|
Oct. 13, 2005
By JOHN CHARLES ROBBINS
Staff writer
Forty trucks a day for six months -- that's the kind of caravan necessary to put a new cap on the Southwest Ottawa
County Landfill in Park Township.
The parade of big trucks carrying loads of clay will begin next year.
"This is something that has to be done," said County Administrator Al Vanderberg.
The 43-acre landfill is part of 300 acres owned by Ottawa County along 160th Avenue, between Riley and James streets.
The county closed and capped the landfill in 1979 after discovering groundwater contamination in the area.
Problems persisted and the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality sued the county.
It's all been worked out and the state has approved the county's recapping plan, Vanderberg said.
"We do have an approved plan and we are moving forward," he said.
County officials recently met with Park Township officials to go over the recapping plan, and they walked the landfill
site.
Stu Visser, township supervisor, toured the property with the county officials and heard about the dynamics of the
major project.
He agrees it's a necessary move.
"Yes. It has to be done. So let's do it with the least amount of inconvenience we can do it the best way we can,"
said Visser.
The county is organizing an open house for this fall at Park Township Hall to let the public in on details of the
project, and to hear from the public on potential future uses of the large parcel.
Visser said he's willing to have the open house at the township hall.
"It makes sense. Our residents will be very much affected by this," he said.
The county will spend approximately $2 million to revamp the groundwater purge system, adding a couple of new monitoring
wells and related equipment.
Building a new layer of clay over the landfill is expected to cost an additional $2.1 million, said Vanderberg.
"I think we're on track. We're keeping our fingers crossed that hopefully in 20 years we'll be out of the water
purification business," Vanderberg said Wednesday at a committee meeting of county commissioners.
In recent years, the landfill has cost the county about $200,000 annually to operate purge wells in the area to clean
underground water of contaminants.
Commissioners asked about the process of bringing the needed clay to the landfill.
"Six months. Forty trucks a day in and out," said Mark Scheerhorn, county administrative services director.
"It's going to be hard on people, but it's got to be done," Scheerhorn said.
The county road commission has approved the route for the trucks. Through Park Township, the trucks will travel along
Lakewood Boulevard to 160th Avenue.
Over the years, Park Township has worked with the county parks department to develop a string of hiking and cross-country
ski trails on the land surrounding the landfill.
Vanderberg said the landfill recapping will have additional benefits.
"The added benefits will be the work of the parks department in putting the other acres to good public use,"
he said.
Several proposed recreational uses have been considered for the site, including a sledding hill.
"I believe the public will benefit from this for many years to come," Vanderberg said.
Contact John Charles Robbins at (616) 546-4269 or john.robbins@hollandsentinel.com.
|
