Natural Gas Recovery

With nearly 24 million cubic yards of solid waste in place, the Central Disposal Site produces about 2,500 standard cubic feet/minute (scfm) of landfill gas. This gas is collected from 150 collection wells and transported through 4 miles of pipeline to the landfill gas-to-electricity facility and to the landfill gas-to-vehicle fuel pilot project.

How much energy is produced?

The Landfill Gas Power Plant produces up to 5 mega-watts (MW) of renewable electrical energy 24 hours/day, seven days/week, enough to power a community of 12,000 people.

How is the energy used?

Electrical energy produced at the disposal site is used by the Sonoma County Water Agency to help transport potable water throughout Sonoma County.

Compressed natural gas produced at the Central Disposal Site is currently used to fuel select vehicles in the Sonoma County fleet. The plant uses membrane filtration to convert landfill gas to vehicle fuel where contaminants are removed via activated carbon and silica gel.