Dive summary:

• Cowlitz County in Washington is planning to build a $10 million leachate removal system as a part of their agreement to purchase the Headquarters Road Landfill.
• The deal with Wallis Engineering of Vancouver will include the 16-mile pipeline, a pump station at the landfill and an aeration system for the existing lagoons at the landfill.
• The local railway currently transports the leachate but the county says they can’t depend on the railway to be there forever.

From the article:

Officials originally had planned to haul the leachate back on the trucks bringing trash to the landfill, but they later determined that a pipeline would be more efficient, especially during the rainy season, Karnofski said.

While costly, county officials said the pipeline will be wrapped into the overall landfill costs and spread over several decades. Not having to retrofit trucks to carry the leachate back to town also will save on previous estimated costs, said George Raiter, a former commissioner serving as interim building and planning director.

The pipeline and $19 million landfill purchase will be paid for with a mix of bonds and existing landfill fund. None of the cost will come from the county’s general fund, Raiter said. ...