October 2, 2019

The West Virginia hillsides between the Harrison Power Station and its landfill buzz with activity as construction is underway on a pipeline that will take water draining from the landfill and recycle it for use in the scrubber system that removes sulfur dioxide (SO2) from flue gas emissions.

Although the scrubber is a closed system, some water evaporates in the process and is replaced by water drawn from the West Fork River. With the new pipeline, roughly half the water in the landfill leachate collection pond will be recycled into the scrubber. That will reduce the amount of makeup water taken from the West Fork by 150 to 200 gallons per minute (216,000-288,000 gallons per day). The remaining leachate will be treated more efficiently, before release to the river.

The project scope includes far more than just the pipeline. A new chemical and utility building will contain Mon Power electrical connections to run the system, as well as a propane-powered backup generator. It will also house the chemicals used to treat leachate in specially designed storage areas with dikes for spill prevention and containment.

“We’ll pipe the leachate from the landfill into the new sump where it will be collected,” said Mon Power Engineer Adam Hoalcraft. “From there, we’ll be able to control how much to recycle to the station and treat the rest.”

Adam Hoalcraft, Harrison Construction Superintendent Adam Wells and Mobile Maintenance Crew Leader Brian Penrose discuss project elements during a construction meeting.

It’s a vast project, requiring a great deal of management and coordination. On-site construction and FirstEnergy Mobile Maintenance crews work side-by-side with contract construction crews.

“We’re building roads and installing lighting. Mobile Maintenance crews fused sections of pipeline. Construction has gone very well,” Adam said. “Our FirstEnergy personnel and our contract partners all have done an excellent job.”