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Residents, scientists clash over risks and finances of Vernon County landfill expansion
Summary
Public comment at the Vernon County Board meeting was sharply divided: residents and geologists warned about karst geology and groundwater risk while town and township officials and other residents emphasized local control and the practical costs of sending waste elsewhere.
Public comment at the Vernon County Board hearing on the landfill expansion featured a series of pointed testimonies both opposing and supporting the project. Speakers opposing expansion highlighted karst geology, sinkholes and the potential for groundwater contamination; supporters warned that closing local capacity would force expensive hauling and reduce local control.
Gail Free (speaker 7) told the board the public is worried about giving up local environmental control and flagged the past spending on feasibility studies: "We might even look foolish for throwing away 760,000 already spent on the feasibility study," she said. Academic speakers detailed hydrogeologic concerns: Kelvin Rodolfo (speaker 17) cited measurements showing much faster groundwater flow at some wells and called for independent hydrological study. KJ (speaker 15) presented preliminary accounting adjustments, concluding the solid waste department had a substantial loss after depreciation for 2024 and questioned multi‑year expenditure timing.
On the pro‑expansion side, municipal officials and residents stressed service continuity and local management. Danny Holgerson, mayor of Westby (speaker 12), said the landfill provides regulated local disposal that prevented ad hoc dumping in the past, and several township supervisors said hauling waste to distant private facilities could raise costs and produce environmental tradeoffs. Town of Webster supervisor Daniel Arnold (speaker 29) emphasized municipal reliance on the county facility and noted local recycling and collection patterns that keep material in the system.
The public record included a written statement read on behalf of former board chair Dennis Bralt, who recommended contingency planning if the landfill were forced to close. Another commenter, Anna Jo Doerr (speaker 19), pointed out the long history of operating without a formal town‑host agreement with Viroqua and urged negotiation of firm town‑host terms.
The public testimony helped shape board members’ conclusion that mediated, technical dialogue with DNR was the immediate next step rather than an immediate halt or an unconditional push forward.
