Ownership of the Sunbeam Landfill was
officially transferred from Waste Management, Inc. to Brownfields
Properties, LLC on August 5, 2002. Please
click here for
photographs of the land transfer event, featuring Waste Management
CEO Maury Myers teeing off.
Introduction
Atlanta-based developer
Brownfields Properties, LLC is in the design and permitting
phases of converting the Waste Management, Inc. Sunbeam Landfill
and surrounding property into a golf course. The project
will include a residential component expected to include 134 ranch condominiums.
General Description and Site
History
Site Location
The Sunbeam Sanitary Landfill is located in the Mandarin suburb of Jacksonville, Florida
approximately 10 miles south, southeast of the CBD.
Physical Description
The Sunbeam site occupies
approximately 225 acres. Solid waste was deposited within a
51-acre footprint located well inside the property boundary to an
elevation of approximately 65 feet above grade. The remaining 174
acres is predominantly dense pine forest and stormwater retention
ponds created during the excavation of daily cover and landfill
capping material. Access to the landfill property is from an
entrance road located at the north boundary at Sunbeam Road.
Access is restricted by a perimeter fence and locked gate.
Surrounding land use is
primarily residential, commercial, and light industrial. Public
water and sewer are available to the site and serve the
surrounding community.
Pertinent Landfill History
The initial permit from the City
of Jacksonville for the Sunbeam Road Sanitary Landfill was issued
in November 1972. Refuse Services, Inc. (RSI), a subsidiary of
Waste Management of North America, Inc., commenced site operations
in January 1973. Refuse Services, Inc.
operated the landfill until December 31, 1986, when the operating
permit expired and the landfill stopped accepting waste.
FDER issued a closure permit,
#SF16-130528, on March 14, 1988. The landfill was closed in
accordance with this permit. RSI submitted the Certification of
Construction Completion for the closure on October 21, 1992. Long
term care, including facility monitoring and maintenance, will
continue for a period of 20 years from the date of closing. The
Sunbeam Road Landfill was certified closed on 10/21/92. The
post-closure period is currently scheduled to end on September 27,
2014 (slightly longer than the 20 year standard period due to
apparent administrative delays).
Approximately 3,750,000 cubic
yards of refuse, consisting of municipal, commercial, and light
industrial wastes were disposed within the landfill.
Landfill Cap
Sideslope areas of the final
cover consist of a two-foot thick soil layer. From bottom to top,
this layer includes a six inch leveling lift followed by a twelve
inch compacted layer. The compacted layer was installed in two
six-inch lifts. The final layer is a
six inch loosely compacted soil lift covered with a dense
vegetative growth. The compacted layer exhibited a minimum density
of 95% of the modified proctor density, as determined by field
density tests performed during placement of each lift.
The top area of the final cover
system consists of a two and one-half foot thick soil layer. From
bottom to top, this layer includes a six inch leveling lift,
followed by a twelve inch compacted soil layer. The top four
inches of the compacted soil layer consist of an admixture
(basically a slurry of native soil and grout) serving as the low
permeability seal. The seal is a Terraseal sand admix and is
reported to exhibit a coefficient of permeability of 4 x 10-7
cm/second or less. The final layer is twelve inches of loosely
compacted soil stabilized by a dense vegetative growth.
Landfill Gas System
An active landfill gas
collection system is operating at the site. The system consists of
a network of vertical collection wells installed within the waste
mass, a vacuum pump to pull gas through the mainfolded piping, and
a candlestick flare to dispose of the gas. Historically, the
Sunbeam site has not had a problem with landfill gas migration,
however the system will continue to be operated in accordance with
post-closure obligations and to protect golf course turf.
Landfill Leachate
A leachate collection or
management system is not in place at the site, and is not required
by regulation. According to available records and environmental
monitoring reports, leachate migration has not been a problem at
the Sunbeam site.
Environmental Monitoring
Eleven groundwater monitor wells
and surface water sampling points have been tested for
contaminants during the post-closure period. To date, no monitor
well samples at the site have exhibited organic contaminants in
concentrations above the Florida Primary Drinking Water Standards.
Several monitor wells have been
abandoned as approved by regulatory authorities given the lack of
environmental impacts identified at the site. The present monitor
well network and sampling program should be adequate to detect any
potential future problem at the zone of discharge.
Regulatory Status
The Sunbeam Landfill is
presently in compliance with regulatory requirements. There is no
indication in the records of past notices of violation, no record
of leachate or landfill gas migration, and no indication of
environmental impairment. The landfill is protected by an
effective cap and dense vegetative cover.
Planned Golf Course Development
Golf Course and Facilities
The Sunbeam Landfill golf
project is expected to include the construction of 18 holes of
golf on and around the landfill footprint, around the perimeter of
site lakes
and
through the forested acreage. The plateaus and irregular slopes of
the landfill, water features and woods will provide a variety of
exciting and beautiful golf holes. The eighteen-hole loop will be approximately 6,800 yards from the
professional tees, offering championship level challenge. A
driving range will be constructed for pre-round warm-up, practice,
and golf instruction. The golf course will be designed by
Roy Case, Case Golf Company, Inc. Please
visit Roy's website at
www.casegolf.com .
A clubhouse will be constructed
including a pro-shop and restaurant. Golf cart storage and
maintenance buildings will also be built. The residential
component is expected to feature a progressive ranch condominium
design. The 134 residences will be marketed to owners of
age 50+.
Construction
Considerations
Construction of golf holes and
associated underground improvements on the landfill will be
undertaken utilizing proven design and engineering practices to
minimize impact to the waste mass. All golf holes, subgrade
drainage and irrigation will be constructed above the existing
landfill cap. Excavation cuts will not be utilized during
earthwork operations. Fill dirt will be excavated from remote
areas of the property that are not underlain by waste, and
transported to the landfill area to provide adequate clearance
above the landfill cap for subgrade improvements and golf course
shaping. Drainage features and land contours above the landfill
cap will be designed to optimize the flow of stormwater off the
landfill footprint and into onsite lakes.
Traditional golf course
irrigation systems are built with PVC pipe. The irrigation system
at the Sunbeam site will be over-engineered utilizing HDPE pipe
for construction above and around the landfill. HDPE is much
stronger than PVC and has the flexibility to accommodate
settlement as the landfill ages. Irrigation water will be supplied
by deep wells or an offsite source. Onsite surface water and
shallow groundwater will not be pumped for irrigation to avoid any
possibility of drawing leachate from the landfill.
The existing landfill gas
collection system will be improved to accommodate golf course
construction and to protect turf. Gas well heads, where
appropriate, and control hubs will be raised to new grades and
concealed from golfers by mounding and landscaping.
Although possible, construction
of enclosed facilities on a landfill is complicated and
prohibitively expensive due to landfill settlement and the
possibility of gas accumulation within enclosed spaces. All
enclosed facilities constructed at the Sunbeam site will be built
over land areas that are not underlain by waste.
Operational
Considerations
The application of irrigation
water to landfill golf courses is a common concern given the
objective to minimize the movement of water through a landfill. In
reality, improvements to the landfill cover system including the
addition of fill, drainage improvements, and the establishment and
maintenance of a high quality turf grass, may serve to reduce the
amount of water reaching the landfill cap.
Modern golf course irrigation
systems and trained superintendents apply water in a precise and
measured fashion in order to optimize turf health and playing
conditions. Over-application of water is not tolerated in the
maintenance of any golf course. The professional
application of irrigation water coupled with the over-engineered
HDPE piping system will provide optimal protection of the Sunbeam
landfill.
All applications of agricultural
chemicals utilized for golf course maintenance will be managed by
trained industry professionals under the guidance of a Best
Management Plan.
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