Landfill fix needed

The folks calling the shots at the Matanuska-Susitna Borough need to get busy on solving the problems with the borough landfill. The state permit for the landfill expired back in March and the boroughs request to have the permit renewed was denied by the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation (ADEC) because the landfill is, well, filling up.

The landfill was built before plastic liners were required, and ADEC says the landfill either has exceeded its capacity or soon will. The borough, according to an article on page 1 of todays Frontiersman, says it will have difficulty finding the necessary money to build a new landfill and it hopes to get a matching grant from the state.

This is fine as far as it goes, but it belies a significant problem: If borough officials knew the landfill permit extension had been denied back in March, why didnt they do anything to get the state grant or other state money this past legislative session so it could begin fixing the problem right away.

The borough already has a problem with some residents dumping their trash and garbage wherever they want. Residents in Bodenburg Butte have been complaining to borough, state and law enforcement officials about the incredible amount of trash dumping taking place near Jim Creek, one of the Buttes more scenic areas and a popular fishing and recreation area.

The amount of trash and garbage being dumped there is significant, is an eyesore, and represents potential health problems because some of the items dumped included dirty baby diapers, household cleaners and solvents, even appliances. The danger is that some of the nastier items could, over time, seep into the ground water.

The Buttes problem is indicative of a borough-wide problem. While most Mat-Su residents follow the law and dump their garbage safely, almost every community here has residents who dont give a darn about the messes or health risksthey make for others. Butte resident Ted Cox has said the amount of garbage being dumped in the area increased when the borough increased its landfill fees a while back.

Which brings us back to the boroughs landfill problems. To obtain a valid landfill permit, the borough will have to find a new landfill location that is reasonably safe for residents to dump their trash and garbage. Unlike the old landfill, the new one, whenever and wherever it is opened, will need more protection, such as plastic liners to reduce or eliminate seepage into ground water.

Borough officials have said they anticipate increasing fees for using the new landfill. However, this may only increase the number of residents dumping their trash where they should not.

The Frontiersman believes the borough needs to look at more than just getting a permit for its landfill. It needs to address the dumping issue as well, either by keeping fees reasonable and/or by adopting a stronger ordinance on dumping, increasing penalities for doing so, AND come up with a mechanism for enforcing the ordinance.