Dart reports detail $24M dump work

| 08/06/2021 | 57 Comments
Cayan News Service
Gas pipes installed at the top of the dump

(CNS): Two recently published reports commissioned by Dart outline the CI$24million worth of work paid for with public cash for the islands’ largest investor to cap the George Town landfill and control the leaching and gas coming off it, based on the deal struck with the previous government just weeks before the election. According to the reports, the full excavation or mining of the dump were “ruled out on the basis of technical difficulty, safety, environmental and amenity concerns, and affordability”. Dart only plans to cap the main garbage pile on the north side of the site and not the inactive south mound, which its technical team has claimed poses no environmental issues.

“In the case of the newer, more active North Mound, this includes for the provision of a low permeability vegetated cap, landfill gas collection system, storm water management and long term monitoring and maintenance. In the case of the older, less active South Mound, monitoring results and risk based modelling assessments show the site is no longer having an unacceptable impact on the surrounding environment and, as such, does not warrant a low permeability cap or landfill gas management system,” the contracted experts who wrote the reports found.

But they said it would require storm water management and long term monitoring and maintenance. Dart or its general contracting company, DECCO, and its partners will also be responsible under the deal for a small, near one-acre, lined landfill site that received arsenic contaminated material resulting from burning treated lumber after the Hurricane Ivan clean-up.

As Dart begins a series of public meetings this evening (Tuesday 8 June) on the environmental impact assessment in relation to the waste-to energy and recycling components of the deal, which will not cover the capping, the developer has released a Remediation Options Report and an Environmental Risk Based Assessment, both prepared by consultants GHD.

These reports outline how the specific phased programme of work will lead up to the closure and remediation of the landfill by early 2024. The waste-to-energy facility that will in future burn most of Cayman’s waste as well as consume the gases that will be coming off the landfill during and after the capping is a separate project that will begin in tandem with the landfill capping.

There are numerous elements to the contract with Dart and government, though the document has not yet been made public. This work on the existing landfill is a separate part but will continue throughout the life of the 25-year agreement to manage Cayman’s future waste needs.

“DECCO Consortium will manage and maintain all completed areas of capping and remediation — together with the supporting gas, leachate and surface water management systems — that fall under its control for the duration of the 25 year Integrated Solid Waste Management System contract period. The remainder of the site will continue to be managed and maintained by Cayman Island Government,” the main report stated.

The CIG will at some point report on the remediation options and long-term care for the landfill sites on Cayman Brac and Little Cayman, as well as the monitoring and long-term care of the south mound that Dart will not be dealing with.

The two main elements of the capping and remediation project will be dealing with the leaching of contaminants from the decades worth of garbage in Mount Trashmore (the mound of trash at the George Town Landfill) and the dangerously combustible gases that come of it. In the main report, the technical experts stated that the landfill gas is not only the primary source of landfill odour but represents a risk of fire or explosion if not managed.

“This gas will need to be managed throughout the operational phase of the landfill and during the post closure period,” the report said. “If managed correctly, however, the risk posed from odour to surrounding receptors and of landfill fire is greatly reduced. The anticipated means of landfill gas management will be through the installation and operation of a landfill gas collection system. This system would be based on vertical collection wells drilled into the
waste and sealed through the low permeability landfill cap.”

The technical experts said the wells will be connected to a sub horizontal transmission pipework buried in the restoration soils, which will carry the gas to either a high temperature flare or to the proposed Energy Recovery Facility.

On a recent visit to the landfill, Department of Environmental Health Director Richard Simms noted the various gas pipes now installed at the top of the dump and said that Dart technicians are responsible for dealing with the controlled burns for the gas coming through this system. The management of the landfill gas system will continue to be done by the DECCO team during the remediation and landfill operation phases leading into long-term management post closure.

See the reports in the CNS Library.


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Category: Environmental Health, Health

Comments (57)

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  1. Anonymous says:

    They look like half inch electrical pipe …painted yellow..

  2. Anonymous says:

    Cancer. Cancer. Cancer. How is this legal ?

    • Anonymous says:

      How is what legal? Cancer? I don’t think it cares, it’s already in our jails, our hospitals, our schools and our air. You can’t arrest cancer lol

      • Anonymous says:

        11:16 Are you seriously that dumb? How is this project legal as it raises the risk of cancer to all? Were you unable to interpret what 1:05 was saying? There’s something horribly wrong with you if you weren’t playing around in your response.

    • Anonymous says:

      It’s Cayman. The island of NO law enforcement. Ask Bush.

    • Anonymous says:

      Who said it was legal?

  3. Darlene Mckenzie says:

    With no disrespect. The present
    DEH Government landfill Management. Must be changed with hardworking know what they are doing committed dedicated on the work site DEH management too manage the Government. The work carefully and properly getting done each day. Making sure that the CCTV Cameras are always on and working and positioned in the right places at all times. And our landfill is always properly monitored too avoid anymore missing DEH landfill staff and the mysterious unresolved “Mount Trashmore” landfill fires. And avoid Government from having too payout unnecessary money especially over-time. Which the DEH landfill management and certain landfill staff get so excited about.

  4. Anonymous says:

    Take a look and see what Shelbyville are doing.

    If it all goes wrong, we can relocate to the Brac.

    • Anonymous says:

      It will go wrong. Nothing goes right in Cayman. I am starting to think it is cursed.
      Dart might be doing a great job on his projects, but he isn’t going to take care of the entire Dump, recycling etc.
      Cayman has reached the point of no return with the Dump. the cost of PROPER remediation, monitoring and management of the existing DUMP will be astronomical, with each passing day getting more expensive.

      It is not possible due the above circumstance to do things PROPERLY. It will be half-assed approach which WILL result in wide spread health and ecological disaster on an island-wide level.

      • Anonymous says:

        how do you know anonymous? Show us your research, ideally with CAPITAL letters to help reinforce CERTAIN words

      • Anonymous says:

        And that’s because half the people here are experts at how to do everything they have never done themselves. Like you.

  5. Anonymous says:

    “poses no environmental issues” I’m sure merely saying this out loud will stop the leaching into the North Sound…

    Move along. Nothing to see here.

  6. Anonymous says:

    I attended the meeting lastnight in West Bay for the dump project. All fluff and glamour from GHD who looking a $$ buck, ton of videos which didn’t make sense, a PM who led the meeting that doesn’t know what he was doing, Andrew Small a well known local who is drinking the DART kool-aid.. and I could go on and on.

    I did however notice that the Minister for Health (which I think this project scope is under) DID NOT SHOW UP!!! how?? why?? is she not interested? does she not know what she is doing???

    @CNS – please loook into this! Shameful. PACT has really shocked me in these last few weeks.

    • Anonymous says:

      Why have they shocked you? They did not run as a team. They had no cohesive national plan or objectives on which you could judge them. They are mostly inexperienced in government and it shows.

    • Anonymous says:

      See 7:37am below.

    • Anonymous says:

      That’s terrible. Are we sure that Roy and Jon Jon would have been worse? I’m starting to have my doubts. I really haven’t seen much of anything from PACT.

  7. Anonymous says:

    The original estimate was $500m to rectify the dump etc.

    Looks like it will not be done correctly … not even close.

    • Anonymous says:

      I think that was years ago when the plan was to do what they propose now as well as build the waste remediation facility which Jon-Jon managed to shut down and get binned during his elections campaign, his slogan something along the lines of “noi dump in BT”.

      That deal went out the window?

      • Anonymous says:

        The previous plan was to have 4 or so lined pits for garbage. No waste to energy and no capping if the landfill. Thus solution is wAy better

        • Anonymous says:

          HOWEVER – the remediation of the GT Landfill part of the previous proposal was WAY better and a large reason for the higher cost. You can call this value engineering if you want, but the truth is the government cheaped out on this, screwing GT residents.

          • Anonymous says:

            How is this cheapened? The BT proposal was for Dart to provide land, build a few lined pits that would last 3 or so years each, and turn it over to Government and walk away. This proposal for WTE is not cheap but is the right solution that will serve us for many decades to come. And Dart has to run the plant.

            The last two PPM Governments greatly advanced the our infrastructure – Airports, roads, Landfill/WTE, etc. Give them the credit due.

      • Anonymous says:

        9/6 @ 1:29pm – Wasn’t Osbourne Bodden Minister of Health when the proposed dump relocation to BT was shut down? Please double-check. It was not John-John.

  8. Anonymous says:

    And there in lies the rub …

    “ The remainder of the site will continue to be managed and maintained by Cayman Island Government”

    Goodnight. Dart will do his job and Government will not do theirs. Cancer here we all come …

  9. Anonymous says:

    Let’s put it in simple terms for the simpletons.

    Uncle Dart is fronting the cash which CIG does not have. He will get it back slowly over the period of the agreement.

    Everyone benefits.

    End of story.

  10. I wonder says:

    Does CIG get a cut of the millions of dollars in increased real estate value for the land at Camana Bay?

    I know the dump needed to be addressed and it has been fumbled by successive generations of Gov’t but Dart’s pet project was never moving forward without the dump being addressed and it seems as if we are getting hosed for the benefit of Dart’s C’Bay project.

    • Anonymous says:

      yep and lakeside! I doubt anyone else wanted to even look at the remediation other than dart as it seems like a big risk to take on this project. sure they benefit but to be honest i think we all benefit from getting this disaster sorted out. dart will cost some money, as would anyone else, but we can’t wait any longer can we?!

    • Anonymous says:

      Perhaps the government should have let it stay the way it was so Dart didn’t get any benefit from fixing the dump, right? That sure would have shown Dart who is in charge. SMH

    • Anonymous says:

      All real estate on the island will be more valuable when this hellhole eyesore is fixed. Seems like a good idea. You are just looking for something to whine about.

      • Anonymous says:

        The point is that CIG has yet again done a terrible job negotiating with Dart, this is a project that most governments the world over can manage. Dart is having to bring in and develop specialized expertise in this area and we are paying them to learn, make a profit and see their real estate value increase.

        You can’t blame Dart for playing the CIG here, but I can complain about CIG dropping the ball and getting played for the suckers they are.

        In a different environment the CIG may have gone directly to a specialized firm in this field and gotten a better deal/more complete deal.

        • Anonymous says:

          CIG is over their head in ALL their endeavors!

        • Anonymous says:

          Who else but Dart is motivated enough to fund this? No one else is the answer. That is the key. There are world class experts in the WTE project but Dart will fund it and get repaid over 25 years. This is a win-win for Cayman.

    • Anonymous says:

      How about everyone who drives by it on ETH as well as all the residents in its stinky path? I think we’re benefiting.

  11. Anonymous says:

    $24mln of interm window-dressing with our public cash, when the entire remediation price tag to line it properly a few terms ago was just $10mln.

    • Anonymous says:

      a few terms meaning what? 10-15 years?
      Considering how much property has increased here in the last 12 months, I don’t think 10m – 24m over that length of time is that crazy

      • Anonymous says:

        This was supposedly a $20m part of the project in October last year and now it is $24m part way through this first phase.

    • Anonymous says:

      Make Our Dump Great Again and get someone else to do it for free!

  12. Anonymous says:

    As predicted……suckers

  13. Say it like it is. says:

    It is not clear how the further leaching of God knows what poisonous liquids from 50 years of dumping will be achieved. What’s down there already must literally be hell on (or more specifically) under, earth.Please enlighten us.

  14. Anonymous says:

    thank you ken…god knows where we would be without you.

    • Anonymous says:

      Have to agree, one can say what they want about Dart, but they are professional and know what they’re doing.

      • Anonymous says:

        Yep…… Getting all they can for as long as they can.

      • Anonymous says:

        excellent at debt trapping and vulture capitalism, especially national govermnents- to be paid for by the public for at least a generation. There is no ‘away’.

      • Anonymous says:

        Rarely the case. All they have is a chest of money, soulless eels ready to do the bidding, and paid advertorials suggesting we are so lucky to have their help. That’s much different than being professional or knowing what you’re doing. People in Cayman don’t seem to know the difference until it blows up in their face.

    • Anonymous says:

      Nothing Dart will do that the hating do-nothingers seen in this message thread will make them stop spew their toxic venom. Instead of thanking Dart for solving a problem the government was not able to solve in over 5 f*ing decades, and creating 3000 jobs for Caymanians, they come here to shit on things they never contributed one iota to solve except blow toxic gas out of their asses.

      Thank you Dart!

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