Ordot Dump
On March 17, 2008, Gershman, Brickner & Bratton, Inc. (GBB) was appointed Receiver with the mandate to perform a 180-degree turnaround of a completely dysfunctional solid waste management system while closing the Ordot Dump that had been open for nearly 70 years.
2008 - Ordot Dump in Disarray
In April 2008, GBB Receiver staff arrived in Guam to take over management of the Solid Waste Management Division of the Department of Public Works – the future Guam Solid Waste Authority (GSWA). They found the Ordot Dump’s mountain of trash swarming with flies that obscured vehicle windshields; toxic, decaying trash with no cover, forcing school cancellations and neighbor complaints on days when the smell was especially nauseating; wild pigs roaming the Dump; frequent fires that contributed to air advisories; and leachate contaminating the nearby Lonfit River.
(images source: SWANA 2015 Excellence Award Submittal
and July 10, 2008 Quarterly Report of the Receiver)
The Receiver took immediate steps that improved the management of the Ordot Dump, eliminated fires, deterred wild animals from feeding on the active face, and diminished nauseating odors and after-hours dumping. A convenience box was placed in the residential dump area for safe disposal of trash; regular sprinkler service eliminated fires; and proper daily cover procedures decreased odors, fires, and complaints. GBB fixed broken machinery and replaced expensive contractors with Solid Waste Management Division employees and equipment. GBB Receiver also assigned additional staff to the Dump and increased oversight of operations.
Pre Closure
Note brown leachate drainage lines – discharges from waste.
2011 - Closure of Ordot Dump to Waste Disposal Operations
The Ordot Dump ceased operations in August 2011, just days after the new Layon Landfill opened. This milestone in achieving compliance with the Consent Decree was celebrated with a closure ceremony and media event on August 31, 2011.
(images source: SWANA 2015 Excellence Award Submittal)
By 2013, the closure, remedial investigation and design work to support the closure construction and future post-closure care and long-term monitoring were completed. In 2014, ongoing work consisted of closure construction and installation of a geosynthetic cover, gas monitoring, and stormwater management at the site. In February 2015, another significant milestone and condition of the Consent Decree were achieved when leachate was pumped from the Ordot Dump to the Guam Waterworks Authority’s Hagatna Wastewater Treatment Plant. As a result, leachate from the Dump is collected for the first time to be treated and no longer flows into Guam’s oceans and rivers – a significant environmental milestone.
2016 - Environmental Closure of the Ordot Dump
On March 26, 2016, the District Court of Guam held a Hearing that officially concluded the Environmental Closure of the Ordot Dump. Working in conjunction with the U.S. EPA, the Guam EPA, the Ordot Mayor’s Office, and the people who live near the Ordot Dump, the Receiver oversaw the design of an approved plan that met all of the legal and environmental requirements of the Federal and Territorial Governments.
The Post-Closure Plan provides for the legally required 30-year post-closure care of the facility, including monitoring groundwater, leachate collection and control, methane gas collection and control, stormwater management, and financial assurance that funds will be available to carry out these activities. Leachate, which had been leaking out of the Ordot Dump and polluting the Lonfit River, is now being captured and diverted to a wastewater treatment facility for proper treatment. The environmental closure of the Ordot Dump also captures harmful methane gas, a greenhouse gas that contributes to climate change.
