A broken-down baler and bears looking for a free meal are posing increased challenges for city officials dealing with the Mile 17 landfill site.
Estimates are that repair of the baler’s broken belt carries a $250,000 price tag not included in the city budget, and then there the cost of an electric fence at the landfill site to keep the bears out, should the city decide to go that route.
Sandra Woods, an environmental program specialist with the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation, came for an onsite inspection of the landfill Aug. 15.
Woods has given the city the okay to continue disposing of trash in the open pit dump for the time being, and extended the city’s deadline to file a new disposal plan by Sept. 30.
The city is required to update its operational plan to accurately reflect how Cordova handles its garbage. The current plan calls for baled refuse to be properly disposed of at the landfill.
Woods said the city needs to decide what its future refuse disposal plan is going to be, and until that decision is made, she granted the city an extension.
“I have no druthers either way they decide, both are legal, either to fix the baler or to continue disposing of the refuse as they presently are. However, a decision needs to be made – either baling or loose, either way is acceptable,” Woods said.
The three Cs are being followed – consolidate, compact and cover, she said.
“The city is following the rules. Most communities in my region do not bale refuse,” she added.
Cordova mayor Clay Koplin, city manager Alan Lanning, public works director/engineer Rich Rogers, refuse manager Aaron Muma, and public information services director Cathy Sherman, accompanied Woods during the landfill inspection.
Woods said un-baled trash is brought to the landfill, put into an active cell, compacted multiple times with a tractor, covered, and the layers are repeated until the cell is closed, covered, and vegetated.
Only one cell, or hole, is open and worked on at a time, containing the garbage.
Lanning said Woods is comfortable with the city’s refuse operations.
“We had a clean inspection. I believe the inspector was very comfortable with our operation and efforts,” he said.
The city council is expected to decide the refuse department’s operational plan at its Sept. 6 meeting. Lanning said he intends to provide accurate information for baling refuse and hauling loose garbage to the landfill, and the let the council decide what’s in the community’s best interests. The current city budget does not include the $250,000 needed to repair the baler.
Meanwhile the city is also dealing with the attraction of the landfill to bears and the attraction of bears to residents, who are undeterred by the road to the landfill being barred and locked after hours, and trespassing.
“It is dangerous and illegal to enter the (landfill) facility. Trespassing will be enforced,” Lanning said. “I’m not certain of numbers, but bears have been present and are more present when staff are not there working the heavy machinery”
Alaska Department of Fish and Game wildlife biologist Charlotte Westing said she spoke with city officials about bears at the dump.
Westing would like to see the city enclose the landfill with an electric fence, a method employed at Kodiak’s dump.
“From my perspective, our landfill needs to be enclosed,” Westing said. “I brought a bunch of materials from Kodiak, (who) went from having a similar problem to complete containment from bears. They went to electric fencing in the late 1990s, and have not had bears in their dump since.
“Building a fence is cheaper than settling a lawsuit (if) an employee or member of the public gets hurt,” she said. “That’s not my only issue with it though. Obviously, it’s not good for bears to consume plastic and assorted (trash). I also don’t like the idea of the periphery of the dump becoming a hunting hotspot. I have no reason to think this problem will resolve itself. More bears will come, and sows will train their cubs to eat there.”
Koplin said his research shows that electric fences are very effective for deterring bears, and the city is exploring options and costs of adding an electric fence around the landfill’s perimeter.
Westing said she has, “Poked around a bit for grants for the project.”
Meanwhile recycling efforts in Cordova continue. The Copper River Watershed Project is recycling No. 1 and No. 2 plastics, residents are collecting clean cans, bottles and cardboard to be hauled up to Anchorage for recycling, and the burn pile is another option for disposing of cardboard and paper.
Koplin said all the comments he’d heard from Woods regarding the city’s landfill were positive. “I left with the firm impression that Cordova is one of the better managed landfills that she has inspected, especially for our size,” he said.
The city’s refuse discussion continues at 6 p.m. Aug. 29 during a work session. Council is expected to act on the issue and decide which refuse plan to follow during their council meeting Sept. 6.
