Dive Brief:

• A landfill in Alpena, Michigan has found a solution for disposing of leachate: a leachate cannon.
• The landfill board approved the $185,000 purchase for a water cannon. The machine is used to siphon water from a secondary lagoon and spray the liquid as a mist. After it is transformed into a mist, the leachate evaporates.
• This unusual disposal method has saved the landfill $200,000 in handling and treatment costs since August. 365,000 gallons of leachate have been removed from the site in less than eight months. Other landfills interested in reducing leachate costs are attending on-site demonstrations of the cannon working its magic.

Dive Insight:

The Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) was initially concerned about the machine operating properly in coolor weather, and questioned if the leachate, when shot into the air, would turn into snow. The cannon was used this winter successfully and is now given approval to operate in cold temperatures. It cannot be used when it is raining.