Niagara County wins Diamond Award for landfill project

Legislator Mike Hill announced Niagara County has won a 2021 Diamond Award in the environmental category from the American Council of Engineering Companies of New York (ACEC) for the Niagara County Landfill No. 1 improvement project. Hill and Environmental Coordinator Dawn Timm made a presentation on the award at Tuesdays night’s meeting of the County Legislature. 

“This is the engineering profession’s equivalent of winning an Academy Award; it’s a big deal and something of which we should be very proud,” said Hill, chairman of the Niagara County Refuse Disposal District. “Dawn Timm did a tremendous job as did our engineering partner, CHA Consulting. The result is an innovative project that saved taxpayers millions of dollars.” 

Timm explained the landfill project was completed in May 2020 as planned and exceeded expectations.

Niagara County Environmental Coordinator Dawn Timm and Legislator Hill with the Diamond Award.

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“This was a very innovative project, as it’s the first publicly owned landfill in New York to use ClosureTurf technology, an artificial turf that can be placed right over the geomembrane,” she said. “What that does is eliminate the need for 2 feet of cover soil and management of a vegetative layer, which means no erosion and no mowing. That produces significant long-term savings by avoiding maintenance costs.” 

Timm said the original landfill project estimate was roughly $12 million, but this approach to design and construction was only $4 million, eliminating $8 million in cost. In addition, the project included environmental improvements such as improved water quality of storm water runoff.

The ACEC presents the Engineering Excellence Awards annually to projects in the public and private sectors judged to be complex, innovative and significant value to society. The Diamond Award is the highest honor bestowed by ACEC in New York.