URBAN HYDROLOGY RESEARCH FUNDAMENTALS FOR WASTE MANAGEMENT PRACTICES

The urbanization and increasing growth of planet's population accumulates significant volume of disposed waste as well as increases risks on human health and environmental safety. Landfill systems are the dynamic, living in space and time, potentially harmful entities that must be managed in as careful and smart way as possible. There are many studies related to landfill emissions such as leachates and methane. However, there is a need for advanced understanding of landfill hydrological regime and risks related to climate change and associated changes of hydrological cycle. The comprehensive studies about the urban hydrology are available; however, application to landfill management is fragmentary and inconsistent in several aspects. Landfill in long term has an impact on hydrological cycle. The heterogeneous land surface is one of aspects; however, there are still unanswered questions about the urban environment impact on water balance components. The aim of this study is to describe fundamentals of landfill hydrology in urban hydrological response unit context as well as evaluate the potential risks to environment and human health related to landfill geomorphology and hydrological balance in temporal climate conditions. The landfill hydrological cycle has similarities with urban hydrological cycle; however, there are additional components related to landfill specification, e.g., irrigation or leachate recirculation as well as total produced leachate.