ADMINISTRATIVE REPORT

TO:

Vancouver City Council

FROM:

General Manager of Engineering Services

SUBJECT:

Vancouver Landfill: Closure Plan for Western 40 Hectares

 

RECOMMENDATIONS

COUNCIL POLICY

On May 3, 1994, Council agreed to support the Regional Solid Waste Management Plan (SWMP), which includes requirements to upgrade the Vancouver Landfill.

Consulting agreements exceeding $30,000 require Council authorization.

PURPOSE

The purpose of this report is to seek Council approval to enter into a consulting services agreement with Sperling Hansen Associates Inc. to provide engineering services for the development of a Closure Plan for the Western 40 Hectares of the Vancouver Landfill in Delta at a maximum cost of $268,400 plus GST.

SUMMARY

This report seeks Council approval to enter into a consulting services agreement with Sperling Hansen Associates Inc. to provide engineering services for the development of a Closure Plan for the Western 40 Hectares of the Vancouver Landfill in Delta at a maximum cost of $268,400 plus GST. The closure plan is required to meet Vancouver's requirements under the BC Ministry of Water, Land and Air Protection Operational Certificate for the Landfill.

The purpose of the Closure Plan is to provide the framework for future redevelopment of the Western 40 Hectares. The closure plan will be developed in cooperation with The Corporation of Delta and Greater Vancouver Regional District (GVRD). Delta's input and support are critical since following closure, the Western 40 Hectares will be redeveloped for some recreational use such as a golf course.

A Request for Letter Proposals was sent to Sperling Hansen Associates, AMEC Earth and Environmental and CH2M Hill Canada in January 2002. All three letter proposals, including an evaluation matrix, were sent to Delta and GVRD for their review and input. Although Sperling Hansen's letter proposal was the highest estimated cost letter proposal, City, GVRD and Delta reviewers found Sperling Hansen's letter proposal to be superior to the other two.

The total cost of the study is estimated at $268,400 plus GST. The cost of the study will be shared between Vancouver and GVRD with Vancouver's portion funded from the Solid Waste Capital Reserve thus not affecting Solid Waste Utility fees. GVRD's portion, up to $100,000 of the total cost, will be the cost associated with biosolids use in the closure plan plus, under the Tripartite Agreement, a portion of the remaining cost.

BACKGROUND

The City of Vancouver owns and operates the Vancouver Landfill in Delta. The Western 40 Hectares is located at the western edge of the Landfill site (Figure 1) and was filled with refuse from 1966 to 1982. Vancouver and Delta have agreed that this area would not receive additional garbage except for contouring purposes. The Landfill Operational Certificate permits the use of demolition materials for contouring this area as part of a closure plan.

Under the Landfill's BC Ministry of Water, Land and Air Protection Operational Certificate (OC), Vancouver is required to submit a Closure Plan for the Western 40 Hectares for approval by the Ministry's Regional Waste Manager.

DISCUSSION

The City requires a Closure Plan with a contour plan that promotes surface water drainage from the area and is suitable for use as a golf course following closure. The closure plan will specify alternative uses, including landscaping plans for each use, for the closed site in the event that a golf course is not selected as the ultimate end use. The closure plan will be developed in cooperation with The Corporation of Delta and Greater Vancouver Regional District (GVRD). Delta's input and support for the project are critical. Although the closure plan will not determine the specific end use for the area, it will provide various alternatives for later consideration.

The purpose of the Closure Plan is to provide the framework for future redevelopment of the Western 40 Hectares. Closure activities are expected to take approximately 10 - 15 years with redevelopment occurring thereafter.

The closure plan will include contouring requirements to increase surface run-off and reduce infiltration into the Landfill. Construction and demolition materials will be used to recontour the area to promote drainage. Once the area has been contoured with construction and demolition materials, a relatively impermeable layer of soil or geomembrane or combination will be installed as final cover to meet the technical requirements of the OC.

In addition, a berm is proposed for installation in an east-west fashion along the southern edge of the area. This berm would separate the Landfill area to be closed from the main Landfill access road and Highway 99 and act as a visual screen for the public from closure activities. Since biosolids from the GVRD's wastewater treatment plants will be used in the construction of the berm, GVRD has agreed to pay for the berm design. They will also be responsible for construction of the berm and development of a detailed landscaping plan, incorporating native plants. Sperling Hansen has estimated a cost of approximately $32,000 for this portion of the Closure Plan.

The closure plan is required to address numerous tasks, including project management, site characterization, alternative end uses, material placement, potential for material recovery from the existing fill, berm design, final cover design, surface water control and wetlands, post-closure monitoring and reporting. The closure plan will include an assessment of the state of degradation of the refuse to determine what is required to address landfill gas and leachate generation. An additional task is a review of the scales, Residential Drop-Off and utility plan. Consideration of this infrastructure is necessary to ensure that the Landfill continues to serve the public as well as the City's fleet in an efficient manner.

A Request for Letter Proposals was sent to Sperling Hansen Associates, AMEC Earth and Environmental and CH2M Hill Canada in January 2002. The estimated fees for each of the letter proposals was as follows:

Table 1. Cost of Proposals for the Vancouver Landfill Closure Plan

Proponent

Estimated Fees

Sperling Hansen Associates

$ 230,500

AMEC Earth and Environmental

$ 148,800

CH2M Hill Canada

$ 104,178

All three letter proposals, including an evaluation matrix, were sent to the Corporation of Delta and GVRD for their review and input. Although Sperling Hansen's letter proposal was the highest estimated cost proposal, City, GVRD and Delta reviewers found Sperling Hansen's letter proposal to be superior to the other two for the following reasons:

· Sperling Hansen has considerable landfill experience in British Columbia, especially with Vancouver Landfill projects, including the 2000 Design and Operations Plan.
· Sperling Hansen also has significant experience in landfill closure, having completed the majority of landfill closures in BC (11 designs in the last five years), including large municipal landfills such as Hartland Phase 1 and Nanaimo Regional Landfill.
· Sperling Hansen proposes to include on this project the services of Golder Associates who is currently working on the Leachate Upgrades Project and the Landfill Gas System Expansion Project. Sperling Hansen's team also includes members with extensive experience in golf course design and biosolids use.
· Sperling Hansen's proposal contained more detail on all aspects of the project, which will provide a more comprehensive closure plan. Several useful optional tasks were also included demonstrating their understanding of the project and the completeness of their proposal.

· Sperling Hansen's closure plan was ranked the highest with respect to meeting stakeholders' needs and environmental protection objectives, maximizing end use options and being economically effective.

Sperling Hansen's letter proposal is considered the best value. Closure of this area is projected to cost up to $10,000,000 and occur over 10 to 15 years. Therefore it is imperative to select the consultant that will provide the most comprehensive closure plan.

Sperling Hansen also proposed a number of optional tasks for consideration. Recommended optional tasks are provided in Table 2.

Table 2. Summary of Recommended Optional Tasks and Estimated Costs

Optional Task

Estimated Cost

Materials Recovery from Existing Fill - Field Work & Analyses

$ 5,300

Berm Design - Viewscape Imaging

2,400

Final Cover Design

30,200

Total

$ 37,900

FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS

The total estimated cost of engineering services for this project is $268,400 plus GST. Closure costs will be shared between Vancouver and the GVRD with Vancouver's portion funded from the Solid Waste Capital Reserve. GVRD's portion, up to $100,000 of the total cost, will be the cost associated with biosolids use in the closure plan plus, under the Tripartite Agreement, a portion of the remaining cost based on GVRD waste quantities. Because funding is from the Solid Waste Capital Reserve, there is no impact on Solid Waste Utility fees.

ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT

Closure of this area will result in regrading the Western 40 Hectares from an essentially flat area to a minimum of 4% slope. This will promote surface water drainage from the area. Clean surface water will be directed to wetlands and diverted from the leachate collection and containment system, significantly reducing the quantity and associated cost of leachate requiring treatment. The wetlands will also create habitat for birds. The Closure Plan will quantify the state of degradation and determine what is required to address landfill gas and leachate generation both during and post closure of the 40 hectare area. The berm at the south edge of the area will be planted with native vegetation and provide habitat for passerines (song birds), small mammals and other wildlife.

LINK TO FIGURE 1

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© 2002 City of Vancouver