Agenda - 09-30-1998 - Additional Information

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Margaret Brown Page 6 The Council has also supported the extension of water lines to the area surrounding the landfill, assuming that an equitable way to share the cost can be developed. We believe that a special reserve fund to help defray the costs of any firture water he extensions is unnecessary for the following reasons: 1. The fill area is surrounded by 21 monitoring wells meant to detect any contamination coming from the waste before it reaches the property line of the landfill Therefore, it should be possible for the first indications of any contamination from the fill area to be detected and mitigated before such contamination can reach the property line. 2. Even with all the precautions followed in designing, building and operating the landfill, it is theoretically possible for contamination to occur. There is an undesignated fund balance available at all times for true emergencies. 3. The entity that is ultimately responsible for solid waste management should decide if such a reserve fund is prudent. The Town Attorney also notes that any neighborhood benefits need to follow a general policy, rather that distinguishing among landowners based on their individual histories. We would also point out that the area designated by the County as the "historical Rogers Road neighborhood" excludes the land of Gertrude Nunn, next to the eastern boundary of the landfill. CONCLUSION The life of our present mixed solid waste landfill is expected to end in 2005-06. As we move closer to that point, it will become more difficult to make decisions and provide services in the most efficient and effective way possible. As time goes by,, the commrurity's options will become more and more restricted. Remaining space in both the construction and demolition and the municipal solid waste landfills diminishes with each day of operation. This community may be forced to negotiate agreements with out -of- county landfills and operators of other solid waste facilities when the predictable end of our disposal capacity puts us in a very poor negotiating position. We believe that we need to maximize the fife of the landfill even while we prepare to replace it, be the replacement in- county or out -of- county. To this end we believe the following steps are needed: Acquire a site for a construction and demolition waste landfill now. About one third of our waste stream is construction and demolition (C&D)waste. The current C&D landfill space will be full in 18 months; if no alternative has been identified and developed by that time, C&D waste will have to go into the lined municipal solid waste (MSW) landfill. Such placement-would cut about 2 vears from the remaining life of the MSW landfill. Simple refusal by the landfill to accept C&D waste would leave about 550 customers a week with a choice of travelling to Holly Springs (a facility that is predicted to close in 2 years) or farther, or dumping in the woods or the side of the road. Finally, because handling C&D costs less than the revenue it generates, the lack of a C&D landfill would cause the loss of about $400,000- 500,000 per year of net revenue.