6/24/11 Flow control will be part of landfill contract

  • By Nick Sabo
  • June 24, 2011
  • 288
                        
SUMMARY: Commissioners, prospective landfill operators agree flow control essential Commissioners hope the implementation of flow control will help make the Holmes County Landfill a viable prospect. Proposals submitted by American Landfill Management and Rumpke Waste Collection & Disposal Systems state that flow control - basically, flow control means all trash generated in the county goes to one specified site - is essential to resuming operations at the landfill. A proposal by Kimball Companies suggests closing the landfill and implementing flow control of waste collected in the county to their landfill in Dover. It is American Landfill’s Management’s opinion that without flow control, the landfill cannot compete regionally because of the availability of other landfill sites in the area, according to their proposal. Trash haulers operating in Holmes County would pay the tipping fees as set by the designated site’s operator, whether it be the landfill or an out-of-county site. Flow control has been on the books for almost two decades. In 1994, the Holmes County Board of County Commissioners approved flow control, taking advantage of a new Ohio law aimed at boosting revenues for small, county-owned landfills. The language in the resolution calls for a designated site, which can be either the county landfill or an outside site. Landfill operations are almost solely dependent on tipping fees for revenue. Some landfill facilities also receive income from recycling programs. Holmes County Prosecuting attorney Steve Knowling said the law was designed to provide revenues for continuing operations or help fund permanent closure. “This allows us to produce revenue to fund maintenance and the costs of ultimately closing the landfill,” Knowling said. “In one way or another, we will have flow control.” Commissioner Joe Miller said flow control “is nothing new” and hopes it will do the same today as it was intended in 1994. “We have a big liability in this landfill,” Miller said. “Flow control is a way to make sure all trash flows to our landfill. We had it in 1994 but apparently it was never enforced.” Flow control to an outside landfill or transfer site allows for revenues to come back into the county for closure. For example, Kimball’s proposals offers up to $10 in royalties per ton of trash, paid back into the county coffers. The royalties would help cover costs incurred by the county for post-closure monitoring of the site, checking for leaks and other environmental hazards. If the county were to close the landfill today, it would still be responsible for post-closure for 30 years, according to Ohio Environmental Protection Agency guidelines. The proposals were received August 2010 and are be considered with the county’s best interests in mind, Commissioner Rob Ault said. “We are looking at everything,” Ault said. “We don’t have a contract right now. We took an oath to take care of the county, and that’s what is guiding us.” Rumpke is currently considered the top candidate because their proposal was the most complete of the three, Miller said. All of the proposals are being reviewed by the prosecuting attorney’s office. According to the proposals by Rumpke and American Landfill Management, the landfill needs to receive all trash collected in the county to maintain a steady revenue flow. They both further propose accepting out-of-county waste, and offer the county royalties per ton. American Landfill Management and Rumpke both propose operating the landfill until its current permit for airspace is filled. After that, American Landfill Management and Rumpke state they will look at the feasibility of expanding the available airspace into a third phase of operations. The third phase will have to be approved by the Ohio EPA. Rumpke’s proposal states the county could receive as much as $10 million in royalties for receiving out of county waste over “25 to 35 years”. Operations at the landfill have been suspended since 2007. The Holmes County Health Department, acting under recommendations from the EPA, issued orders that the landfill cease accepting trash after numerous violations by then-operator World Resource Management.


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