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ADEM holds hearing on proposed renewal and expansion of Dothan Sanitary Landfill permit
Summary
The Alabama Department of Environmental Management held a public hearing on a proposed renewal and modification of permit 35-06 for the Dothan Sanitary Landfill, which would expand the site to about 506.67 acres and add monitoring and operational requirements; residents raised contamination, nuisance, and historic-graves concerns.
The Alabama Department of Environmental Management opened a public hearing on a proposed renewal and modification of municipal solid waste landfill permit number 35-06 for the Dothan Sanitary Landfill at 1290 Burkett Road in Dothan, Houston County. Isabel Bella, speaking for ADEM’s land division, said the modification would expand the facility to 506.67 acres and increase the municipal solid waste disposal area to 74.1 acres and the construction and demolition waste area to 14.1 acres.
Bella said the department’s staff made a preliminary determination that, based on their review, the proposed renewal and modification “would be in compliance with the applicable state and federal solid waste disposal requirements, and thus, protective of public health and the environment.” The draft permit would, upon renewal, be valid for a 10-year period and would require a composite liner with a leachate collection system, semiannual groundwater monitoring, and quarterly explosive-gas monitoring.
ADEM announced the city has requested variances from ADEM administrative code provisions to allow final cover slopes of 3:1 for a 20.5-acre expansion and to operate two working faces (one for MSW and one for C&D). ADEM staff emphasized that the permittee must maintain the integrity of the final cover system during the permit term and postclosure period and must obtain ADEM approval for any changes that could cause noncompliance.
The hearing officer, Mary Frank Brown, said oral testimony and written comments will be part of the record and that ADEM will provide written responses to commenters. Brown also noted the proceeding is being transcribed by a court reporter and recorded for posting to ADEM’s YouTube channel. The public comment period was announced to close at 5 p.m. on 2025-07-31.
