ASCE Lunch and Learn: New River Renewable Natural Gas Facility
Since its inception in 1992, the New River Solid Waste Association (NRSWA), Florida's first publicly owned, multi-county solid waste management facility formed by Baker, Bradford, and Union Counties, has been committed to providing excellent services to its customers and to using innovative industry-leading practices to optimize operations and maximize environmental protection. The New River Regional Landfill (NRRL) consists of an active 99-acre lined Class I Landfill and supporting infrastructure. NRSWA collaborates on research projects and pilot programs with the University of Florida's leading solid waste and sustainable materials management expert, Timothy Townsend, Ph.D., PE.
NRSWA's Renewable Natural Gas (RNG) project is the most recent example of its commitment to innovation and contribution to waste conversion and energy recovery. This project is the first in Florida to convert landfill gas (LFG) into pipeline-quality natural gas. It is also the first landfill to interconnect to the Florida Gas Transmission's interstate pipeline and inject processed LFG. New River's LFG is treated to meet the strict pipeline-gas specifications before being transmitted via six miles of high-pressure pipe from the landfill to the pipeline interconnect.
Speaker: Joel Woolsey, Director of the New River Solid Waste Association
He has over 26 years of experience in the Solid Waste industry. Before he was in his current position, he served as a Project Manager and Client Manager in the Solid Waste Department at Jones Edmunds & Associates, Inc., in Gainesville, Florida. He specializes in landfill gas collection and control system design, landfill design, solid waste permitting, and GIS and CADD applications. He has extensive experience in Florida investigating landfill gas utilization and beneficial use including carbon credit marketing. Mr. Woolsey has also managed a variety of projects including gas collection and control system designs, solid waste operations and construction permit applications, and landfill master planning. Mr. Woolsey is certified by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection as a Class I, Class III, and C&DD Landfill Manager.
Mr. Woolsey has extensive presentation experience, having presented at local, regional, and national conferences over the past 20 years on a variety of topics related to the Solid Waste industry including GPS-controlled heavy equipment, GIS, innovative landfill gas system designs, and landfill mining. He was honored to be awarded the best presentation at the second annual Global Waste Management Symposium in 2010. Mr. Woolsey has also been a guest lecturer at the University of Florida for Dr. Timothy Townsend, PhD, PE; his lectures focused on landfill design and permitting, and cost estimating.
Location: Blue Gill Quality Foods - 1310 SW 13th Street, Gainesville FL 32608