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Bill would transfer state portion of Jackson County landfill to county to let local wastewater plan proceed
Summary
House Bill 4135 would transfer the state-owned portion of a Jackson County landfill to county ownership so the county can build and operate a reverse‑osmosis wastewater treatment plant and handle leachate management directly.
House Bill 4135, presented by Representative Leitner, would convey the state-owned portion of a landfill site in Jackson County to the county so the county can continue and expand leachate management, including construction of an on-site reverse-osmosis wastewater treatment system powered by solar panels.
Leitner told the House Appropriations Committee the county already manages leachate from the landfill and that conveying the state portion would remove the need for periodic contracts and ease long-term environmental management. A county official said the county previously borrowed about $2.1 million for project planning and now seeks to proceed with construction so it can stop transporting leachate off-site.
Cost and operations: County representatives told the committee their current transportation costs run a little over $100,000 per year, driven by roughly 10,000 gallons per week of leachate that is shipped to a treatment site in Inkster; building an on‑site plant would eliminate those transport costs, they said. Ongoing operational costs for the new treatment facility were described as being paid from the county general fund.
Technical features: County witnesses described the planned facility as a reverse‑osmosis wastewater treatment plant that would be powered in part by solar panels placed atop the landfill cap. Committee members asked who would pay for construction and how operations would be funded; county officials said the county has borrowing in place and would use the county general fund for ongoing costs.
Site details: Witnesses said the landfill complex comprises about 300 acres in total; the county already performs leachate management across the fenced and restricted site. Leitner said the state’s conveyance of its portion would formalize the county’s full control of ongoing environmental work.
Next steps: The committee heard testimony; committee members asked clarifying questions and no formal vote on the bill was recorded during the hearing.
