Clay County officials flag ash landfill capacity and $7.367M bonding award for nearby project

Clay County commissioners heard a detailed update on solid-waste operations and ash management during their June 2 meeting, where officials said the county’s ash landfill is nearly full and will likely run out of capacity within one to two years at current disposal rates.

Commissioner Campbell reported the county sends roughly 8,000–10,000 tons of ash to the landfill annually and noted that recent reuse of ash on local road projects has reduced the ash landfill by about 6,000 tons over the last two years. He said the landfill’s remaining capacity likely covers only “one or two years” of current disposal rates.

Campbell also briefed the board on a recent state bonding award of $7.367 million to Ottertale County for a combined ash-plant and transfer-station project. He said county officials will need to determine what portion of the bonding dollars applies to the transfer station versus the ash plant; the award is expected to carry the usual 50–50 local matching requirement.

County staff and board members discussed efforts to recover metal and improve ash quality for road use, and the possibility of seeking additional reclamation partnerships if Mandot (state agency referenced in the discussion) shows interest. Campbell highlighted that historical contract terms and earlier capacity estimates complicate current tonnage-accounting and budget assumptions.

The board did not take formal action on the ash landfill or bonding allocation during the recorded portion of the meeting; staff reported ongoing testing and grant/legislative activity and said further decisions will follow as funding and technical reports are finalized.

Ending: Commissioners scheduled no immediate vote on an ash-plant plan at this meeting; staff will provide technical reports and funding-allocation recommendations at a future session.