Case Studies, Elevated Temperatures, ETLF, Landfill Leachate, Taming ET Sites

Leachate Removal Gets a Boost From Blackhawk Piston Pumps

Posted on July 15, 2026July 15, 2026 by admin

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Collection at a Mid-Atlantic Landfill Keeps Leachate Levels Compliant

Leachate is a wastewater that forms when rainwater interacts with landfill material. The rain’s contact with buried waste draws out chemicals that can be harmful to the environment.

Maintenance and removal of leachate from landfills is crucial for the sites to stay in compliance; thus, specialized pumps are used on many sites to pump the wastewater to a collection point where it can be properly disposed of.

With the help of Blackhawk’s top head drive positive-displacement piston pump, a landfill located deep within a quarry was able to cull its leachate levels and control its methane gas emissions.

A Need for Lower Temps

The quarry landfill had elevated temperatures and high landfill leachate content that needed to be lowered to stay in compliance. Both the EPA and individual states maintain regulatory guidelines for leachate levels.

Once they became aware of the problem, managers of the landfill worked together to come up with a pumping and gas extraction plan. They hired an independent contractor, who installed the piston pumps, and monitored the extraction and disposal of contaminated wastewater from the wells.

Rising to the Task

As specialized submersible pumps able to reach the bottom of the landfill's sump pit (or collection point), the piston pumps pulled the leachate wastewater from the landfill wells and through the riser pipes, subsequently removing leachate from the liner and making further disposal of the leachate possible.

Managers of the landfill saw lower temperatures and decreased harmful environmental output.

Today, most of the landfill leachate gas well has been pumped dry, and the landfill gas emissions are under control.