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Annual Report2008 Annual Report January 2009
Solid Waste Disposal at Proposed District Lined Landfill The Greater Upper Valley Solid Waste District is responsible for providing a long-term solution for the disposal of municipal solid waste (MSW) generated by its ten member municipalities. This responsibility requires the district to implement a twenty-year plan to manage that portion of MSW that is not beneficially reused or recycled.
2008 ANNUAL LANDFILL REPORT The Greater Upper Valley Solid Waste District as chartered by Vermont¡Ùs legislature in 1990 is responsible for providing a long-term solution for the disposal of municipal solid waste (MSW) generated by its ten member municipalities. This responsibility requires the district to implement a twenty-year plan to manage all MSW and C&D generated within the District. MSW typically refers to that portion of the waste stream that is not beneficially reused or recycled. C&D refers to construction and demolition waste. In the early in 1990¡Ùs, the district determined that the best and most cost-effective disposal option was to site and develop a long term regional landfill within the district. A landfill siting process ensued that identified a site in North Hartland as the preferred location for a long term regional waste disposal landfill facility. The site was acquired from neighboring Twin State and Gravel Company in 1996. Subsequent adjacent land acquisitions have created a 175 acre parcel with 40 acres dedicated to landfill footprint and a 53 acre deer yard reserve located northerly of the site. While solid waste management service has historically been within the exclusive purview of local government (town dump), private sector companies begun to proliferate in the last decade and now currently own the only two operating lined landfills in Vermont (located in Moretown and Coventry). Currently, the City of Lebanon, NH provides disposal capacity for Upper Valley towns but recent initiatives by the City indicate they may want to limit future tonnage increases to their landfill in favor of extending that facility¡Ùs life for local benefit. Recognizing these realities, the GUV Board of Supervisors adopted the policy of delaying the development of the North Hartland landfill until Lebanon landfill reaches capacity or becomes unavailable or unaffordable to district users. This approach was later amended to proceed with preliminary groundwork necessary to respond to changes in the industry and to begin discussions with other potential participants in order to determine when landfill development might be in the best interests of the district. Faced with this uncertainty, the Board of Supervisors voted to proceed with developing preliminary infrastructure to reduce time delays for opening the landfill when other disposal capacity becomes limited or costly. Preliminary discussions with other Vermont municipalities indicate that a multi-jurisdictional facility providing long term capacity is possible and will offer consistent pricing to all participants. On November 7, 2006, residents of the District voted to approve the next-to-last step toward gaining long-term control over their solid waste disposal costs. The $1.5 million bond passed enabled the District (in conjunction with neighboring Twin State Sand & Gravel Company) to construct an access road and bridge over interstate I-91 to reach GUV's permitted landfill site in North Hartland. This bridge bond and eventual bond to construct the 40-acre landfill, which has been designed to last at least 50 years, represents the culmination of more than fifteen years of work toward the goal of local control over municipal solid waste costs and providing a regional solution to trash disposal. Point in fact, it would be the first new landfill constructed in Vermont since 1987 when Act 78 mandated the closure of all the unlined landfills in the state. The $1.5 million bond, which will be repaid by 'user fees' (e.g., future landfill tipping fees), not property taxes, will finance the bridge to connect Route 5 with the landfill site. Twin State Sand & Gravel, whose property abuts GUV's, will pay the principal and interest on the bond for 5 years until the landfill opens, at which time GUV will repay this interest-free loan from tipping fees. The bridge, substantially completed in the fall of 2008, and the access road, to be constructed wholly at TSS&G's expense in the spring of 2009, will reduce the time needed to open the landfill by at least a year and will allow TSS&G to grow their business while diverting quarry truck traffic from downtown White River Junction, a subject of controversy for several decades. In April, 2007 the landfill Act 250 permit was amended to allow several more years for planning the and we must now show 'substantial progress toward completion' of the landfill project by July, 2010. To that goal, the District is evaluating development options including partnering with neighboring solid waste districts and privatization options. As the population of the Upper Valley grows and the likelihood increases that the City of Lebanon will raise prices or limit tonnage in order to extend the life of its landfill to benefit its own residents, other options will be needed. GUV's proposed landfill would be a local solution. All other disposal options are only available at a considerable distance and at increased cost. As few other sites in Vermont qualify for landfill development, the district is uniquely positioned to respond to future disposal needs of the region. Construction of the access road and bridge will serve to enhance this necessary infrastructure. The landfill business is not unlike other manufacturing or transportation businesses in that it generates greenhouse gasses. Active methane collection and beneficial reuse must be incorporated into the design of the facility from the outset to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. A group of Dartmouth College students, as part of the CEDC (Cook Engineering Design Center) program, are investigating ¡∫wrapped bale technology¡Ö as a means to improve landfill operations while decreasing gas and leachate production. Also, future waste management techniques (i.e. waste conversion technology) must be considered and end of life reuse scenarios developed. Until such time when cradle to grave custody is legislated for all consumer goods (EPR - extended producer responsibility) there will be a need for land based waste disposal facilities. A well designed and operated, publicly controlled waste processing center with associated lined landfill capacity is still the ¡∫technology of choice¡Ö for dealing with today¡Ùs cast away goods.
Fiscal Year 2008 Annual Audit The annual audit for FY08 was conducted by the independent auditors Fothergill Segale & Valley CPAs. It is available at the Greater Upper Valley Solid Waste District offices by calling 802-296-3688.
GUVSWD District Information Board of Supervisors Bridgewater, Nelson Lee, Jr., alternate Norman Martin II
Treasurer: C. Rhona Dallison
Office Information
Ph: 802-296-3688 Office Hours: 9:00 - 4:00, Monday - Friday
GUVSWD Staff
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