Wilson County suspends Rockwood tipping after landfill monitoring alarms; revenue expected to fall

Wilson County solid-waste staff told the county board at a May 1 meeting that they have suspended deliveries from Rockwood after two groundwater-monitoring wells near the county landfill began triggering contamination alerts.

The pause, which the county described as an operational suspension rather than a formal board action, follows engineer recommendations that gypsum, drywall and crushed wood in Rockwood’s incoming loads are producing volatile chemicals and fine dust that may be affecting monitoring results. “We have had to suspend operations with Rockwood,” Solid Waste Director Smith said, adding that the county is working with the state and its engineer on a course of action.

The interruption will hit landfill revenue, Smith said. The landfill activity report in the commission packet showed “a little over 57,000” for April and a year-to-date increase of “423,000,” figures Smith provided at the meeting; she said the county…