PROPOSED REGIONAL LANDFILL
On April 1, 2024, the Hickman County Solid Waste Committee held a public presentation regarding a proposed regional landfill being built in Hickman County. This regional landfill will be open to roughly twenty-three counties and bring in approximately 240 semi trucks daily. The proposed landfill location is in the Dodd Hollow Road/Taylor Creek area of Hickman County, Tennessee and would account for nearly 1,000 acres of land. This particular area is surrounded by four water sources: Duck River, Piney River, Taylor Creek, and Weatherspoon Spring.
HCFTD UPDATE: As of April 19, 2024, this matter has been resolved. This proposal was abandoned by Barron Hill Ventures due to the community's feedback and Tennessee Forestland, LLC stating they did NOT want their land to be used as a landfill. We cannot thank the Jung family enough for their support. This issue has been resolved, but DRC will continue to advocate for the Duck River.
..."WHY SHOULD I BE CONCERNED?"
THE LOCATION IS NOT IDEAL
Two-hundred-and-forty trucks per day equals roughly three trucks per minute on an eight hour working day. Our roads in that area are not equipped for that volume of traffic.
The location of this proposed landfill is in the heart of Duck River, Piney River, Taylor Creek, and Weatherspoon Spring. Having water sources near this landfill will be detrimental to the water quality, surrounding environment, and residents if a landfill malfunction occurs.
Multiple residential wells surround this property, and pull from the same groundwater aquifer that feeds the springs. We need to be diligent on finding a location that will not contaminate the drinking water of our residents if a landfill malfunction occurred. This contamination will also bleed into the bigger water sources mentioned above, which could potentially ruin the aquatic ecosystem and biodiversity of the bigger water sources (Duck River and Piney River) surrounding this area.
MALFUNCTIONS
What happens when a landfill leaks?
Leachate seeping from a landfill contaminates the groundwater beneath the landfill, and this contaminated groundwater is known as a plume. The normal movement of groundwater causes the leachate plume to extend away from a landfill, in some cases for many hundreds of meters.
In order for a MSW landfill to be "secure", you need four critical elements working together cohesively with zero malfunctions.
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1. BOTTOM LAYER
The landfill's "bottom layer" can be single, or multiple layers, of clay or synthetic membrane. It essentially is a bathtub for the waste. If the bottom liner fails, wastes will migrate directly into the environment.
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What is wrong with a clay liner?
Municipal Solid Waste landfills accept your household trash. What do you throw away in your kitchen garbage can? Bottle of alcohol? Plastics? Cleaning products you no longer use? The CHEJ states household items like alcohol and certain cleaning products can decay the clay liner overtime.
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What is wrong with a plastic liner?
The most secure landfills are now lined with HDPE (High Density Polyethylene). Much like the clay liner, household items can also decay this liner overtime by softening it or making it become brittle and crack. Per the CHEJ, something as simple as moth balls, margarine, vinegar, and shoe polish can start the decaying process.
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2. LEACHATE COLLECTION SYSTEM
As stated above, leachate is water that has been contaminated by contacting the wastes inside the landfill. The leachate is collected into pipes at the bottom of the landfill and sent through a wastewater treatment process. Leachate can also have solids - think about a stopped up kitchen sink - that can clog the drain pipes causing the leachate to collect inside the landfill. The pressure, can result into the leachate leaking if the liner fails.
3. HYRDOGEOLOGIC SETTING
This is essentially a layer of tightly packed rock. This layer assists with waterproofing, as well as, creates a barrier to assist with proper draining if the liner was to leak. Per the CHEJ and EPA, landfills need to be in an area that is not affected by erosion due to erosion shifting the hydrogeologic setting.
-- The proposed area is currently used for logging purposes, and multiple residents around this area have already stated they experience erosion issue due to the logging roads.
4. COVER
This is an "umbrella" for the landfill to assist with leachate forming. The cover usually consists of several sloped layers: one to waterproof, one to assist with rain runoff, and one to stabilize the underlying layers of the cover.
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What can go wrong with covers?
Several factors can cause a cover to malfunction: erosion, vegetation, burrowing animals, and even sunlight can cause the cover to malfunction.
These four components working together in harmony create a secure landfill, but if just one problem occurs it could potentially lead to a disaster. It is crucial we find a location where the least amount of damage will occur.
..."SO WHAT IS YOUR SOLUTION?
We at the Duck River Conservancy, cannot deny the need for a landfill. Residents are continuously creating more waste and it all has to go somewhere. Hickman County for the Duck has several possibilities we are lobbying for as a solution.
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POSSIBILITY 1: Local vs. Regional Landfill
Hickman County currently has a tract of land that is connected to the local landfill that was closed years ago. This tract is already in an industrial area and no water source flows near this area.
This tract is currently owned by the federal government and would require serious lobbying for us to obtain. However, if Hickman County was able to obtain this land it would solve OUR landfill needs for decades and we would not have to send our waste elsewhere.
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POSSIBILITY 2: Better Incentive for Satisfying Solid Waste Fees
Hickman County's annual solid waste fee is currently $90 per year. The penalty for not paying said fee, is a daily late fee with a maximum total fee of $180 - which clearly is not working when there is $800,000 owed in past due solid waste fees. Our solid waste department just recently opened an amnesty period for people to pay their owed solid waste fees without the late fee, cutting their total dues in half. Yet, a majority still remain unpaid.
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Our solution?
Come up with a better incentive to show people they have to pay this fee, "or else". You have to pay your mortgage, or your house goes into foreclosure. You have to pay your car payment, or it gets repossessed. If more people felt they had no choice but to pay this fee, it could potentially increase the revenue that the solid waste department receives. $800,000 being paid would equal the amount the regional landfill has claimed to provide our county. If our residents paid this fee regularly, this could potentially offset the revenue that a regional landfill would bring to Hickman County.
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