Case Study - Ontario Landfill Site

Site Layout

Leachate levels are normally measured manually at each well several times a day throughout the year. Currently, the method to obtain this data is to visit each well location throughout the site and manually record flow rate data from a local display. In addition, well depth is measured by inserting a commercial water surface detect tape down the well. There are many drawbacks to the manual collection of this process including:

1. Time consuming
2. Inaccurate (human error, foaming at the top of the leachate etc)
3. Often difficult to reach some wells in harsh weather
4. Oxygen enters the system when the well cap is removed to insert the measuring tape (well is normally kept under partial vacuum)

Wireless Options distributed intelligent wireless systems (IWS) have developed a system that overcomes the manual collection of this data and removes the drawbacks above. The mesh wireless systems have been installed at a number of sites to remotely measure and report well depth and leachate pump flow rate. Gas flow rate measurement is being added to the system in late 2010. The hub site provides an Ethernet termination into a central database for all traffic.