Claiborne landfill may be used for storm debris|[7/22/06]
Published 12:00 am Saturday, July 22, 2006
Claiborne County’s landfill is being considered as a disposal site for debris still in New Orleans following last year’s hurricanes.
The Claiborne County Board of Supervisors is considering a proposal to accept at least 500,000 to 600,000 cubic yards of debris at its landfill near Hermanville, officials of the county and the waste-disposal company that would move the debris said.
An initial meeting between county officials and the chief executive officer of Dewpoint Environmental Inc. of Austin, Texas, was held Thursday in Claiborne County, and the idea was discussed in a closed-session meeting of the board of supervisors that evening, board president Charles Shorts said when reached by phone Friday.
Shorts said he wanted to make sure any arrangement reached is “very well-controlled.” He added that the board would study the idea and that it would probably be discussed again at its next meeting, in August.
The debris would be taken from the about 9 million cubic yards of existing or expected debris in New Orleans due to damage from hurricanes Katrina and Rita, which struck Aug. 29 and Sept. 24, respectively. Little to none of that debris has been removed, Hall said.
The New Orleans government has asked that the debris be removed by water or rail, Hall said. Any transported to the Claiborne site would be brought by barge to the Claiborne County Port on the Mississippi River and then by truck to the disposal site, on the north side of Mississippi 18 east of Port Gibson.
Among the factors it is to consider is that prior to receiving Dewpoint’s inquiry the county had begun considering expanding its disposal site to accommodate its own needs over the next 10 to 20 years. The board would need to consider how much, if any, adjacent land to purchase or use for waste disposal.
Another concern may be any impact the waste-hauling would have on Port Gibson High School, which is on Mississippi 18 between the port and the landfill.
Dewpoint CEO Jon R. Hall said he planned to deliver a detailed proposal to the county in about two weeks.
“They’ve got literally hundreds of buildings” that will have to be demolished, Hall said.
Any waste that is brought to Claiborne County will be monitored to ensure it is inert and contains no hazardous material, Hall said.
The deal could be valued at $2 million to $3 million, Hall said. The debris would be moved to the site over about 2 1/2 years, he added.
The number of daily truck round trips between the port and the site could run as high as 80 during that time but would begin at about 20 or 25, Hall said.
The debris would be mainly wood and concrete, Hall said.
“They told them to go and pull out all the refrigerators and air conditioners and dispose of them properly,” Hall said of New Orleans following the storms. The waste would be monitored at multiple points along its route, including by the Louisiana and Mississippi departments of environmental quality and by Dewpoint itself, Hall added.
Dewpoint is also considering other sites, Hall said. Contracts to move and dispose of the debris are to be awarded after New Orleans officials have been assured that space for it has been secured, Hall added.