Incomplete Testing Report Raises Concerns for City of Fostoria’s Leachate Management

FOSTORIA – Bojun Labs conducted a basic test on the recent Win Waste Innovations Landfil leachate “spill”. The report was provided last minute to The Fostoria Free Press on 2.18.25 just hours prior to the city council meeting. Although, the short notice did not stop the spread of the report to interested citizens who spoke at the meeting.

Landfill leachate is a complex mixture of water, organic and inorganic compounds, and microorganisms that can pose environmental and health risks if not properly managed.

What’s Included in Bojhuns Rerport:

• The report covers several key parameters relevant to wastewater or leachate, such as ammonia, COD, mercury, oil and grease, phosphorus, and TSS. These are important for assessing nutrient levels, organic content, heavy metals, and solids in the sample.
• The matrix is listed as “WW” (wastewater), which aligns with leachate being a type of wastewater from landfills.

What’s Potentially Lacking:

Based on a typical landfill leachate testing profile, this report may be missing several critical parameters, depending on the regulatory requirements or the specific concerns of the site. Here are some potential gaps:

1. pH: Not included, but pH is a fundamental parameter for assessing the corrosivity and chemical stability of leachate.
2. Total Dissolved Solids (TDS): This is often tested to understand the overall dissolved mineral content, which can affect treatment processes and environmental impact.
3. Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD): While COD is included, BOD is another critical measure of biodegradable organic matter and is often required in tandem with COD.
4. Other Heavy Metals: The report only tests for mercury, but landfill leachate may contain other metals like lead, cadmium, chromium, arsenic, copper, zinc, and nickel, which are common in leachate and regulated under environmental laws.
5. Nitrogen Compounds: While ammonia is tested, other forms like nitrate, nitrite, and total nitrogen are often required to fully assess nitrogen loading.
6. Organic Compounds: The report does not include testing for VOCs, SVOCs, PAHs, or TPH, which are common in landfill leachate, especially from older or industrial waste sites.
7. Chloride, Sulfate, and Other Anions: These are often present in leachate and can impact treatment and receiving water bodies.
8. Toxicity Testing: There’s no mention of bioassays or toxicity tests to evaluate the potential harm to aquatic life or ecosystems.
9. Microbiological Testing: No testing for fecal coliforms, E. coli, or total coliforms, which could indicate biological contamination.
10. Emerging Contaminants: No testing for PFAS or other emerging contaminants, which are increasingly regulated in environmental samples.

The provided testing report includes several relevant parameters for wastewater/leachate analysis, such as ammonia, COD, mercury, oil and grease, phosphorus, and TSS. However, it appears to lack a comprehensive suite of tests typically required for landfill leachate, including pH, TDS, BOD, additional heavy metals, nitrogen compounds, organic compounds (VOCs, SVOCs, PAHs, TPH), chloride, sulfate, toxicity testing, microbiological indicators, and emerging contaminants. The specific tests needed depend on local regulations, the landfill’s characteristics (e.g., age, type of waste), and the intended use of the data (e.g., discharge permits, environmental impact assessments).

If this report is for landfill leachate, it may not meet all regulatory or environmental monitoring requirements. I recommend consulting the applicable local or national environmental regulations (e.g., U.S. EPA guidelines for leachate management) or working with an environmental engineer to ensure all necessary parameters are tested.