WINNEMUCCA — Those curious about the proposed Jungo Road Landfill have an opportunity to visit with representatives of the parent company, Recology, to learn more and ask questions about modern landfill operations and to take tours of the proposed site.

Some members of the public have expressed frustration because there’s so much going around, it’s hard to know what is true about the proposed landfill.

Hosting the tour was Ken Hladek, the director of Recology’s Winnemucca Office.

Before leaving to view the proposed site, Hladek reviewed the website of the Nevada Division of Environmental Protection.  While there’s some good information on that website about the project, he cautioned the audience that some of the plans have been updated since being posted by NDEP.

Hladek outlined some of the steps taken by the company in preparation for the NDEP permitting process.  
For example, five monitoring wells were installed on the property (one on each corner of the property and in the center) to gather information on the groundwater. 

The information gathered from the testing, which was conducted by Golder Associates, was turned over to NDEP along with information from other sources in the valley, such as that collected from area ranches, and the report generated by a USGS study.

The plan for the landfill includes 15 monitoring wells.  Additionally, there will be monitoring lines in the landfill itself to ensure nothing is leaking through to the liner system. The goal, here, is to keep fluids off the liner.

The plan also includes pumping stations, which would pump out any fluids between the landfill and the liner system.
The liner system that would run under the landfill would be 6.5 – 7 feet deep and would include a man-made double liner along with natural materials such as gravel. 

The liner is the only portion of the construction project where the company would use an outside contractor who specializes in installing liners. The liner is monitored during the process to ensure it has not been torn and will continue to be monitored with ground-penetrating radar.  Should a tear occur, the company who installed it would be required to fix it.

There is approximately 60 feet between the surface and the groundwater; however, as part of the construction process the company intends to dig a hole 45 feet deep. With the double-liner system in place, there would be 22 feet between the landfill and the water table.  Although the State of Nevada requires 100 feet, landfill operators can get a waiver for that requirement.

As Hladek noted, the landfill the company operates in California has only five feet between the landfill and the water table. He added the public doesn’t get its water from the surface of water basins; it’s pumped up from areas considerably deeper.

On a question from an attendee concerning bond requirements, with special reference to natural disasters which can be expensive to clean up, Hladek said that he didn’t think the company was required to put a sum of money aside for natural disasters.

The company is required to put bond money aside for the eventual closing of the landfill, similar to the requirements put on mining projects.

MODERN LANDFILL OPERATION:  Although there are pictures of landfills floating around that show acres of trash piled up in mountains, Recology has made the point that’s not really how modern landfills are managed.

In order to give attendees a better idea of a modern landfill, Hladek showed a video taken at the company’s landfill in California.

The video showed the waste being delivered to the landfill and added to the operating face. Less than an acre of the landfill is exposed, and that’s known as the operating face.

The video showed after the new waste was added, large equipment moved the trash around so it would lay flat and be compacted.

The video showed the trash being covered. Hladek noted the waste is covered every day at the close of operations with six inches of dirt.  

The site was surrounded with a litter fence, and any loose trash that blows off the face is picked up every day.  
The video also showed the area around the landfill, which included a protected wetlands area and livestock grazing.

QUESTIONS:  Hladek answered questions posed by attendees on the proposed Jungo Road Landfill.

The waste would be brought in across the desert on train cars, so a spur would have to be constructed between the existing railroad track and the landfill. 

The train would bring in up to an approximate 4 thousand tons of waste per day, five days a week, and the landfill would be open 9-10 hours per day of operation.  The company would be authorized to operate the landfill within a 528 acre zone.  The landfill would have a buffer zone to bring the total area to 640 acres.

It’s unknown where the waste would be coming from since Recology can’t bid on projects without an operating landfill.  

California has strict recycling laws which requires operators to recycle a large portion of the waste they receive.  Known as transfer stations, waste is brought into large recycling warehouses where it is put on conveyer belts manned by people whose job it is to pull the recyclable materials out of the waste stream.  The materials left over after the sorting process are taken to landfill.

Recology has agreed not to ship asbestos to the Jungo Road Landfill.

COMPENSATION:  A member of the community asked about compensation.
As Hladek noted, the construction process would bring lucrative contracts to local companies that all-told would equal an estimated $31 million.

After the construction of the landfill, the company would employ about 30 people. On a question from the audience concerning wages, Hladek said at the northern California operations people who pick up litter make up to $18.50/hour, the people who work at the conveyer belt make about $28.25/hour, and operators make about $25/hour.

In terms of property taxes, he said the company would pay an estimated $1.7 million (at current rates) that would go directly into the general fund.

The property tax is separate from the host fee, which is a sum of money the company gives the county where the landfill is located. The host fee has not been negotiated.

The host fee is not required by law but is standard in the industry.  Hladek said, “There are no ties on that money and the county can use that for anything they desire.”

The proposed Jungo Rd. landfill is the subject of a federal lawsuit between Jungo Land & Investments and Humboldt County.  Although the permitting process has continued with the Nevada Division of Environmental Protection, the company must have a conditional use permit (CUP) to proceed with construction. In 2010 the company sought and was granted an extension to their CUP by the Regional Planning Commission, but the CUP extension was revoked by the Humboldt County Commissioners on appeal. A hearing will be held in the matter in federal court on January 9.

(shown above, right). Ken Hladek answers questions about the proposed Jungo Road Landfill at the site. (Shown below: the site for the proposed Jungo Road Landfill).

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