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| Down Under |
| Australian neighbourhood risks exploding, international experts called in |
| 2008-09-13 |
| INTERNATIONAL experts have been called in to help authorities investigate leaking explosive methane gas at a Melbourne housing estate. "Yecccchhhhh! What've you been feeding that cow?" Environmental Protection Authority executive director of regional services, Bruce Dawson, said experts had been engaged from the United Kingdom, the USA, Canada and Italy due to the unique nature of the emergency. "This is a unique in Australia, we don't have any other situation like this," he said. "The scale of the issue requires that we get the best advice possible ensuring the council makes the right investment in fixing this problem." Residents at Brookland Greens estate, in Cranbourne, have been advised a sealed tip next to the estate is leaching methane gas at levels high enough to cause explosions. They have been told their safest option is to move and have been warned methane levels may not be safe for a year. Mr Dawson expected the panel of experts would be able to come back to it with possible solutions within two weeks. However, he cautioned that it would probably take a lot longer to eliminate the problem. "We'd be delighted if this work identified a strategy that was able to give effect to a quick solution, but realistically elimination of that gas moving into the estate is probably going to take at least 12 months," he said. |
| Posted by:Oztralian |
| #3 Or a job of poor community organizing. |
| Posted by: Nero Phamp7355 2008-09-13 19:18 |
| #2 Cap the dump and capture the methane. There are places in southern California that the methane is used to power engines for uses like pumping sewage. Google "landfill methane" and learn all about it. EPA even has "Outreach Programs". I kid thee not. |
| Posted by: Alaska Paul 2008-09-13 14:10 |
| #1 First step: Install vents at the sealed dump to reduce internal pressure and control where the gases exit the sealed dump site. The gases can be burned or otherwise be used if enough gasses are available for power generation. I wonder who got rich putting a subdivision next to or on a dump site with lots of organics in it. It sounds like a poor job of sealing the site (of course quality control can be a huge factor) and the Engineering design probably sucks (if there was one). |
| Posted by: tipover 2008-09-13 10:51 |