Camden County approves design and monitoring task orders for landfill vertical expansion amid local leachate concerns

The Camden County Board of Commissioners and the Solid Waste Authority on a June meeting approved a task order to design and permit a vertical expansion of the county’s municipal solid waste (MSW) landfill and separately approved a contract for ongoing environmental monitoring at the county’s three landfill sites.

Atlantic Coast Consulting (ACC) presented the vertical-expansion concept: the design work would study elevating waste placement over the existing permitted footprint to add about 10 years of capacity (the current permitted airspace is projected to be full by 2031; the proposed vertical expansion could extend capacity to about 2040). Staff recommended and the board approved a $150,000 task order for ACC to complete the design and permitting work.

The board also approved a recurring task order for ACC to provide environmental monitoring — scope includes semiannual groundwater and surface-water monitoring at the MSW and C&D sites and the Vicuna Road landfill, quarterly methane reporting for MSW and C&D, and annual corrective-action progress reporting for the closed Vicuna Road site. Staff said these monitoring activities are required by the Georgia Environmental Protection Division (EPD) and are budgeted in the FY26 solid waste fund.

Public commenters at the Solid Waste Authority hearing — notably resident Ricky Manning — raised longstanding concerns about leachate breakout and alleged off-site impacts. Manning asked whether the vertical expansion would worsen leachate issues and requested more transparent oversight, including a meeting with staff, ACC, and EPD. Robert, a consultant with Atlantic Coast Consulting, described the landfill’s lining and leachate management system, said monitoring wells are sampled twice a year and data are submitted to EPD, and said the design work will include leachate-generation calculations to verify whether existing collection systems can handle additional leachate. He told the board that if calculations show the system is insufficient, the expansion plan would need to be reduced or alternate areas permitted instead.

Commissioners emphasized that approval of the design and permitting task order does not obligate construction; it authorizes studies and the permitting process. The motion to approve the vertical expansion task order and the environmental monitoring task order passed after discussion and questions; the Solid Waste Authority and board recorded “motion carries.”

During the Solid Waste Authority session the board also approved repair of a fire-damaged Komatsu D65 dozer (repair cost about $68,775), which staff said is covered by insurance, and the purchase of a used Caterpillar D3 dozer for $158,700 to replace a high-hour machine. Staff said the county routinely submits required monitoring data to EPD and that long-term decisions about expansion would be guided by the results of the design and leachate-generation analyses.

The approvals authorize staff to move forward with engineering, permitting, and continued environmental monitoring while acknowledging public calls for transparency and scrutiny of historic leachate concerns.