Landfill hearings renew complaints

By DAVID HULSE

MONTICELLO, NY — It’s been déjà vu all over again as Sullivan County put plans for its next landfill expansion before the public in recent public meetings.

“I’m not going away. I’m going to keep coming back and outlast you,” resident Marie Ng told officials on March 15 as she renewed her concerns that landfill emissions were responsible for residents’ asthma and respiratory problems.

County officials and engineers were on hand to try to field hers and other questions and relate details about the landfill construction plans. Specifically the March 15 hearing was related to the state’s Part 360 solid waste permit, while a second, March 22 hearing was to address related federal permits, including the stream discharge SPDES permit, the Title V permit regarding construction impacts on air quality and a Federal Aviation Administration permit related to the new landfill height.

The expansion would add 33.7 acres to the existing landfill property, which now covers 45.5 acres, and increase the landfill height by 100 feet.

The new permit will retain 200,000 tons per year as an intake limit, but with reduced landfill intake to about 80,000 tons, engineers say the expansion will serve the county through 2027.

Asked specifically if the county would again entertain importation of garbage, County Manager Dan Briggs said that he was “not aware” of any plans to do that.

While there was no detail of specific costs, officials have said in past that the Phase II formula, which is to overfill portions of existing cells, will provide the cheapest construction costs per acre in comparison to the waste volume to be accommodated.

County Solid Waste Director John Kehlenbeck said the landfill would be eliminating the use of construction and demolition (C&D) debris as daily cover, as the chemical breakdown of portions of its content has been found to be responsible for part of the landfill’s past odor problems. Kehlenbeck said the county was further considering a process for pre-processing bulky C&D to reduce its waste of storage space.

Waste hauler Shirley Felder said that no real solution for C&D problems could be accomplished until the public is educated and willing to use the most efficient means of disposal.

But former Monticello Village Trustee David Rosenberg said the philosophy of landfilling should be questioned. “Is this a joke,” he asked, “building an impervious container to house stuff that nobody wants anymore…? The question should be smart technology and recycling,” he said to audience applause.

County Attorney Sam Yasgur replied saying that the legislature would look into any workable system for the county, but “you’re still going to need a place to get rid of what’s left. Every disposal system requires a hole in the ground,” he said.

Many members of Special Protection for the Environment of the County of Sullivan (SPECS) were on hand and spoke at the March 15 session. SPECS complaints and appeals were instrumental in delaying the state’s recent approval of the county’s construction permit for cell six, and while they compromised in that effort, they have repeatedly stated their opposition to Phase II.