ABSTRACT
Landfilling wastes is a modern variation of the long-used practice of depositing wastes in a dump site at the outskirts of a community. Landfills must be designed to protect groundwater quality. The majority of dumps that were prevalent in the United States in the 1960s and 1970s provided little groundwater protection. Some of the preliminary information can be gleaned from topographic maps, soil maps, and geologic maps and other U. S. Geological Survey or State Geological Survey reports, but much of the detailed information about the soil stratigraphy and groundwater hydrology can only be obtained from borings and test wells. Qualitatively, it can be said that the water table surface in a humid climate tends to follow the topography of the land surface, provided that the aquifer is unconfined. The chapter considers the case of an interest-bearing segregated or escrow account for closure and post-closure care costs.
