Weston County Solid Waste District Seeks Property for New Landfill Construction
WESTON COUNTY – The Weston County Solid Waste District is busy working to identify new candidate locations for the construction of a future county-wide landfill. The District plans to construct the new landfill as a replacement for the current Newcastle #2 Landfill, which is anticipated to reach its permit
capacity and subsequently close in 2022.
Identifying and selecting a suitable site location is key to propelling the project forward. The District recently identified a possible parcel of property for the planned landfill, however after initial contract review, the prospective site location was deemed technically infeasible. The District is now looking to identify a new land parcel at least 40 acres in size that complies with Chapter 2 of the Wyoming DEQ Municipal Solid Waste Landfill Regulations and Location Standards.
Wyoming DEQ’s Location Standards for new landfill construction include key considerations, including distance buffers from roads, as well as specified distances from residences, water wells, and airports. The standards also account for the consideration of Sage Grouse Core Areas, USDA Forest Service National Grasslands, and other property/parcel boundaries.
The District selected Trihydro Corporation (Trihydro) as the engineering firm to support development of the landfill. Additionally, Trihydro is tasked with supporting the District throughout incremental phases of the project including assistance with the ongoing site selection process. To help this effort, Trihydro is developing geographic information system (GIS) figures depicting all of Weston County, overlain with the DEQ’s Location Standards for development of a new landfill.
The GIS figures will provide the District with a better idea of potential viable parcels for the development of the new landfill within the County. According to Travis Evans, Trihydro’s designated Project Manager, “The goal of the siting process is to identify a landfill site which will best serve the residents of Weston County for at least 100 years and be protective of human health and the environment. During the permitting process, a comprehensive subsurface investigation will be conducted to confirm depth to groundwater, groundwater quality, and to characterize the subsurface geology. The data collected during the subsurface investigation will be used to design an engineered containment system (ECS) which meets or exceeds regulatory requirements and protects groundwater.”
The District is hopeful that a new piece of land will be identified soon so continued progress can be made. The quicker a new piece of property can be secured, the less likely municipal waste will need to be transferred to regional landfills, which could result in added waste disposal costs for the residents of
Weston County, especially since the Osage and Upton Landfills are also scheduled to close over the next few years. “We’re really trying to move ahead as rapidly as we can to make sure the community has a solution in place by the time the existing landfill closes,” said Bob Hartley, Board Member of the District.
County residents are encouraged to notify the District of potential property for consideration. Please contact Bob Hartley at 307-746-8094 to do so.
