Solid waste district moving toward county landfill

Alexis Barker
NLJ Reporter
 
The Weston County Solid Waste District is one step closer to securing a county wide landfill after the board reached a decision on an engineering consultant.
The Weston County Solid Waste District was created by the Weston County commissioners in 2015 with the assigned task of finding a solution to the solid waste problem that is plaguing not only Weston County but counties across the state. The purpose of the board was to research options and determine the best route for residents. 
To date, the board has focused more on creating and opening a county wide landfill rather than transporting trash to surrounding landfills. 
In the 2016 general election, Weston County voters approved a 3-mill levy, designated for the Weston County Solid Waste District. The district recently started receiving these funds, which are estimated to total $360,000 a year.  
Ed Wagoner, chairman of the solid waste district board and a county commissioner, told the commissioners on Dec. 4 that the board had sent out requests for proposals in October for engineering firms for the landfill. He stated that several firms had submitted proposals before the board narrowed their choice to one. 
Bob Hartley, a member of the board, told the News Letter Journal that the board selected the Laramie-based firm of Trihydro to engineer the project. 
Now that the firm is hired, Hartley said, Trihydro must look at possible locations and undertake “geowork” before a tract of land can be selected. 
“We had five tracts of land we were originally looking at, but two backed out when they heard geowork must be done before we make a decision on a site,” Wagoner told the commissioners. 
According to Hartley, firms who submitted proposals already looked at the three potential sites for the landfill, presenting findings on specific areas that need study in each location. 
“They already addressed in their proposal areas that needed to be studied at each location to see if they are feasible,” Hartley said. “They are going to look at that and figure out which one we want to go after.” 
After a location is selected, Hartley explained, in-depth studies must be completed on the site including drilling, looking at the geology of the location and determining cultural resources. 
“As soon as we are done with that we can go on with permitting the landfill,” Hartley said. “I am hoping we are able to start permitting before summer.” 
He noted that he thinks the board and the engineer consultant should be able to have the studies “out of the way” before June, allowing for the permitting process through the Department of Environmental Quality. 
“Once we start the permitting process, it will be at least two years until we can open the doors,” Hartley said. 
According to City Engineer Mike Moore, if everything with the county district works smoothly, the landfill will be operational before Newcastle’s landfill is scheduled to close. 
“We have a closure date of Feb. 14, 2022. If what they are working on falls into place, then, yes, we could most likely stay open until they are operational,” Moore said, noting that the Newcastle landfill has about 3.5 years left on its permit. 
“I anticipate we can stay open, but once we reach that closure date we have to be closed,” Moore said. “If, for some reason, they didn’t have the landfill open, then we would have to start hauling our trash to one of the area regional landfills.” 
Moore explained that the city has looked at the option of transporting trash before, to landfills in Gillette, Casper or Edgemont. He reported that costs to customers would increase if the city were to begin hauling trash to an outside location.
Hauling costs, as well as the selected landfills’ tipping fees would determine the additional costs for residents, Moore stated. He noted that hauling costs would be the main factor determining costs. 
“There is an alternative, but it is going to add to the cost of the customer, specifically for hauling. When you break it down by customer, it’s not a significant increase, but it is definitely more than they are paying now,” Moore said.