Title
Resolution Approving Conditions for a Life of Site Permit by the NCDEQ for Phase 3 of the White Street Landfill
Body
Council Priority: Maintain Infrastructure and Provide Sustainable Growth Opportunities
Department: Field Operations
Council District: 2
Public Hearing: N/A
Advertising Date/By: N/A
Contact 1 and Phone: Dale Wyrick, 373-2783
Contact 2 and Phone: Chris Marriott, 373-7612
PURPOSE:
The Field Operations Department is requesting City Council approval for the renewal of the landfill permit to the NCDEQ’s life of site permit to operate Phase 3 of the White Street landfill in accordance with the conditions provided in the attached resolution.
BACKGROUND:
In 2001, the Greensboro City Council voted to discontinue the disposal of all municipal solid waste (MSW) at the White Street landfill. In 2006, the City began transferring approximately 200,000 tons of MSW through its Burnt Poplar Road transfer station to a landfill in Montgomery County, NC. Today, that MSW is transferred to a landfill in Randolph County, NC.
Since 2006, Phase 3 of the White Street landfill has been receiving less than 10,000 tons of ash and dewatered sludge annually from the city’s Osborne Waste Water Treatment Plant. Staff recommends the continued use of Phase 3 for this purpose for the use of its permitted capacity.
The Solid Waste Section of the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality (NCDEQ) is the agency responsible for issuing operating permits for municipal solid waste landfills in North Carolina. The City of Greensboro was issued a 5 year operating permit amendment for Phase 3 of the White Street landfill in 2015 under the conditions specified in the attached letter. That permit amendment, Permit No. 4112-MSWLF-1997, will expire in 2020. Staff recommends that the City apply for a life of site permit from NCDEQ in accordance with the following conditions:
1. This permit amendment, for Phase 3 of the White Street Landfill, shall be for the facility to continue to operate for the remaining projected air space in Phase 3. At a disposal rate of less than 10,000 tons per year, the City anticipates utilizing Phase III until December 2057. The City shall adopt the date of December 2052 as an internal deadline for further review. The City will continue to annually monitor the available airspace remaining in Phase 3.
2. Phase 3 at the White Street landfill will continue to receive ash and dewatered sludge from the City's wastewater treatment plant. The amount of ash received over the past 2 years has averaged less than 8,000 tons per year, and that quantity is not expected to exceed 10,000 tons per year moving forward.
3. Phase 3 at the White Street landfill will serve as an emergency backup facility for municipal solid waste (MSW) in the event that the City's transfer station is unable to be accessed, all other disposal options (public and private) have been exhausted, or other emergency situations arise.
4. The City is currently preparing for the partial closure of Phase 3 as requested by NCDEQ. This project is estimated to cost approximately $4.5 million and closes the lower slopes of cells 1 & 2. The approximate area is 21 acres. The design work has begun and the City plans to complete the project in calendar year 2021.
BUDGET IMPACT:
The annual fee for a life of site permit for Phase 3 of the White Street landfill is $6,125 and will be paid each year through 2057. Funding for this fee will come from the Solid Waste Management Fund in account 551-4306-02.5917.
RECOMMENDATION / ACTION REQUESTED:
City Council approval for the renewal of the landfill permit to the NCDEQ’s life of site permit to operate Phase 3 of the White Street landfill in accordance with the conditions provided in the attached resolution.