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Local officials say $10.6 million in state funds and bond proceeds will buy time for Sue Smith landfill; questions remain on treatment plant and long-term costs
Summary
Staff told supervisors the conference report includes $10.6 million to cap the Sue/Shoe Smith landfill, haul leachate offsite and fund engineering for a pre-treatment plant, but board members warned the amount won't finish remediation and urged investment in a $20–27 million pre-treatment plant to reduce ongoing hauling costs.
County staff briefed the board that the state conference report includes $10.6 million aimed at addressing the Sue (transcript also references "Shoe") Smith landfill, covering capping, leachate hauling and engineering for a possible pre-treatment plant; staff and board members said the funding, combined with remaining bond funds, should sustain operations through next June but will not complete long-term remediation without additional investment.
"10.6 million's not going to close the dump. It's not going to get us out of ... it's not going to get the pretreatment system back up and running," a board member said, warning that while the $10.6 million plus available bond funds can maintain necessary hauling and capping through June 30 of next year, the county still faces a multi‑million‑dollar gap if it pursues an on-site pre-treatment solution. Staff said the DEQ expects the combined funding to cover hauling, capping and engineering work and would allow time to design an appropriate pre-treatment facility.
Board members suggested a pre-treatment plant (estimates cited in the briefing ranged from roughly $20 million to $27 million) could reduce annual hauling costs and therefore could be more cost-effective over time. Staff emphasized DEQ retains regulatory authority and that the conference report also directs DEQ to review solid-waste regulations and expand environmental monitoring across the Commonwealth; staff said details on how DEQ will spend the monitoring dollars remain unclear.
A county official urged residents and advocates to press for state funding for the pre-treatment plant, noting that if the state had earlier allowed county intervention, remediation choices might have differed. Staff promised to continue coordination with DEQ and to present clearer engineering and cost estimates as DEQ oversight details and engineering work proceed.
The board did not vote on any action during the briefing; staff said the expectation is the funding plus bond resources will keep the landfill functioning through June 30 next year while engineering and a longer-term plan are developed.
