GEORGETOWN, SOUTH CAROLINA – For its use of ClosureTurf™, an innovative alternative cover system, the Saufley Field Landfill in Pensacola, Florida recently received a national award from the Solid Waste Association of North America (SWANA). The Escambia County project was honored with a Silver Award for Landfill Remediation due to the use of this system over the landfill’s 22 acre site. The application at the Saufley Field Landfill marked the first deployment of ClosureTurf™ in Florida, where the system had not previously been permitted or constructed.
Through the award, Escambia County has been recognized on a national level for their forward-thinking efforts to address a serious environmental challenge while protecting human life and the environment. The use of this cover system at the Saufley Field Landfill has also proven noteworthy due to its recent performance during the historic flash flood event the area experienced April 29th to 30th earlier this year. During the epic rain event, the ClosureTurf™ System performed despite rainfall levels of 5.68 inches in a single hour (and between 22 to 26 inches of rain over a 24 hour period). According to NOAA, this is the greatest calendar day total on record with data going back to 1879. A quick reference of the NOAA HDSC Precipitation Frequency Map shows this to be a 1-in-200 year to 1-in-500 year single hourly amount, with the 24 hour rainfall total being between a 1-in-50 and 1-in-100 year event.
In the end, the local community has received the benefit of not only a durable cover system, but one that also transformed an unsightly and problematic landfill into an aesthetically pleasing site that blends well with the natural surroundings.
About ClosureTurf™
ClosureTurf™ is an innovative and economical final cover system designed for waste containment which eliminates soil erosion, increases slope integrity, enhances gas collection, and lowers maintenance costs. ClosureTurf™ was developed by Watershed Geosynthetics LLC and is sold exclusively by Agru America, Inc. First installed in 2009, this innovative technology has continued to gain more acceptance in the waste industry as an increasing number of owners, agencies and engineers have approved its use in multiple states over the past five years.
About Agru America, Inc.
Since 1988, Georgetown, SC–based Agru America, Inc. has been the world’s leading manufacturer of flat die extrusion geomembranes, geonets, geocomposites, geotextiles, geo clay liners, concrete protective liners and fittings. Agru America also supplies vertical barrier systems and piping systems for the U.S. and international civil/environmental markets. The company’s state-of-the-art products include Agru Smooth Liner® / Micro Spike® (structured textured products), Super Gripnet®, and Drain Liner® in both LLDPE and HDPE. Agru America is part of Alois Gruber GmbH, an Austrian family-owned business since 1948 with production facilities in Austria, the U.S., Germany, China and India, and distribution in over 80 countries worldwide. The company’s website can be found at www.agruamerica.com.
