Soil Map Unit Description from the Soil Survey of Rhode Island

Du—Dumps.

This unit consists of areas used for trash disposal. The areas are throughout the State, and most are on outwash terraces. Many of the dumps are adjacent to streams. Most range from 3 to 40 acres.

Dumps are commonly called landfills or sanitary land fills. They consist mostly of trash from residential and commercial areas. The trash is largely composed of paper, cans, plastic, and bottles and is covered daily with soil material. The older parts of some dumps were commonly burned but not covered with soil material. A few dumps include industrial waste, tree stumps, car bodies, concrete, and debris from demolished buildings.

Included with this unit in mapping are areas, generally less than 1 acre in size, of excessively drained Hinckley soils; somewhat excessively drained Merrimac soils; well drained Canton, Charlton and Narragansett soils; and Udorthents. Also included are a few small dumps that have bedrock outcrops and a few dumps along the larger streams that are subject to flooding.

Dumps require onsite investigation and evaluation for land use decisions. A few dumps have been used for industrial sites. One of the major factors affecting use is the liquid that percolates through the material in the dumps. Capability subclass and woodland group not as signed.

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