in the landfill. Methane gas is a stronger greenhouse gas as it has 21 times the global warming potential of carbon dioxide. The gas is converted to carbon dioxide through an enclosed flare that reaches temperatures of over 900 degrees Celsius.
An additional 12 wells were added to the already existing 28 wells. The installation of the 12 new wells was completed over a 4-month period. More landfill gas wells are not expected to be needed until 2025 as additional areas of the landfill reach final capacity.
Construction and engineering costs came in at just over $500,000 roughly $50,000 under the budget.
The current landfill has been operational since 1977.