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Proposal For Landfill Expansion

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BLUE EARTH CO., Minn -

Blue Earth County is proposing the expansion of Ponderosa Sanitary Landfill.

The proposal calls for an expansion of the facility by 16 acres.  12.4 acres would be allocated for waste disposal, while the rest would be used for storm water control and hauling roads.

Modern landfills are required to use a liner system to prevent seepage of waste into groundwater.  The water collected by the liner is treated in storage ponds.  This treated water is then used to water an alfalfa field, which is used to hold the mounds when they are covered.

These safeguards, according to the Environmental Assessment Worksheet, state that there will be no harm done to the nearby Blue Earth River.  Landfills are filled with technology; they really aren't dumps anymore.

Scott Fichtner, Blue Earth County Environmental Services Director says, "The Ponderosa does have a series of monitoring wells all around it so that the ground water is all taken care of properly."

The site has a capacity for just over 2.9 million cubic yards of waste when the facility first started operations in 1973

If the rate of incoming waste remains constant, usable space set aside for waste collection could fill up by the summer.

The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency is asking for comments on the proposal with an Environmental Assessment Worksheet, which is due in writing by 4:30 on March 6.  This form can be viewed here: http://www.pca.state.mn.us/index.php/view-document.html?gid=18989