Eight months. That’s the amount of time left before Habersham County’s construction and demolition cell (C&D) at the county landfill is full, according to the interim landfill director Johnny Vickers.
“After that point, we will have no more room for C&D at the landfill,” he told county commissioners during their September 18 work session.
When that happens, Vickers says the other cells at the landfill will start filling up fast if they accept C&D waste. County commissioners are now considering discontinuing C&D service as they search for ways to extend the landfill’s life.
A financial hit
The available capacity at the landfill has been a topic of concern among commissioners for the last several years. Recently, the county had a topographical and land survey done to calculate the landfill’s existing capacity. Based off of those results, Vickers recommended that C&D not be put in Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) cells. He explained that C&D takes up space and closes those cells out three to four times faster than if it was just MSW.
Vickers told the commission that they are looking at the time frame of March of next year when the C&D cells would be full.
“When it gets to that point, I would recommend, personally myself, that the county commission seriously look at and consider not accepting C&D no more at your landfill and letting it go somewhere else, wherever that might be,” he said.
Habersham County Finance Director Tim Sims addressed the commission about what the financial impact would be should the commission move forward with that recommendation.
“Based off of the last fiscal year’s numbers, about $632,000 of revenue from the C&D to the landfill.” He added, ”Back that off, that’ll be less revenue. It will sustain the operating cost of the landfill. Cash wise, I think we will be ok.”
Commission Chairman Ty Akins asked, “What amount of revenue do we get from the other side of the landfill?” Sims explained that, overall, they received, last year, approximately $2.8 million. Backing off the loss of the C&D revenue, it would be approximately $2.2 million.
Habersham County Manager Alicia Vaughn cautioned the commission that one drawback in the loss of revenue would be the loss of building up a fund balance to purchase equipment in the future. Those purchases would have to come from the general fund going forward.
“It’s important to know that’s going to put a new burden, eventually, on the general fund once we utilize any fund balance we have now,” she said.
Possible options: Trading land or building higher
One possible solution to the C&D issue is to expand the landfill to adjacent land.
Commissioner Bruce Palmer told the commission that he had talked to U.S. Representative Andrew Clyde’s office about acquiring adjoining property. Clyde’s office sent him to the U.S. Forestry office. Palmer said all they would discuss is a land trade, but they wouldn’t sell land.
However, there were stipulations on such a trade. First, the Forest Service would trade one acre of their land for two or three acres. Second, it would have to be land that they want, “but they won’t tell you what they want, ” Palmer told the commission. He continued, “I think that is the only way to expand the existing landfill.”
Commissioner Jimmy Tench asked about going higher with the landfill. Vickers explained that there is a maximum height they could go, but first, they would connect cells 4 and 5 with cells 2 and 3, fill in the access roads, and then go to the maximum elevation in accordance with the county’s current EPD permit.
According to that recent study, the landfill is projected to last approximately 17 years based on the current intake volume with only MSW trash and no C&D.
To build cells higher than the county is currently permitted, a study, including a survey, would have to be conducted because the EPD views that as a major modification.
A major modification to the current permit would take about a year.
Let’s ‘get the ball rolling’
Commissioner Bruce Harkness wants to follow up with the U.S. Forest Service on a potential land swap.
”I really think we need to follow up with what Commissioner Palmer has done and follow up with our senators and representatives on the federal level and get with the U.S. Forestry and go ahead and get that ball rolling,” said Commissioner Bruce Harkness. “Maybe, potentially, we could find some land for them and find out what they’re interested in. If we could find something, let’s swap and get the ball rolling.”
”If you do that right there, it will be a lot easier to permit because you are already beside an existing landfill,” said Vickers.
He explained that if the commission starts with a new landfill, the county is 8 to 9 years out to get a permit, and getting that permit is much harder.
Vaughn told the commissioners that if they decide to quit accepting C&D trash, the county would have to notify the public and contractors a few months in advance. They would also have to contact landfills in the area that accept C&D trash so that they could prepare.
