Dirt from closed landfill to cap another

November 04, 2006|by ANDREW SCHOTZ

WASHINGTON COUNTY - Washington County is moving dirt from its former rubble landfill on Kemps Mill Road, west of Hagerstown, to cap the Resh Road Landfill.

"That's always been in the plan," Washington County Commissioners President Gregory I. Snook said Friday.

Although Commissioner John C. Munson said Thursday that preparations to reopen the rubble landfill in a year or so are under way, Snook said that's not the case. Snook said the commissioners have not decided yet whether to open the landfill again.

The county closed the rubble landfill about the time Forty West Landfill opened in 2000.

In 2004, Director of Public Works Gary Rohrer said the county thought it could save money by closing the Kemps Mill Road landfill and directing building debris to Forty West Landfill.

However, the amount of construction material going to Forty West Landfill rose because of large demolition projects, such as the former Wal-Mart building, and redevelopment in Hagerstown.

The county has kept its permit for the rubble landfill active, Snook said.

A committee is studying the future of the rubble landfill. Bob Davenport, the county's director of solid waste, said the committee is scheduled to give a report to the commissioners early next year.

What happens next will be up to the commissioners.

There will be at least two new commissioners by then. Three of the current five commissioners are running for re-election on Tuesday.

Davenport said that 25 percent to 30 percent of what comes to Forty West Landfill, near Huyetts Crossroads, is rubble that could go to Kemps Mill Road, if the landfill there were open.

It would take about a year to prepare the Kemps Mill Road landfill to be used again, he said.

Davenport said dirt from Kemps Mill Road now is going to the Resh Road Landfill off Greencastle Pike.

Last month, the commissioners approved issuing general obligation installment bonds of up to $5.5 million to pay for the Resh Road Landfill capping project.

County officials have said that initial projections on the life of Forty West Landfill were too high.

Rohrer said in 2004 that the rubble landfill had the capacity to accept construction material for another 25 years.

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