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Landfill manager briefs commissioners on scale-house, compactors and remediation pilot
Summary
Landfill manager reported progress on a new scale house and septic design, equipment maintenance and compactor performance, and suggested shifting remediation efforts toward a pilot study instead of large grant-dependent projects.
Dylan Emmons, Bannock County landfill manager, told commissioners the new scale house design is progressing and that engineers and the health department narrowed septic requirements by sizing the system for the expected staff count.
"That was a little bit of a back and forth ... but luckily, we were able to work with the health department a little bit and get that kind of scaled back to, you know, the 3 people in the scale house," Emmons said. He added the existing setup sometimes uses an outhouse and the new building will provide heated facilities for staff.
Emmons also updated the board on equipment: a recently purchased larger compactor has improved compaction and fuel efficiency during high-tonnage months, and the department plans to request a second smaller compactor for training and lower-tonnage days. Work on a D7 dozer certified rebuild is waiting for a turbo; once delivered the machine will undergo dyno and painting.
On remediation, Emmons said federal grant uncertainty led staff to favor a pilot-study approach with DEQ that uses existing wells and in situ amendment applications rather than pursuing large grants that may be curtailed. "We're gonna redirect our thoughts back to the pilot state program," he said, while noting the county will still engage DEQ for quarterly reviews of the pilot.
Emmons provided an initial look at tonnage trends and a rough calculation showing that replacing a portion of property-tax revenue with dump fees would require about $13 per ton based on the assumptions he ran. Commissioners raised concerns about unintended consequences of a fee-only model in remote parts of the county and about long-term landfill capacity if the county continues to accept out-of-county waste.
Emmons also reported operational items: a new remediation and free-services building has replaced a trailer, a recent generator repair improved reliability, a software transition (to OpenGov) is planned to improve vehicle-service tracking and the department is managing equipment-service backlogs while the county shop fleet staffing changes. He said some contracted maintenance and crushing costs are minimal but noted the impact on shop schedules.
