Neighbors of the Kosciusko County Landfill crowded the Munson Building Tuesday for the Kosciusko County Board of Zoning Appeals.

They were at the meeting to remonstrate against the landfill's petition for an exception to expand the sanitary landfill in an agricultural district. The property is on the east side of Packerton Road and zero feet north of CR 800S in Monroe Township.

The landfill's petition was approved unanimously with the following condtions: it must have buffering, have all the necessary permits, get approval from the Kosciusko County Health Department, must meet Kosciusko County Drainage Board and highway department requirements, must deal with the drain and water table, and hours are limited to 6 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Attorney Steve Snyder, on behalf of the landfill, said the landfill, operated by Packerton Land Co., owned by Allied Waste, wants to expand to the west and north of their current location. Total expansion is approximately 270 acres, with 130 acres being cover. The last expansion was in 1993 and the landfill is currently approximately 65 acres.

He said the landfill will receive municipal solid waste from the surrounding region and will not accept liquid, hazardous, radioactive or medical waste. Municipal solid waste is any solid waste generated by community activities or the operation of residential or commercial establishments.

The expanded Kosciusko County Landfill will service the counties of Allen, Grant, Kosciusko, Noble, Wabash and Whitley counties. In 1997, more than 97 percent of the waste disposed at the landfill came from those six counties. Ninety-nine percent of the waste came from Indiana with the rest from Ohio.

Since Allied Waste bought the landfill, Snyder said there has not been the problems there were when it was Ransbottom Landfill.

A representative of the consultant firm working with the landfill then presented further information to the board and crowd.

Timothy A. Boos, of Weaver Boos Consultants, Inc., Chicago, said Tuesday's meeting was the first step in a process that will take more than two years. Public comment is allowed and encouraged, he said, during the entire process.

The steps include authorization from both local and state regulators. After BZA approval, a permit must be received from the Indiana Department of Environmental Management in accordance with the state solid waste regulations.

Scientific field studies are then conducted and a permit application will be prepared by the applicant and submitted to IDEM. Chemists, geologists and engineers from IDEM evaluate permit applications for compliance with the regulations and make the determination to grant or deny the permit.

Within 40 days of the applicant submitting a complete application to IDEM, a public meeting is held by the applicant to discuss technical components of the application and answer public questions, Boos said.

After the technical and administrative review of the application, IDEM will hold a public hearing to provide for the public to make statements, ask questions and provide technical comments. IDEM will respond to all public comments when a decision is made.

"(Today) is just the first step in many," said Boos.

Indiana once had 100 MSW landfills, Boos said, but now only has 37 to serve all 92 counties, due to environmental regulations.

The size of the landfill expansion is for a 20-year cycle, Boos said. Traffic won't change much with the expansion, but they are trying to improve the flow of traffic by moving the entrance to Packerton Road. They average approximately 500-600 tons of waste a day and 150,000 tons a year. They plan to leave the current screening and add additional screening around the landfill.

"I think you run a good operation, frankly," said board member Ron Sharpe.

Snyder said he contacted local government agencies regarding the landfill and all were supportive of the expansion. They included the Kosciusko County Solid Waste Management District, the county highway department, City of Warsaw, Syracuse's town manager and the Kosciusko County Commissioners.

"They all indicated this is the place to run it and these are the people to run it," Snyder said. He also said, "Nobody here can deny the need for a landfill."

He said there will be no air, noise or water pollution. There will be no heat, glare or vibration disturbances. "It's a state-of-the-art landfill," he said.

Remonstrators were concerned about drainage, water contamination, hours of operation and noise pollution.

"It's intrustion into an area," said remonstrator John Prater.

Remonstrator Mike Speigle wanted to know more about drainage, effects on the surrounding wells and ponds, how contamination is checked, if more property would be purchased, what kind of bug problems would be created and how the value of his property will be affected.

"(They're) very legitimate questions," said Boos. He said they will work with all the proper boards to make sure they meet all the local, state and federal requirements.

Quarterly, water and soil samples are taken and tested for 65 different chemicals. If something is trigger, another assessment is performed, testing for more chemicals. "This site has never gone to (second testing)," said Boos.

As for property values, Allied Waste guarantees the property values for owners in the neighborhood.

Boos also said, "Counties that have landfills double the recycling than those that don't." He said this is because the landfill generates money for recycling programs. [[In-content Ad]]