State inspects Greenville landfill> Current five-year lease on state-owned site due to expire next month

GREENVILLE – It appears that the Department of Conservation will extend another five-year lease to Greenville for state-owned land the town uses for its landfill, as long as state regulations are met.

Representatives of the Department of Environmental Protection, the Department of Conservation, Civil Engineering Services of Brewer, the town’s engineer, and Greenville municipal officials met jointly Nov. 14 to discuss the future operation of the landfill.

The Greenville landfill is one of eight municipal landfills still in operation in Maine. Next month will conclude the last year in the current five-year lease with the DOC. Projections indicate the landfill has a remaining life span of 19 to 22 years.

Town Manager John Simko said Friday that he was “pleasantly surprised” by the tone and content of the discussion between all parties, despite issues raised by the DEP.

Karen Knuuti, a DEP environmental specialist, was on site at the DOC’s request to determine if the town was in compliance with all of the department’s rules and regulations. Issues identified by Knuuti during the visit included the need to take more aggressive action to lessen the impact of MBTE, a petroleum-based additive that is leaching into the landfill’s test wells.

CES, has devised a corrective action plan for this problem, but the DEP has yet to approve the plan, according to Simko. CES officials say the contaminant is being absorbed and broken down naturally into the surrounding wetlands.

Knuuti has suggested that the town cover a portion of the landfill with a plastic membrane, a major and expensive proposition, Simko said. The town manager said this option would cost about $35,000, but it would lengthen the life span of the landfill.

A discussion was held about the wood-burning pile. Apparently some ash residue is showing up in a nearby monitoring well, according to Simko. He said those who attended the meeting agreed that the burn site should be permanently moved across the access road and that the old pile of ash be covered with a plastic membrane.

Knuuti also took issue with Greenville’s financial plan for closing costs. New state requirements stipulate that the town must demonstrate its ability to either have sufficient funds on hand in a trust fund to pay all closure costs and the ability to pay for annual maintenance on the closed site for a 30-year period; or to prove it has a AA bond rating.

Simko said research is being conducted to determine the town’s bond rating to see if that is applicable. A strong bond rating would mean that the town has the ability to borrow the necessary funds immediately, if needed, to close the landfill, he said.

The town manager said Greenville has a landfill reserve account that receives $10,000 each year from the municipal budget. The town also is spending $20,000 each year on a landfill construction bond. At the conclusion of the bond in 2005, Simko said his suggestion would be to place $20,000 each year into the reserve account.

Knuuti said litter is also problematic at the landfill. Simko said the current contractor, Dave Eastman, inherited the problem when he took over the landfill operation more than a year ago. Simko said the town was very pleased with Eastman’s performance.

Simko said he would seek the assistance of inmates at the Charleston Correctional Facility or hire temporary help to pick up litter. Eastman has offered to install additional fencing this winter and also will work with the town to install larger, more permanent fencing around the landfill to curb the blowing of debris.

After the landfill inspection, Simko said DOC officials made it clear that they were willing to work on the license renewal. He said the DOC officials were impressed by the town’s efforts over the past five years to improve the landfill. Once the items identified by Knuuti have been resolved, the permit will be issued, he said.