Three Rivers Landfill Cuts Leachate Treatment Costs with On-Site Hybrid CoVAP™ System

CHALLENGE

Three Rivers Regional Landfill in Pontotoc, Mississippi, processes over 900 tons of waste per day and historically relied on a local POTW to manage its leachate volumes of 12,000–24,000 gallons per day.

But rising transport and disposal (T&D) costs—over $0.09/gallon—and the threat of losing access to its local outlet put the landfill at risk of doubling or tripling its disposal costs. To reduce reliance on outside partners and secure long-term control over operations, Three Rivers needed:

• A proven, on-site leachate treatment solution

• A system that maximized the value of existing landfill gas (LFG)

• Simple operations with minimal impact on its Title V air permit

• Integration with its existing waste-to-energy system

• A design that could perform reliably for 20+ years

SOLUTION

After a comprehensive RFP process, Three Rivers selected Heartland’s Concentrator configured as a Hybrid CoVAP™ system—a unique approach that blends heat from both a landfill gas flare and an on-site engine.

This configuration enabled Three Rivers to:

• Use waste heat from a 999kW LFG engine to evaporate 5,000 GPD of leachate

• Supplement with flare heat to reach full treatment capacity

• Maintain uninterrupted energy generation while maximizing leachate throughput

• Automatically balance energy use with a smart control system

Heartland’s corrosion-resistant system design, clean-in-place technology, and automation features ensured high uptime and simple maintenance—backed by continued collaboration with Three Rivers operators to optimize long-term performance.

RESULTS

Since commissioning, the Hybrid CoVAP™ system has helped Three Rivers:

• Treat an average of 23,000+ gallons per day of landfill leachate

• Eliminate reliance on offsite trucking and disposal

• Cut long-term costs and protect against future rate hikes

• Fully leverage its landfill gas to support both power and wastewater treatment

• Operate with minimal staff and automated performance reporting

This project shows how landfills can take control of rising leachate costs by turning their existing energy resources into a reliable, on-site treatment solution.