Landfill Gas Monitoring and Control

Program Plan Implementation | BMP and Guidance l Additional Resources | Case Studies

A landfill, by the nature of the wastes placed in it, will most likely generate landfill gas, comprised mainly of methane. This landfill gas can pose serious health and safety problems for operators and the community, both during the operation of the landfill and after it has been closed, so facilities must have landfill gas monitoring and control program plans.

Monitoring and Control Program Plan Implementation

State of California regulations require monitoring of landfill gas (LFG) to determine if it is migrating beyond the permitted facility boundary. Specific regulations governing LFG monitoring and control program design standards have applied to closed landfills (LFs) since 1990, but were revised to include active disposal sites on April 19, 2007, were revised to include Following are several guidance documents prepared by the Board on this topic:

Best Management Practices and Guidance

Final Best Management Practices (BMP) for Monitoring Well/Probe Design and Construction. These BMPs were adapted from the SCS Engineers report on Landfill Gas Monitoring Well Functionality at 20 California Landfills.

Monitoring Procedures. This document provides standardized procedures for California Integrated Waste Management Board (Board) inspectors to use when performing landfill gas (LFG) screening monitoring* during routine disposal site inspections.

Recent Guidance

Additional Resources

Landfill Methane Outreach Program (LMOP): US EPA’s official website link to all things technical, dealing with landfill methane technology. The Landfill Methane Outreach Program (LMOP), created as part of the United States’ commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, is a voluntary program designed to encourage and facilitate the development of environmentally and economically sound LFG projects.

Primer, Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. This primer is designed to provide environmental health professionals with a general understanding of landfill gases and to help them in responding to community concerns that may be related to landfill gas issues. It provides basic information about the composition, formation, and movement of landfill gas. The primer also discusses health and safety issues related to landfill gas, and it provide information about landfill gas monitoring methods and control measures.

Case Studies

For more information contact: LEA Support Services, PermitTrainingAssistance@calrecycle.ca.gov