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Noxious-weed and hazardous-waste staff report: sericea surge, Balla property cleanup under budget
Summary
Riley County noxious-weed and household hazardous waste staff described increased sericea lespedeza infestations in south county, upcoming HHW events, and a completed hazardous-materials cleanup at the Balla property expected to cost about $9,000 — below an earlier estimate of about $14,000.
Mike Bowler, Riley County noxious weed and household hazardous waste (HHW) coordinator, gave a staff update that covered roadside mowing, invasive plant control, HHW services, and a recent site cleanup.
The nut graf: Bowler said the county is seeing more sericea lespedeza in the southern portion of the county and is conducting outreach to property owners; the HHW facility continues regular recycling events and is addressing issues arising from third-party haulers who pick up hazardous household waste and then present the county with disposal fees.
Bowler said supervisors have delivered notices to affected property owners and the county can treat sericea for about $1.80 per acre. He described the HHW program’s popular community collection events (typically serving 60–80 people during a four-hour event) and said the county is the state’s first purpose-built HHW facility.
On the Balla property cleanup, Bowler reported that hazardous materials had been removed and incinerated off-site, and he estimated total cleanup costs to be approximately $9,000 — under the earlier estimate of about $14,000. He said the site is fenced and cleaned, and the county will discuss next steps for the property with the commission at a future update. Clean Harbors had handled incineration under contract, Bowler said.
Bowler also described a growing problem with private haulers who pick up HHW from residents, charge for the haul, then bring material to the county facility; KDHE has advised that when a business hauls household hazardous waste for a fee the material becomes commercial waste and may be subject to disposal charges rather than the free residential HHW service.
Ending: Bowler said staff will continue outreach on sericea control, maintain HHW events, and return with further updates on the Balla property cleanup costs and recommendations for future use of the site.
