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January 4, 2006 | DNR holds public meeting in Norborne Jan. 9 on proposed utility waste landfill
Contact : Nancy Southworth The permitting process and timeline for constructing a utility waste landfill near Norborne will be the focus of a Public Awareness Session Jan. 9. The Missouri Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is hosting the meeting, which begins at 7 p.m. at the Goppert Community Center, 201 S. Pine St. in Norborne. Associated Electric Cooperative Inc. (AECI) plans to build a 660-megawatt coal-based power plant to meet growing electricity demand among its member-owners: six generation and transmission cooperatives that serve 51 local distribution cooperatives. The project includes a proposed 142-acre utility waste landfill three miles west of Norborne and seven miles from the Missouri River. Disposal of the plant’s utility wastes, primarily fly ash, bottom ash and scrubber wastes, must occur in a DNR permitted utility landfill. These byproducts of coal combustion are collected during the combustion process and removed to keep them from going into the air through the plant’s stack. To protect other resources such as groundwater, the cooperative is following DNR’s multistep permitting process for its landfill. This will assure that the site and the landfill, as well as AECI’s design, construction and operation, are adequate to minimize impacts on the environment. As AECI and DNR reach consensus on each step, the public will be invited to public meetings for updates before the cooperative can proceed. Following DNR’s timeline, from the initial Preliminary Site Investigation to DNR’s issue of the operating permit, the process can take up to five years. DNR is holding its Jan. 9 Public Awareness Session to inform the public of the permitting process. Site approved for further investigation This fall, the DNR Geological Survey Program finished its Preliminary Site Investigation of the landfill area and approved AECI to advance to the Detailed Site Investigation (DSI) phase. The primary purpose of the DSI is to determine if the site is geologically suitable to construct and operate a landfill. AECI has met with DNR to discuss a work plan, submitted a proposed work plan for the DSI and has received approval of the work plan from DNR. Upon DNR’s approval of the plan, the investigation can begin and will be conducted over a 12- to 15-month period. It will include more than 70 subsurface borings to assess soil and groundwater conditions. AECI has retained GeoTechnology Inc. to conduct the DSI. DNR also will be present at the site to monitor GeoTechnology’s field activities. After the site characterization activities are completed, GeoTechnology will prepare a DSI report to be available for review by the public. Public comment period outlines findings of DSI Prior to submitting the report to DNR, AECI will hold a second public meeting to inform the public about the DSI results. This community involvement session could occur as early as spring 2007. AECI will submit the DSI report for DNR’s review and comment. Once the report is completed and approved, AECI can apply for a construction permit through DNR’s Solid Waste Management Program. That permit is required to cover details of how the landfill will be designed, constructed, maintained and monitored throughout its operational life and during the post-closure period. The public will be invited to take part in a third public comment period, a hearing on a draft construction permit, should DNR approve AECI’s application for a construction permit. If a construction permit is issued, AECI can begin construction. The landfill will be constructed in phases. Each phase will provide capacity to accommodate waste generated over a given time period, estimated at roughly 10 years. In the last step of the permitting process, AECI will apply for an operating permit. Before this permit is issued, DNR will conduct an inspection of the area to make sure all preoperational features are constructed in accordance with the approved plans and permit. If approved, the plant may then begin land filling of coal combustion wastes. Eventually, at normal capacity, AECI anticipates placing roughly 160,000 cubic yards per year into the landfill. No municipal waste or trash will be allowed in the landfill. To learn more about the landfill project or the cooperative, visit AECI’s Web site, www.aeci.org. Released: 4 January 2006
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