The Chautauqua County Landfill is located off Townline Rd. in the Town of Ellery. The county county will expand the landfill by 53 acres to the west.

MAYVILLE – The expansion effort of the Chautauqua County Landfill will be moving forward.

On Wednesday night the legislature unanimously approved the expansion’s State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA) Statement and also approved borrowing $18 million to pay for the cost of the expansion. The bonding would be paid for with revenue collected at the landfill.

• VIEW ALL DOCUMENTS RELATED TO EXPANSION

With the action, the 53-acre expansion is just about ready to get underway, although it is still being met with resistance by the town of Ellery, where the landfill is located. The town has voiced concern over the environmental impact the landfill would continue have on residents and is asking the county to provide a hosting fee. The Ellery Town Board is also considering a local law that would prohibit the expansion effort if a hosting arrangement can not be worked out.

Following Wednesday’s vote, Chautauqua County executive Vince Horrigan said he and the legislature have discussed a pending hosting agreement with Ellery officials, which will be presented to them on Thursday.

“My hope is that together we can move forward,” Horrigan said. “[The landfill] is a tremendous asset for the county, it does provide very low rates and helps us with the tax levy and its a very successful program. I’m pleased to see it move forward.”

EXPANSION LIKELY TO START IN 2016

County Landfill director Pantelis Panteli said that barring any unforeseen delays, the landfill expansion could get underway by the spring or summer of 2016. He told WRFA following Wednesday’s meeting that the next step is to draw up RFPs for the project and begin the bidding process for a contractor. Pantelis also said once a contractor has been selected and the project gets underway, it could take 2 to 3 years before the expansion is complete.

If no expansion took place, the current landfill would reach full capacity within 4 to 5 years, if it continued to accept waste at the current rate of about 408,000 tons per year. Once the expansion is completed, the landfill will be able to continue accepting waste at its current rate for an additional 20 years.

The Chautauqua County Landfill is located off Townline Rd. in the Town of Ellery. The county is seeking the state’s permission to expand the landfill by 53 acres to the west.

MAYVILLE – The expansion effort of the Chautauqua County Landfill will take center stage for the Chautauqua County Legislature during it’s November meetings.

On Monday, Nov. 9, the legislature’s Public Facilities Committee will meet and among the items on its November 2015 Agenda (PDF) are three resolutions pertaining to the landfill expansion:

• Approving the SEQR Findings Statement for Phase IV of the Landfill Expansion (PDF);
• Authorizing the borrowing of $18,000,000 to pay for the cost of the landfill expansion;
• Authorizing the purchase of 20 acres of property adjacent to the landfill at a cost of $40,000.

The county is seeking the state’s permission to expand the landfill by 53 acres. The completion and filing of the SEQR is part of the process, with the State Department of Environmental Conservation required to review the study prior to granting approval. In addition to the SEQRA document, the DEC also allowed for public comment on the project earlier this year.

WEIGHING THE PROS & CONS

According to county officials, the expansion is needed to extend the life of the landfill by 20 years. Under the request, the county also says there is no plan to increase the amount of daily waste coming in, with the limit remaining the same at 1,883 tons per day.

County officials have said that the expansion will help to continue the landfill’s long-term viability as not only a revenue generator for the county, but also to help to keep local waste disposal costs down. The county makes money off the landfill by not only accepting trash from residents, but also construction and industrial waste from both local and out-of-state businesses. In addition, the county is able to convert methane generated at the landfill into electricity, selling that energy to the grid to create another revenue stream.

Not everyone is in support of the expansion project. The town of Ellery has come out against the expansion, citing several environmental concerns including surface and groundwater contamination, runoff and erosion affecting nearby waters and wetlands, noise and odor impacts, and changes to the surrounding natural landscape.

Other opponents of the project have also voiced concern that the landfill expansion could open the door for the county to seek permission to allow for accepting hazardous and/or radioactive waste – including out-of-state fracking waste. They also cite a recent report by the Environmental Advocates of New York (EANY) claiming New York doesn’t have a strict system in place for tracking industrial waste coming into the state, with some of it containing hazardous waste from fracking operations. The fear is that should the county expansion take place, it could increase the chances for that fracking waste to make its way into the landfill and, as a result, the local watersheds.

County Landfill director Pantelis Panteli has said that the landfill has never accepted fracking waste and New York has strict environmental regulations in place banning hazardous waste from entering the landfill (although that is heavily refuted by the EANY report). He also said the county is required to monitor and test all incoming industrial waste to ensure it is not hazardous.

The legislature’s Public Facilities Committee will meet at 4 p.m. Monday, Nov. 9 in Room 331 of the Gerace Office Building to further discuss and act on the resolutions. They will also go before the full legislature for its consideration during its November voting session at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 18.

The meeting is open to the public and will provide a privilege of the floor for anyone wishing to speak on any of the items on the agenda, including the landfill expansion.

The Chautauqua County Landfill is located off Townline Rd. in the Town of Ellery. The county is seeking the state’s permission to expand the landfill by 53 acres to the west. The deadline for public input on the expansion request is Wednesday, March 11, 2015.

ELLERY – Wednesday is the deadline for the New York Department of Environmental Conservation to accept comments on the proposed expansion of the Chautauqua County Landfill in Ellery.

The county is seeking the state’s permission to expand the landfill by 53 acres. According to county officials, the expansion is needed to extend the life of the landfill by 20 years. Under the request, the county also says there is no plan to increase the amount of daily waste coming in, with the limit remaining the same at 1,883 tons per day.

County officials have said that the expansion will help to continue the landfill’s long-term viability as not only a revenue generator for the county, but also to help to keep local waste disposal costs down. The county makes money off the landfill by not only accepting trash from residents, but also construction and industrial waste from both local and out-of-state businesses. In addition, the county is able to convert methane generated at the landfill into electricity, selling that energy to the grid to create another revenue stream.

Concerns over Landfill Expansion

Not everyone is in support of the expansion project. The town of Ellery has come out against the expansion, citing several environmental concerns including surface and groundwater contamination, runoff and erosion affecting nearby waters and wetlands, noise and odor impacts, and changes to the surrounding natural landscape.

Other opponents of the project have also voiced concern that the landfill expansion could open the door for the county to seek permission to allow for accepting hazardous and/or radioactive waste – including out-of-state fracking waste. They also cite a recent report by the Environmental Advocates of New York (EANY) claiming New York doesn’t have a strict system in place for tracking industrial waste coming into the state, with some of it containing hazardous waste from fracking operations. The fear is that should the county expansion take place, it could increase the chances for that fracking waste to make its way into the landfill and, as a result, the local watersheds.

‘No Hazardous Fracking Waste’ in County Landfill

Ellery Town Supervisor Arden Johnson told WRFA Tuesday that they’ve specifically looked into the fracking concern and to the best of the town’s knowledge, no fracking waste is currently coming in. County Landfill director Pantelis Panteli also told WRFA Tuesday that the landfill has never accepted fracking waste and New York has strict environmental regulations in place banning hazardous waste from entering the landfill (although that is heavily refuted by the EANY report). He also said the county is required to monitor and test all incoming industrial waste to ensure it is not hazardous.

A report from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Conservation – the state where fracking waste would most likely come from if coming into New York – also found that during 2011-2013, fracking waste of any kind was sent to six New York landfills, none of which were in Chautauqua County.

Still, the Town of Ellery and other opponents have said they will continue to look into the issue of fracking waste, and if the expansion goes forward, it may request the continue add language that specifically prohibits fracking waste of any kind from entering the landfill.

Consequences of Not Expanding

According to Panteli, if the state denies the county’s request to expand the landfill, it would run out of room within three to five years if it continues to accept waste at the current rate of about a thousand tons per day. He said the county would likely take measure to extend that time period by reducing the amount of waste that comes into the landfill. As a result, the county would also increase waste disposal rates – which would have an impact on resident’s local garbage collection bills.

Current rates for the landfill currently are as follows:

• $28/ton for municipal solid waste;
• $33.50/waste for construction debris, and;
• $32/ton for non-hazardous industrial waste.

More details on the expansion project can be found on both the Chautauqua County and the NY DEC websites. The EANY’s 24-page report, entitled License to Dump, can also be found online.

Anyone interested in making a comment on the expansion can submit in writing to the DEC, which says ALL comments will be considered in making the final decision about issuance of the permit.

Written comments must be RECEIVED BY the end of the day on Wednesday, March 11. They can be sent via email to Dep.r9@dec.ny.gov or verbally submitted by calling the DEC office in Buffalo at (716) 851-7000.