About 300 opponents of a proposed landfill in Russell County packed an informational meeting Monday night, sharing their fears of smell, pollution and traffic as the project’s developer sought to reassure them of its safety and cost savings.
The meeting was held in Lebanon by John Matney, a partner with Russell County Reclamation, or RCR, which wants to put a private landfill on a former coal mining site, the Moss No. 3 coal prep plant near Carbo. The company has been working for years to clean up and reclaim the site.
Matney started the meeting by talking about all the work that’s been done on the site, including the 232 acres — of which 66 acres were donated by RCR — that was developed as an industrial park for the county.
But those in attendance — some of whom gathered in prayer before the meeting — wanted to talk about the private landfill project.
Residents said they are worried that the landfill would create a stench, as has the problem-riddled landfill 35 miles away in Bristol, while others are concerned it could impact the water, air and land and result in health issues.
Some said they’re worried about property values, and many seemed skeptical about measures like linings and layers of rock and other materials that are said to make today’s landfills safer and less likely to leak.
Still others seemed distrusting of local officials, saying they have been working with RCR for months but the company hasn’t been transparent with residents.
One man called for the landfill to be put on the ballot so voters can decide, while another urged his fellow residents to call their supervisors to let them know they oppose the project.
And some pointed to the progress the county has made in tourism since the downturn in the coal industry, which for generations was the livelihood of many Southwest Virginia residents. Tourists who come to the county to enjoy its scenic beauty would not welcome the sight or smell of a landfill, one resident said.
Several said they appreciate the cleanup work that’s been done on the property, but they don’t want a landfill to go with it.
Ernie Hoch, manager of solid waste and environmental services with TRC Companies, has been working with RCR on the feasibility of the landfill project. He said the company has about 1,200 acres at the site, and the landfill would occupy a portion at the center of the property.
The site is ideal for a landfill because it is remote and isolated and has rail service and plenty of available water, he said. The landfill would accept municipal, household waste, but would not take in hazardous waste. All the waste would be brought in by rail.
He added that the landfill would bring a cost savings. In its first year, he and Matney said, the landfill would save Russell, Dickenson and Buchanan counties a total of about $600,000. Currently, the three counties truck their waste to Blountville, Tennessee, which is about 45 miles from Lebanon.
He also said the proposed landfill would not have the troubles that have plagued the dump in Bristol, which is owned by the city and located in a quarry. The proposed Russell County project would be privately owned, so the county wouldn’t end up footing the bill for any problems.
There’s a lot of science behind today’s landfills, which wasn’t the case in the past, when many were “unlined, unregulated and contaminated. … That’s why we have a bad taste in our mouths about landfills,” Hoch said.
The operator of the landfill would have to put up a bond to pay for any remediation and closing of the landfill and take care of it for 30 years, according to Hoch.
“Can you 100% guarantee … this landfill will not affect our air quality and our water quality?” asked Jennifer Chumbley, a former Cleveland mayor whose farm is next to the proposed landfill site. There was discussion back and forth, with Hoch saying the regulations the landfill would fall under would address those issues.
Benjamin Price of Belfast said he is a father whose son and his future mean more to him than anything. He said people don’t want the landfill, and he asked Hoch and Matney to reconsider the project.
“I’m begging you, just appealing to you as a human being — don’t do this. I want my son to be able to grow up here and if you end up doing it, that’s fine. … I’m still going to wave at you and shake your hand. But 50 years from now, I want to remember that I asked you not to,” he said to applause from the crowd.
As he gets older, Price said he often thinks of things the “old timers” used to say. One that sticks out: “Just because you can do something doesn’t mean that you should.”
Matney and Hoch said a host agreement between the county and RCR must be approved before the project can move forward. Before it is considered by the county, a public hearing must be held.
Multiple calls and emails by Cardinal News to County Administrator Lonzo Lester in recent weeks about the county’s stance on the landfill and what must be approved have not been answered.
Matney has said the approval process for a landfill through the state’s Department of Environmental Quality is stringent and will take years to complete.
