Green Remediation Focus
Fort Carson
Colorado Springs, Colorado
Federal Facility
Image Gallery
Cover Construction
Completed ET Cover
State-of-the-art Components
2-MW Solar Field
Cleanup Objectives: Contain a 15-acre hazardous waste landfill
Green Remediation Strategy: Installed a four-foot-thick monolithic evapotranspiration cover in semiarid climate
- Uses treated water from the wastewater plant for onsite irrigation where needed
- Uses biosolids from on-site wastewater treatment plant
- Prevented erosion through use of straw mulch
- Revegetated with native prairie grass resistant to drought and disease
- Provided uncompacted soil more conducive to plant growth than conventional earthen covers
Results:
- Reduced potential for desiccation
- Reclaimed sludge otherwise destined for landfill disposal
- Enhances visual aesthetics contrasting to adjacent asphalt cover
- Saved nearly $1.5 million in construction costs compared to a conventional cover
- Incurs annual O&M costs averaging $75,000
- Reclaimed the land for immediate re-use in commercial production of electricity from a 2-MW solar field, which is estimated to offset 1.3 million tons of greenhouse gases each year
- Enabled a long-term power purchase agreement, whereby the military base leases property to the utility and receives lower-cost electricity in return
Property End Use: Open space
Point of Contact: Vince Guthrie, Fort Carson Directorate of Public Works Utilities
Update: February 2008
