Caldwell County pauses acceptance of Hurricane Helene debris pending tonnage and contract review

The Caldwell County Board of Commissioners voted May 12 to immediately pause acceptance of hurricane Helene storm debris at the county landfill while staff and Republic Services verify whether the operation remains within the board’s prior authorization and DEQ terms.

The pause motion was introduced by Vice Chairman Mike Labross and approved by the board. Labross said, “I'll make that in the form of motion that an immediate, pause be on debris, trash until we find out the numbers.” The motion carries while county staff checks whether the six‑month capacity extension approved in October remains in effect and whether incoming tonnage has exceeded the board’s limits.

Republic Services General Manager Jenny Holt and onsite managers briefed the commissioners at the meeting to address public questions about truck lines, testing and the nature of incoming material. Holt said the company started accepting Helene storm debris on Jan. 6 and described routine environmental controls: “The ground water is tested twice a year. The storm water, is tested quarterly. We have monthly visual inspections of the sediment areas and outfalls. We do odor inspections daily, Air emission inspections quarterly. We have a full time gas inspector on-site and through all these inspections We've had 0 n o v's and 0 a o c's.”

Republic Services said the landfill is a Subtitle D (nonhazardous) facility and does not accept hazardous or liquid waste. Holt said mulch and nonhazardous construction debris have been arriving from two FEMA‑approved contractors, Southern Disaster and Ashborette, and that mulch is being incorporated as cover material. She told commissioners the facility runs nine convenient collection sites that route residential loads to the landfill at no charge.

Commissioners and Republic staff debated traffic and operational controls after residents posted photos of tractor‑trailer lines on public roads. Holt said the company adjusted arrival windows to reduce backups, and that at peak times staff operate both inbound scales as inbound to clear traffic. Commissioners noted some trucks were parking on Pisgah Church Road and near a local store; a commissioner asked staff to coordinate with N.C. Department of Transportation about signage restricting trucks if needed.

Board members also pressed staff on whether the October motion authorizing extra capacity — described at that time as tied to the state of emergency and “no less than six months” — has expired. County staff pointed to a DEQ letter discussed in the meeting that described an exemption for storm‑debris tonnage tied to the state's emergency declaration; the letter was read into the record as indicating an emergency window from Sept. 25 (the day Helene hit) through Sept. 20 of the current year. Commissioners said the county must reconcile dates in the board motion, the DEQ letter and when debris receipts actually began.

Commissioners emphasized the long‑term fiscal stakes. Chairman Church warned the public about future disposal costs if the county loses local landfill capacity, saying the increased shipping costs could “impact us somewhere on the neighborhood of about $6,000,000 the way we got it figured. And so I'm just put you on notice in the public, that's a penny, a million, right now. So that's 6¢ increase in our property tax when that time comes.”

The pause is limited to storm debris receipts while county staff and Republic Services compile tonnage accounting and contract documentation; Republic staff told commissioners they can provide the requested operational data. The board directed staff to report back with verified numbers, the DEQ correspondence, and a review of the October motion authorizing increased capacity.