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Commissioners flag ash landfill limits, discuss Prairie Lake Solid Waste partnership and bonding award
Summary
Commissioner Campbell warned Clay County’s ash landfill is nearing capacity and outlined ongoing efforts to reclaim ash for road projects, review plant capacity and clarify how a $7.367 million bonding award to Otter Tail County will be allocated between an ash plant and a transfer station.
Clay County commissioners spent a portion of their June 2 meeting on solid‑waste issues, with Commissioner Campbell warning that the county’s ash landfill is nearly full and describing efforts to reduce waste and secure funding to extend capacity and modernize facilities.
"That ash landfill is just about full. We've been able to send about 8,000 tons there a year," Commissioner Campbell said, summarizing recent tonnage and capacity calculations. The board discussed reuse efforts — including cleaning ash for use on local road projects — and noted that continued reuse could reduce pressure on landfill capacity.
Commissioners also discussed discrepancies between previously presented plant capacity and current processing levels, which affect Clay County’s share of annual deliveries and cost obligations. The board referenced a recent state bonding award to Otter Tail County of $7.367 million to support a combined ash plant and transfer station; commissioners said they will need to determine how much of that award applies to the transfer station versus the ash plant.
Campbell and other members highlighted ongoing conversations with highway engineers and MnDOT about improving ash recovery and commodity value to make reuse more feasible. No formal policy action was taken; commissioners characterized the discussion as status and planning rather than a binding decision. Further technical and contractual details were not provided during the meeting.
