leachate

American  

[lee-cheyt] / ˈli tʃeɪt /

noun

1. a solution resulting from leaching, as of soluble constituents from soil, landfill, etc., by downward percolating groundwater.

   Leachates in the town's water supply have been traced to a chemical-waste dump.

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leachate British  

/ ˈliːtʃeɪt /

noun

1. water that carries salts dissolved out of materials through which it has percolated, esp polluted water from a refuse tip

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Etymology

Origin of leachate

First recorded in 1930–35; leach ¹ + -ate ²

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

leachate

These are intended to simulate how solid waste could release chemicals inside the landfill as it’s exposed to leachate — liquid waste from rainfall or decomposing garbage.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 12, 2025

Wastewater treatment plants can take in 10,000 gallons of wastewater per minute but only about 30,000 gallons of landfill leachate per day, Prada said.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 19, 2024

On Aug. 15, a worker overfilled a leachate storage tank, causing 3,000 gallons of rancid liquid waste to spill.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 30, 2024

Souyoultzis says this is not the same as compost tea and should be discarded — often anaerobic, it’s not appropriate to use leachate near growing plants.

From Seattle Times ● Dec. 8, 2023

The samples with leachate had more silicic acid as well, which is used by plankton like diatoms to make their microscopic shells.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 30, 2023