HB Sports
Complex
Landfill Gas Monitoring/Extraction System Analysis
Public Works Dept.
July 29, 2026
Basic Description of Landfill Gas
Monitoring/Extraction System
System Architecture & Components
34 vertical gas extraction wells distributed across the site footprint.
A 10-horsepower gas extraction blower facilityto pull sub-slab methane and landfill gases.
Activated carbon canister scrubbers and filtration units to filter emissions prior to release/venting, compliant with South Coast AQMD Rule 1150.1 standards.
Main header piping connecting into the local landfill gas collection grid.
History &
Background
• The Operational Era (1940s – 1970s)
• Unlined Municipal Dumping: Long before the sports
complex was built, the 30-acre site was operated as an
unlined municipal solid waste landfill (often referenced alongside the broader Gothard Street / Central Park landfill footprint).
• Refuse Accumulation: Millions of cubic yards of
commercial and household waste were buried up to 35 feet deep.
• Closure & Dredged Cover: When landfill operations
ceased in the 1960s, the site was capped with a soil layer varying from 4 to 25 feet thick—partially composed of silty sand dredged from the Santa Ana River. Without engineered bottom liners, subterranean anaerobic decomposition
naturally began generating significant quantities of landfill gas (primarily methane and carbon dioxide), along with
volatile organic compounds (VOCs).
History &
Background
• Grand Opening & Continuous Operation (2000s –
Present)
• Sports Complex Opening (2003): The $16 million+, 45-
acre Huntington Beach Sports Complex officially opened, serving as a model for brownfield redevelopment.
• Gas Production & System Output: Over the decades, as
the buried organic waste has matured, the landfill gas
generation rate has naturally decayed. Current operational data indicates the system extracts roughly 40 standard
cubic feet per minute (SCFM) of gas at a methane
concentration of around 30%.
• Ongoing Regulatory Oversight: The system remains under strict quarterly surface emission and perimeter probe
monitoring regulated by SCAQMD, the Regional Water
Quality Control Board, and the Orange County Waste and
Recycling agency.
Diagram of Landfill Gas Monitoring/Extraction System
Ballpark
Estimate of
Replacement
Costs
Full System Infrastructure Replacement ($350,000 –
$800,000+)
• If the entire extraction infrastructure across the Sports Complex footprint required full replacement (re-drilling extraction wells, relaying headers, replacing sub-slab vapor barriers, and updating the blower/treatment skid):
• Well Field Work (34 Extraction Wells):Drilling, well
screens, heads, and piping run roughly $8,000 to $15,000 per well ($270,000 – $500,000+ total).
• Collection Piping & Trenching: High-density polyethylene (HDPE) header piping across the park grounds adds
$50,000 to $150,000+ depending on surface restoration
requirements (pavement, turf, or hardscape).
• Blower Skid & Controls: $50,000 – $100,000+.
• Engineering, CEQA/Permitting & Construction
Management: Soft costs typically add 20% to 30% to the
total capital outlay.