Responsible Department:
Public Works

Activity Contact Person:
Jim Stivender, Public Works Director
(352) 483-9005 , jstivender@lakecountyfl.gov

Funding Allocation: $50,708.68

Project Status: Complete

The landfill gas feasibility study and recommendations will be provided to the county's Solid Waste Task Force for consideration.

Lake County is proposing an emissions reduction program encompassing several specific initiatives that will not only reduce the County’s GHG emissions, but also develop methodologies for measuring and achieving Lake County’s environmental goals. Paired with the County's GHG Inventory Management Plan, these efforts will continue to reduce GHG emissions into the future.

Lake County’s strategy for reducing and capturing methane and GHGs includes the following specific activities:

1. Landfill Gas (LFG) Feasibility Study: Lake County will conduct feasibility studies on two (2) of the County’s landfills to assess the available capacity for the capture of methane. The feasibility studies will evaluate the potential landfill gas (LFG) flow created from each landfill, the options for achieving reductions in GHG emissions, and the use of the intrinsic heat content of LFG to realize additional revenue streams. During these feasibility studies a high-level comparative analysis of the characteristics of the County’s other landfills will be performed to confirm that no LFG potential recovery potential exists.
   
   
2. Regulatory Support for Compliance with EPA’s GHG Reporting Rule: On September 22, 2009, the EPA Administrator signed a rule that requires facilities that emit over 25,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent GHG emissions to report emissions to EPA. Lake County’s waste-to-energy (WTE) plant may fall under this rule, and the emissions reporting will likely be the responsibility of County staff. Additionally, this rule may cover private sector industries conducting business in the County. Lake County will attend training and offer support to comply with these new GHG rules, both for the WTE plant and for the community.
   
   
3. Lake County's Waste-To-Energy (WTE) Plant: Lake County’s WTE facility, operated by Covanta Lake of Okahumpka, already contributes to the reduction of GHGs by decreasing the dependence on fossil-based power generation, reducing landfill space and methane emissions, potentially reducing waste transportation costs, and recovering ferrous metals. However, the emissions from this plant are currently not adequately tracked; the current GHG benefits of the plant have not been quantified; and the opportunities for further benefits have not been explored in-depth from a GHG perspective.
   
   As the incinerator at the WTE facility will most likely be one of the County’s largest GHG emitters, the County proposes to target this facility in two ways: (1) quantify and track emissions (applicable because the facility may emit over 25,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions thus requiring the facility to report under EPA's mandatory GHG regulation), and (2) utilize the waste stream audit performed and analyze the WTE operation to determine further opportunities for emissions reductions, including diversion of waste to landfills and reduction in fossil fuel use for co-firing.
   
   

This program creates the base for future action by establishing the infrastructure to measure and track GHGs, which will better enable the County to manage these emissions. It also determines the feasibility of options for using or destroying landfill gas.