Loudon County solid waste commission approves minor permit wording change, discusses leachate fixes, soil borrow study and fee reporting

The Loudon County Solid Waste Commission on Monday approved a minor wording change to a permit modification and discussed several operational and financial issues at the county landfill, including a proposed stainless-steel perforated extension to restore leachate flow, a failed sump pump in a leachate tank secondary containment, the need for a formal soil-borrow assessment to support a bond calculation and concerns about contractor fee reporting under the Republic contract.

The change approved by the commission adjusted permit language about allowable depressions so the measurement would be read as “up to a quarter, 1 and a quarter inch” to avoid ambiguity. A commission member moved to approve the resubmitted minor modification with the two- or three-word adjustment; another member seconded the motion and members voted to approve it by a slim majority, with no exact tally specified in the minutes.

Why it matters: The minor modification clears a procedural ambiguity in permit wording; the broader discussion touched on leachate-management repairs, environmental testing, the county’s financial assurance for landfill closure and whether Republic Services is complying with contract rate‑reporting requirements — items that affect environmental compliance, public health risk management and the county’s fiscal exposure.

Most of the meeting focused on technical fixes and long-term financial planning for the landfill.

On repairs, a staff member described a proposed slip‑lining approach to reestablish flow from Module A into the gravity line. “The perforated section is proposed to be 2 feet,” the staff member said, describing a plan to push a perforated stainless‑steel stem approximately two feet past the current pipe so leachate sitting at the liner base can pass through the…