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HomeMy WebLinkAbout931598.tiff BEFORE THE WELD COUNTY COMMISSIONERS IN THE MATTER OF THE CENTRAL WELD COUNTY LANDFILL April 5, 1993 SUMMARY OF PRESENTATION ASHTON-DANIELS NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION INTRODUCTION The Ashton-Daniels Neighborhood Association is a citizens' group of Weld County residents, including families adversely affected by the improper activities of the owners and operators of the Central Weld County Landfill since its inception in 1971. The landfill operation has been conducted illegally since 1971, and its certificate to operate should be revoked. This proceeding, occurring on April 5 , 1993, is to determine whether "a reasonable ground for belief in the existence of facts warranting the proceedings complained of" exists. ( "Weld County, Procedures for Probable Cause Hearings, " dated March 23, 1992 . ) Thus, this proceeding is not an adjudicatory hearing on the merits. Its purpose is to determine whether an order to show cause shall be issued, by the Commissioners to the owners and operators of the Central Weld County Landfill, as to why the landfill's certificate of designation should not be revoked. 931 598 The documentary evidence (see Ashton-Daniels Neighborhood Association Exhibits A.D.-1 through A.D.- 45) alone is enough to justify and require issuance of the order to show cause. Since the first dumpload of waste was deposited in the landfill, each owner and operator has dumped there in violation of the certificate of designation, contrary to the land use zoning laws and regulations of Weld County and the State of Colorado, causing a great public nuisance and environmental depredations. On January 18, 1993 (Exhibit A.D.-30) , and again on February 15 , 1993 (Exhibit A.D.-31) , the Ashton- Daniels Neighborhood Association requested a hearing. On January 14, 1993 (Exhibit A.D.-28 ) and January 18, 1993 (Exhibit A.D.-29 ) , the Weld County Health Department and the Weld County Department of Planning Services cited Waste Services, Inc. , a subsidiary of Waste Management, Inc. , for violations of Colorado's Solid Waste Disposal Sites and Facilities Act (the "Act" ) , C.R. S. § 30-20-101 et seq. , and Weld County's Land use, zoning, and special use requirements. As of March 30, 1993 (Exhibit A.D.-30) , the facility continued to be in non-compliance, and a hearing on revocation of the certificate of designation should be 2 scheduled, resulting in a decision to revoke the certificate of designation and require closure and remedial action pursuant to the laws and regulations of Weld County, the State of Colorado, and the United States. I . SUMMARY OF FACTS WARRANTING ISSUANCE OF AN ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE AS TO WHY THE CERTIFICATE OF DESIGNATION FOR THE CENTRAL WELD COUNTY LANDFILL SHOULD NOT BE REVOKED Pursuant to a public hearing held on September 22, 1971, before the Weld County Commissioners (Exhibit A.D.-6, Transcript of Hearing 9-22-71) , a certificate of designation (Exhibit A.D.-9) was issued for the Central Weld County Landfill under the Act and under Weld County's land use and zoning authorities. Siting of the landfill could occur, under then existing legal authority, only as a use by special review. Prior to the September 22, 1971 hearing, the state's Solid Waste Act had been amended (as set forth more fully below) to require review and approval by the county, as to land use, and by the state, as to minimum sanitary, engineering, environmental and operational requirements. 3 :1061. On July 15, 1971 (Exhibit A.D.-1) , Mr. Orville Stoddard, P.E. , of the Colorado Department of Health requested the engineering report required by the State Solid Waste Disposal Act as amended by the Colorado General Assembly earlier that year. The applicant for the landfill certificate of designation successfully resisted the pre-submission of "an engineering report concerning the design and operation of the site" unless he had assurance that the Weld County Commissioners would grant him the land use approval (Exhibit A.D.-3 . ) At the September 22, 1971 public hearing (as more fully set forth below and in the presentations made at this hearing of April 5, 1993 by the Weld County citizens) , cogent and compelling testimony was presented (Exhibit A.D.-6 ) that the chosen site was not suitable for location of a landfill due to groundwater conditions prevalent in the immediate vicinity. Nevertheless, the certificate of designation issued, based on express representations of the applicant that no groundwater contamination would occur, that the facility's life would be 15 to 20 years at most, that disposal of the waste would be in the 4 71.061 ground and not above the surface of the ground, that operations would cease if groundwater were contacted, and that the landfill surface would be returned to farmable ground compatible with surrounding agricultural ground within 15 to 20 years. An express condition of the Weld County Commissioners' resolution of October 6, 1971, granting the certificate of designation was: 1. That any sanitary landfill facility to be installed shall be approved by the State Department of Health. (Exhibit A.D.-8 . ) This condition was expressly included as an integral part of Weld County's land use decision because the applicant represented that he would not commence operation until the engineering and operations approval of the State Health Department was obtained. This approval was to be based on an engineering report to be submitted by the applicant, taking into account sections 3 and 4 of the state's regulations which were then being developed (see Exhibit A.D.-3) and which were finalized early in 1972 (Exhibit A.D.-4) , not long after Weld County issued the certificate of designation based on the explicit condition of Health Department approval prior to construction of the landfill and 5 :10g1 initiation of disposal activities. Again, please note that condition number 1 of the October 6, 1971 resolution is that state approval shall be obtained for the "sanitary landfill facility to be installed. " (Exhibit A.D.-8 . ) No engineering report was submitted or approved prior to the commencement of disposal operations, and the certificate of designation should and must be revoked for violation of a material condition precedent. This site is not suitable, and never was suitable, for disposal of waste because of prevailing groundwater conditions in the area. (See Exhibits A.D.-6, A.D.- 41', A.D.-422, A.D.-433 and A.D.-444. ) It is probable 'Glenn Billings, former Chairman of the Weld County Commissioners states that one of the reasons he voted against the landfill in 1971 was, "A high water table (such as the one around the Milliken (Central Weld County) Landfill) is not conducive to any landfill operations. " (Exhibit A.D.-41. ) 'Albion Carlson, a trained geologist and environmental scientist for the State of New Mexico, states, "The footprint of Central Weld Landfill is located in historic year-round wetlands and slough area, draining into the Big Thompson River and into historic Spomer Lake, adjacent wetlands, man-made ponds and ditches which function as areas of significant ground water recharge . . . " (Exhibit A.D.-42. ) 'According to the evaluation prepared by the Colorado Department of Health regarding landfills in Weld County, "All existing landfill sites are located in aquifer recharge areas, 6 that preparation of a proper engineering report, upon review of the State Health Department pursuant to sections 3 and 4 of the regulations applicant agreed to abide by, would have resulted in no approval by the State Health Department. Throughout two decades, the owners of the landfill have violated the condition precedent for landfilling at this site, an approved engineering design and operations plan (Exhibit A.D.-39) , with the consequence that all waste at the site has been disposed of illegally, to the detriment of the laws of Weld County and the State of Colorado and their residents and citizens. Only one remedy can suffice to serve the public interest and uphold the law inviolable against violation of express representations in gaining land use approval: that it be revoked as a result of a show flood plains or irrigated farmlands or are near population centers . . . The overall drainage pattern in Weld County is dendritic resulting in a high degree of interrelationship between streams and rivers. Pollution of any part may result in pollution of the whole . . . " (Exhibit A.D.-43 . ) 4The U. S.G. S map demonstrates that in the area in which the Central Weld County Landfill is located, "Liquid wastes or leachates from solid waste could be introduced directly into the ground-water system by water moving through landfills . . . resulting in degradation or pollution of the ground water. " (Exhibit A.D.-44. ) 7 71.08*. cause hearing. II. THIS FACILITY IS IN VIOLATION OF COLORADO'S ACT AND WELD COUNTY'S LAND USE AUTHORIZATION The original Solid Waste Disposal Act of 1967 required any person who wished to operate a solid waste disposal facility to "make application to the Board of County Commissioners" of the county in which the facility is located. 1967 Session Laws, p. 759 . The application was required to include the location of the facility, the type of facility, type of processing to be used, "such as sanitary landfill, composting, or incineration, " the hours of operation, the method of supervision, the rates to be charged, "and such other information as may be required by the Board of County Commissioners. " Id. at 759-760. The 1967 Act also provided that "designation of approved solid waste disposal sites or facilities shall be discretionary with the Board of County Commissioners, subject to judicial review. . . " Id. at 760. The original Act also required all disposal sites to comply with the health laws, standards, rules and regulations of the State Health Department and the water pollution control commission, as well as all applicable zoning laws and ordinances. " Id. at 761. 8 r,.:11.061 In 1971, the Act was amended, effective July 1, 1971. Changes to the application provision required that the application contain scientific data required by the State Department of Health regulations. See C.R.S. S 30-20-103 ( 1) . It also provided for review of the application by the department based upon criteria established by the State Board of Health, State Water Pollution Control Commission, and the Air Pollution Control Commission. Id. The amendments added the further requirement that, prior to issuance of the Certificate of Designation, the Board of County Commissioners had to ensure that: 1) the application had been reviewed by the Department of Health; 2) the Department of Health had approved or disapproved the application; and 3 ) the proposed facility conforms to the comprehensive county land use plan, if any. See C.R.S. § 30-20-104 (3) (a) . The provision provided for notice of public hearing for review of all pertinent information before the county commissioners. The minimum standards provision of the 1967 Act was amended to provide, in part: 9 21.04:. "A site and facility operated as a sanitary landfill shall provide means of finally disposing of solid wastes on land in a manner to minimize nuisance conditions. . .and shall provide compacted fill material, adequate cover with suitable material and surface drainage designed to prevent ponding and water and wind erosion, prevent water and air pollution. . . " See C.R. S. § 30-20-110 . The Act, as amended, gave the Commissioners the power to revoke a Certificate of Designation for failure to comply with all applicable laws, ordinances and resolutions or with any provision of the Act. See C.R.S. § 30-20-112. In this case, the Commissioners exercised their discretion based on the representations made to it by the applicant at the September 22, 1971 public hearing. The application was a one-page form that provided no information regarding design and operation of the landfill. (Exhibit A.D.-2. ) Applicant represented that all pertinent engineering and operational information and assurances would be forthcoming if land use approval were given. The representations were both material and materially misleading, induced issuance of the certificate of designation, and must be strictly enforced as binding on all subsequent operation, operators, and successors in interest. The 1971 public hearing transcript demonstrates 10 931061 numerous representations made by the applicant to the Commissioners and the community that the landfill would not contaminate underground or surface waters. Repeatedly, the applicant assured the Commissioners that if it encountered water, it would intercept and divert the water to avoid contamination. Transcript at pp. 8, 9, 10, 11, 13, 30, 31, 34, 36, 37 & 38 . According to the applicant's testimony, "Anything that occurs and drains from the fill area will be merely surface water and seepage water that is in good condition. " Transcript at p. 11. When Ralph Waldo, a community member opposing the opposition, asserted that the "whole hillside [where the landfill would be located] is seeping, " the applicant responded, "we are going to intercept that water. " Transcript at p. 13.5 One community member in particular, Guy Shable, was very insistent that water seepage would be an unsolvable problem if the landfill were located at the proposed site. See transcript at p. 34. According to Mr. Shable, [who spent his entire life living and farming in the immediate area of the proposed site, ] 5The Weld County Commissioners based their approval of the application on their belief in assurances that there would be no water contamination. "The important thing that we will be looking at, of course, is to make sure that water pollution does not occur from this operation in any way, shape or form. " Transcript at pp. 30-31. 11 931061 intercepting the seepage water would not work: "But you're not going to be able to cut it [seepage water] all off. " Transcript at p. 35. When the applicant claimed that the landfill would not contaminate groundwater flowing below the site, Shable again challenged. "It's got to come up through your landfill. Why won't it come up through your landfill?" Transcript at p. 37 . The applicant again assured the Commissioners it could intercept the water and divert it around the landfill. Transcript at p. 38 . Finally, after enumerating his concerns relating to water contamination, Mr. Waldo stated that the opponents of the landfill would like conditions placed on the certificate of designation to ensure that the landfill does not contaminate surface and ground water in the area. Transcript at p. 18 . The applicant assured the Commissioners that if the landfill complied with all applicable regulations, water quality would not be a problem. See Transcript at p. 18 . Not content with just the assurances of the applicant, the Weld County Commissioners required, as condition number 1 for installation of the landfill facility, that approval first be obtained by the Health Department. (Exhibit A.D.-8 . ) 12 931061 Current information is that groundwater has been contaminated by the landfill operation. (Exhibits A.D.-28, A.D.-29, A.D.-32, A.D.-41. ) Of course, this is not surprising. At the 1971 hearing, citizens of Weld County overwhelmingly attested to the boggy conditions of the site and surrounding area. So much dispersed water percolates through the area that it is impossible to capture it all. This information was available to the applicant, if not before the hearing, then certainly at the hearing and thereafter. The applicant chose to ignore the citizens' concerns, continuously asserting that it would have no trouble capturing and diverting the water. Additionally, the applicant represented at the hearing that the landfill would not exceed the normal grade and contour of the surrounding agricultural land. Transcript at p. 17. The operation plan as presented to the Commissioners was premised on digging down, not piling up. " [W]e're talking about going to a depth of maybe 50 feet . . . we need depth for a landfill. " Transcript at pp. 24-25. In fact, the lifespan of the site as represented at the hearing was premised on digging down. The applicant represented that the anticipated lifespan of 13 931061 the landfill would be approximately 15 years, based on an 80 acre site with a depth of 45 feet. Transcript at p. 28. According to the applicant, if the geography of the site permitted digging deeper than 45 feet, then it would likely keep the landfill open beyond 15 years. But if they could not dig that deep, the lifespan of the site would be shortened proportionately. "Now if it turns out that shale and sandstone is in there to the point to where it is not practical to move it, we've got to figure to balance the job out sooner . . . " Transcript at p. 28 . Operators of the landfill never excavated to a depth anywhere approaching 50 feet. Rather, they have disposed of garbage at the site to a level far in excess of the normal grade in comparison to surrounding agricultural land uses. The landfill has become a steadily rising mound of trash, creating a public nuisance and contaminating the environment, far exceeding the promised 15 year life. The applicant represented that the land upon closure would be returned to "a good piece of farm ground, " (transcript at p. 7) , so that farming could be recommenced there (transcript at p. 8) . 14 931061 931061 Now is the time to enforce this express representation by remediation and closure orders pursuant to a noticed public hearing on revocation of the certificate of designation. CONCLUSION A show cause order should be issued to Waste Services, Inc. to show why the certificate of designation should not be revoked for 1) failure to submit an engineering report and design and operations plan and receive the approval of the State Department of Health prior to land fill installation, 2) creation of a public nuisance, 3) violation of the minimum sanitary, engineering, and operational standards of the Colorado Department of Health, and 4) non-compliance with Weld County land use, zoning, and special use resolutions and approvals. Dated this 5th day of April, 1993 . Respectfully submitted, Gregory J. H bbs, Jr. , 41109 Jennifer Russell, #22047 \. Hobbs, Trout & Raley, P.C. 1775 Sherman St. , Suite 1300 Denver, Colorado 80203 Tele: (303) 861-1963 Fax: (303) 832-4465 ATTORNEYS FOR ASHTON-DANIELS NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION 15 931061 • COLORADO DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH • DIVISION OF ENGINEERING AND SANITATION ACTIVITY REPORT Code MS-6 Section Engineering County Weld FILE REFERENCE: Weld County - MS-6 Earl Moffatt. Contractor INDIVIDUAL OR ESTABLISHMENT: Proposed Sanitary Landfill Site. ADDRESS: NARRATIVE: A meeting was held at the proposed sanitary landfill site located approximately 9 miles south and west of Greeley. The estimated area of the site is 106 acres. Present were William Gahr, Orville Stoddard and Ron Schuyler of the Colorado Department of Health; Dr. Cleaver and Glen Paul of the Weld County Health Department, and Earl Moffat, Contractor and site operator. The purpose of the meeting was to review in general the suitability of the site and the submittal of an engineering report required by the State Solid Waste Disposal Act as amended in 1971. Earl Moffatt described in general terms: 1. Location and access relative to centroids of a generation. 2. Traffic control to and from the site for an estimated 500 vehicles per day. 3. Method of site operation, areas to be excavated, areas to be filled, and the depth of the excavation. 4. Finish topography and planned land use. 5. Stock piling of top soil and cover material. 6. Construction and location of fences to control blowing refuse. Also the use of stockpiled cover material as a natural barrier. 7. Personnel and equipment at the site to provide daily cover and 'H means to prevent and control fires. 8. The methods for controlling surface drainage. 9. The results of previous soil borings indicate underground water problems to be minimal at this location. The requirements for an engineering report describing design and operation of the site, public hearings, recommended approval by the Weld County Commissioners prior to operation were discussed. A kit containing a check list for reviewing an "Application for Cer- tificate of Designation," and "County-wide Disposal" and copies of the State Solic Waste Disposal Act with a draft of rules and regula- tions was transmitted to those present. These are to provide guidance in the development and review of the required engineering report. LETTER TO FOLLOW: ( ) OTHER RECOMMENDATIONS: pEXHIBIT DATE: July 15 1971 REPRESE A P , Qe — ES: 7 (Rev. 6-70-100) 931061 ACTIVITY REPORT Section: Engineering Date: July 15, 1971 Code: MS-6 County: Weld Reference: Weld County - MS-6 Earl Moffatt, Contractor Subject: Proposed Sanitary Landfill Site: Page 2 NARRATIVE: Earl Moffatt did not want to go to the expense of an engineering firm and have the application for the "Certificate of Designation" refused by the County Commissioners. He was also concerned about the time lapse from submittal of the application until such time as the site could be used. He estimates approximately six months at the present disposal site. Glen Paul was of the opinion the information required in the en- gineering report could be supplied by county staff personnel and submitted to the Department for review and recommended approval. He felt much of the geographical, geological, hydrological, cli- mateological maps and specific data is readily available from the Soils Conservation Service, and the County engineers office. Details of site facilities, equipment and site operation plan were obtainable from the site operator. Mr. Gahr and 0. Stoddard stressed the importance of submitting a complete report at an early date to enable the department to pro- vide recommended approval or disapproval prior to the public hearing and site designation. A copy of the procedural guide for a special use permit application and a special use application form was discussed by Glen Paul. The proposed land use, sanitary landfill operation, does require a special use permit. 0. Stoddard, P.E. cc: Dr. Cleaver County Commissioners 931061 APR 1 '9: 1446 FROM AIELD CO TRERSJRER TO 18:L24465 PHGE.t'N`i'C.. i . ..-�_... .. . I•. - - . yes OFFICE OF • WELD COUNTY BOARD Or COUNTY COMMISSIONERS /. / r _ COMMISSIONERS MARSHALL. H. ANDERSON PHONE (!OS) 353-2212 _ _ HARRY 8. ASHLEY (s pl GLENN K. flit I INKS COURTHOUSE 23 OURTHOUSE Lt COLORADO GREELEY. tiosal July 21, 1971 Weld County Planning Commission County Services Building Greeley, Colorado Gentlemen: Please review the enclosed application form for a waste disposal site and return said application to our office An noon as possible. Thank you. Sincerely, The Board of County Commissioners Weld County, Colorado By:l feera • e sman • EXHIBIT • I A , D,-;_ 931061 0,0 6'111.1 A r !f � a August 13, 1971 Mr. Glenn K. Billings, Chairman Weld County Commissioners County Courthouse Greeley, Colorado 80631 Dear Mr. Billings: RE: Engineering Design end operation of a proposed sanitary landfill The report on the proposed site has been reviewed by this department. Br. Earl Moffat made a valid point in his letter concerning the preparation of the required engineering report prior to assurance the site would be designated by the County Commissioners. The information presented and a site visit by numbers of the department and Mr. Moffat indicate this to be a suitable site. It is recommended the site location be approved and the designation be made contingent upon the submittal of au engineering report concerning the design and operation of the site as described in Regulation 3 and 4 of the attached proposed regulations. Some of this was included in the information submitted. If there are any questions or if we can be of further assistance feel free to contact this department at your convenience. Very truly yours, William M. Gahr, Director Division of Engineering E. Sanitation WNG:OBSrgm EXHIBIT eq .o, 3 931061 • COLOPADO DEPARTMJ1C' 0?' HEALTH 4210 E. 11th Avenue Denver, CO 60220 REGULATIONS: SOLID WASTES DISPOSAL SITES AHD FACILITIES AUTHORITY: Chapter 33, Article 23, CRS 1563 (1257 T:r.... Cru. Supp. ) as amended by Chapter 103, Colorado Session Laws 1971. The following re ;ulatioas were adopted by The Colorado State Board of Health pnr:;uant to Colorado Revise.• Staratcs 1963, Section 3--16-2 as a..._n'ied, and Chapter 36, Article 23, C2S 1963 (19.7 .Per , Cute. Su:p.j as emended by Chapter 103, Colorado Session L:n:s 1971 , for the designation, operation, me.'.n!:eneanco , and desior, of Solid l:r.ate lli-s_.osal Sites and Facilities. Adopted February ' 197' Effective Date April I , 19i72 Section 1. SCOPE. These regulations shall he applicable to all solid S. .Bio disposal sites and facilities, whether designated by ordinance within the corporate limits of any city, city and county, or incorporated town or by the Board of County Commissioners in unincorporated areas, Section 2. PF,PLPI,.iTI ,,. _(-:,S (1) The following definitions extracted from Section 36-23-1, CRS 1963, as amended, shall apply when appearing in these regulations: a. "Solid waste" means garbage, refuse, sludge of sewage disposal plants, and other discarded solid materials, including solid waste materials resulting from industrial, commercial and from community activities, but shall not include agricultural caste. b. "DepartELut " means the Department of Health. T m t c. "Approved site or facility" mean:; a site or facility for. which o c a "Certificate of Designation" has been obtained, as provided 931061 -1- -2 in this -act . d. "Person" means an individual, partnership, private or municipal corporation, firm, or other association of persons. e. "Solid waste disposal" means the collection, storage, treatment, , utilization, processing, or final disposal of solid wastes. f. "Solid waste disposal site and facility" means the location and facility at which the deposit and final treatment of solid wastes occur. • rr g. Transfer station" means a facility at which refuse awaiting transportation to a disposal site, as transferred from one type of collection vehicle and placed into another. - h. "Recyclable materials"-means a type of material that is subject t • to reuse or recycling. 1. "Recycling Operation" means that part of a solid waste disposal facility or a part of a general disposal facility at which recyclable materials may be separated from other materials for future processing. Definitions. (2) Jther terms used in the .statute or regulations are defined as follows : a. "Certificate of Designation" means a document issued under authority of the Board of County Commissioners to a person operating a solid waste disposal site and facility of a certain type and at a certain location. b. "Mill-tailing:s"are that refuse material resulting from the processing of ore in a mill. c. "Metallurgical slag" is the cinder or dross waste product resulting; in the ref inin;, of moral boarini; ores. 931061 -3. d. "Mining wastes" are either mill-tailings or metallurgical slag • or both . e . A "junk automobile" is defined to be the hulk or body of a motor vehicle essentially suitable only for one use as scrap metal . Junk automobile parts constitute the normally recyclable materials obtainable from a motor vehicle. f. "Suspended solids" are finely divided mineral and organic sub- . stances contained in the sewage existing in a sewage nyatem. g. "Engineering ..eta" shall r,:^_an information dc: cr;.bi s the area of disposal &ices in acres , a description of the access roads and roads within the site , a description of fancin2 enclosing the disposal site, and overall plan listing the method or Tsethods by which the disposal site will be filled with refuse fU5.. e..a the li7_ to which it will be placed once the site is filled and closed. h. "Geological data" shall mean classes of soil to a reasonable depth from the ground surface, the location and thickness of the significant soil classifications throughout the area of the site and to extend some distance beyond the boundaries of the site , to include information on ground water elevations , seepage quantities and water wells 1 ,000 feet beyond the boundary of the disposal site. i . "Hydrological data" shall include average, maximum, and minimum amounts of precipitation for each month of the year, surface • drainage facilities , streams and lakes adjacent to the disposal site, irrigation water ditches adjacent to the site, wells , streams and lakes . r j . "Operational data" shall include a plan for overall supervision of the disposal site to include supervisory personrc1 end Labc•r 931061 • -4- personnel , ecuip:aent and machinery consisting of all items needed for satisfactory landfill operation , traffic control, fire control , cover material , working face, moisture content , compaction control , and rodent and insect control . k. "Sanitary landfill" is the final disposal of solid waste on the land by a caehod employing compaction of the refuse and covering with earth oz other inert material . 1 . A "coaposti:--_ plant" is a solid waste disposal facility utilizing bi.oche.aical degradation to chane.e decomposable portions of solid waste to a __-.us-like material . m. "Incineratie is the controlled combustion of solid , liquid or gaseous waste changing them to gases and to a residue containing c little co-..,_t_ ib1e material . n . "Hazardous z.atrial and toxic substances" are liquid or solids which can be dangerous to man, animal and pian`.life unless properly neutralized . o. . "Minimum Standards" (See Section 3) shall mean the requirements which shall `_ applied to all solid waste disposal sites and facilities . p. "Engineering _.- port Design Criteria" (See Section 4) shall mean the minimum requirements which shall be applied to new facilities proposed for designation as a solid waste disposal site and facility. Section 3. 1'.I`�I;: ;". STA:;l'A=nS (1) (a) the following minimum standards are hereby adopted and incorp;rs'ed herein as directed by Section 36-23- 10 CRS 1963, as amended; (b) Such site zn..i facilities shall be located, operated , and main- 931061 -5- tatned in a manner so as to control obnoxious odors , prevent rodent and insect breeding and infestation, and shall be uaq kept adequately covered during their use. (c) Such sites and facilities shall comply with the health laws , standards , rules and ragulatious of the Department , the Air Pollution Control Commission, the Water Pollution Control Commission, and all applicable • zoning laws and ordinances . (d) No radioactive materials or materials contaminated by radio- active substances shall be disposed of in sites or facilities not speci- fically designated for that purpose . (e) A site and facility operated as a sanitary landfill shall provide means of finally disposing of solid wastes on land in a manner- to minimize nuslance conditions such as odors, windblown debris , insects , rodents , smoke, and shall provide compacted fill material , adequate cover with suit- able material and surface drainage designed to prevent ponding and water and wind erosion; prevent water and air pollution and, upon being filled, shall be left in a condition of orderliness, good esthetic appearance and capable of blending with the surrounding area. In the operation of such a site and facility, the golid wastes shall be distributed in the smallest area consistent with handling traffic to be unloaded, shall be placed in the most dense volume • practicable using moisture and compaction or other method approved by the Department, shall be fire, insect and rodent resistent through the appli- cation of an adequate layer on inert material at regular intervals and shall have a minimum of windblown debris which shall be collected regularly and placed into the fill . (f) Sites and facilities shall be adequately fenced so as to pre nt waste material and debris from escaping therefrom, and material and debris 931061 -G- shall not be allowed to accumulate along the fence line . (g) Solid wastes deposited at any site or facility shall not be burned, provided , however, that in extreme emergencies resulting in the generation of large quantities of combustible materials, authorization for burning under controlled conditions may be given by 'the Department . Section 4 . PSCr_EPIEG REPORT DESIGN CRITERIA a. The design of a solid waste disposal facility hereinafter designated shall be such as to protect surface and subsurface waters from contamination . Surface water from outside the immediate working area of the disposal site shall not be allowed to flow into or through the active disposal area. The design shall provide for the deflection of rain or molting snow away from the active area where wastes are being deposited . As filling continues to completion, the surface shall be sloped so that water is diverted away from the area whore refuse has been or is being deposited. The design shall include methods of keeping ground water out of the area where refuse is deposited. ,b. The site shall he designed to protect the quality of water available in nearby wells . The necessary distance from the wells is dependent in part on the direction of flow of ground under the site and the means used in the design to prevent precipitation falling on the site from reaching the aquifier in question. Soil characteristics . The soil used for covering of landfill type operations shall have enough adhesive character- istics to permit a workable earth cover. • c. The location of the solid waste site and facility should provide for convenient access from solid waste generation centers . .931061 -7- d. The access routes shall be designed so as to permit the orderly and efficient flow of traffic to and from the site as well as on the site . Traffic control routes on the site shall permit orderly, efficient and safe ingress, unloading and egress . ' e . The design of the facility shall provide for effective compaction and cover of refuse materials in such a program as will prevent. the emergence or attraction of insects and rodents . f. Solid wastes deposited at disposal sites and facilities shall be compacted to prior to covering. Use of moisture or change of particle size to aid in compaction is recommended. g. The design shall contemplate the location and construction of • the disposal site and facility in such a manner as will eliminate the scattering of windblown debris . All solid wastes discharged at the site shall be confined to the site and any material escaping from the active discharge area shall be promptly retrieved and placed in the active discharge area. h. Recycling operations may be designed to operate at solid waste disposal sites and facilities, provided such recycling operations do not interfere with the disposal of other wastes and provided that such recycle operations are carried out without creation of a nusiance and rodent and insect breeding. i. The design shall include such equipment and operational methods to prevent the buruing of solid wastes at the site and to extinguish any fires . 931.06". • j . Final. Closure. Prior to closing a solid waste disposal site except for cause as set forth in Section 36-23-13 CRS as amended, the final cover of the deposited solid wastes shall be graded to the elevations which shall he shown in the initial design, The cover shall be of such thickness and material as will prevent the entrance or emerg-ence of insects , rodents, or odors. Such closure elevations shall be such as will provide for the diversion of rainfall and runoff away from the fill area. k. A plan and method for protecting solid wastes disposal sites and facilities against damage from floods shall be a part of the engineering design. Section 5. THE REPORT OF THE DEP/JIM:7ST to County Coimnis.sioners or municipal officials, recommending approval or disapproval of the application, shall consist of a written and signed document made in accordance with criteria established by the Board of Health, Water Pollution Control Commission and Air Pollution Control Commission. - Section 6. OPERATION OF A SOLID WASTE DISPOSAL FACILITY An operational. plan for placing into operation the engineering design for the disposal site and facility is required, • Such a plan shall include the followini information: a. The name or titles of the person or persons who will be in charge of the disposal site and facilit; . Such name(s) shall be of person(s) having the responsibility for the operation as well as the authority to take all corrective action necessary to comply with the requirements of this Department. b. The list of equipment to be used at the disposal site. c. The hours of operation of the srte. 931061 -9- d . The fire fighting equip _nt or department available for • extinguishing fires . e . The frequency of cover of the deposited wastes . f . The frequency of retrieval of wind blown debris . g. A contingency plan for eradication of rodents and insects . h . Procedures for in-pier-Jilting other aspects of the design . Section 7 . RESTRICTIONS OF OP h- i'l_o :S , C_r.,l_;G SITES a. In the event a person applyi _ for a Certificate of Designation does not wish to receive at his site all items defined in the statute as solid wastes , his application to the county co,.ission2 rs t: forth the limitations as to for approval of designation shall set ort materials to be accepted at the site . If such site is thereafter designated , the owner shall erect at the entrance to such a site an appropriate design setting forth the items not receivable at such site . b. If a person having a site officially designated wishes to close the site for any reason, he shall inform the county commissioners at least 60 days in advance of such elosing and shall post a sign , readable from the seat of an entering motor vehicle, informing the public of his intent to close such site. Such site shall be considered officially closed upon receipt of an official notice from the county commissioners , provided such closing date shall be at least 60 days after the notice to the county commissioners and the posting as above set forth. Upon closing of the site , the owner shall pose a notice that the site is closed and shall take reasonable precautions to prevent the further use of such site . 931061 -10- Add Section 3 . . !"ir-atiCI. of� r ) !1(r�.1! 1.q"1,^ of PO An;fn,mr3 r' i � ReDort (a) Whe'oever the Deartrnnt deter:ai_nes that at a solid waste disposal site is not being operated substantially in accordance with the criteria provided in the r E nhi ❑te .- ihy Dosii;n 3eport or these regulations , the operator shell he i_'iiforir.ed , ? of the nature of of the allepud violation by certified nil and vi-cni.n ten day;'. Fro:n and after receipt of the letter of citation, he :icy request a variance frn;:i the - tiaeeling Design Report by written application to the De rtment stating pz: the grounds for such request . (b) The D_•; .rtr-vent shell either approve such request or sched'ula the matter for an administr-a:tive hearing. If the operator fails to request a variance, or the Dep rt;n nt. refuses to • grant a variance after the hearing, the operator shall be deemed to be in violation of the law and these regula tions 1O[i3 and the "Certificate of Designation" shall be subject to suspension , revocation or injunction as provided in Sections 36-23-13 and 14, CRS 1963, as amended by Chanter 103, Colorado o Session Laws 1971 . The Department shall prone ly report the action taken to the Board of County Coma.issioners . (c) Any person aggrieved by the decision of the Department may request a hearing before the State Board of Health and shall be afforded his right to judicial review as provided in Section 66-1- 13, Colorado Revised Statutes 1963 . Note: These regulations rescind and supersede solid waste regulations and standards adopted November 21 , 1967. Effec tive January 1, 196 . 931961 ASHTON-DANIELS NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION EXHIBITS April 5, 1993 Before The Weld County Commissioners In the Matter of the Central Weld County Landfill 1. 7-15-71 Colorado Department of Health Division of Engineering and Sanitation Activity Report. 2. 7-21.72 Letter to the Weld County Planning Commission from the Chairman of the Board of County Commissioners (Weld County, Colorado). 3. 8-13-71 Letter to Glenn K. Billings, Chairman-Weld County Commissioners, from William N. Gahr, Director, Division of Engineering & Sanitation. 4. Colorado Department of Health Memo: Regulations - Solid Wastes Disposal Sites and Facilities; Effective 3-1-72. 5. Petition to County Commissioners of Weld County, Colorado from Weld County Residents in the Vicinity of Central Weld Landfill. 6. Transcript of Tape of Hearing on September 22, 1971 before the Weld County Board of Commissioners on Central Weld Landfill. 7. Memorandum of Hearing, 9-22-71, Tape 99, Docket#54. Petitioner's Name: Weld County Landfill, Inc., Box 596, Evans, Colorado. 8. 10-6-71 Resolution of Weld County Board of Commissioners Approving Issuance of Certificate of Designation to Weld County Landfill, Inc. 9. 10-6-71 Certificate of Designation / Solid Waste Disposal Site. 10. 7-2-80 Letter to Board of Weld County Commissioners from Albert J. Hazle, Colorado Department of Health. 11. July, 1980 Results of Solid Waste Facility Inspection at Central Weld Landfill (then the Greeley-Milliken Landfill). 12. 7-30-80 Letter to Weld County Board of County Commissioners from Albert J. Hazle Noticing Potential for Water Contamination at Central Weld Landfill (then the Greeley-Milliken Landfill). 13. 7-17-92 Letter to Kennedy/Harbert/Lacy/Kirby/Webster,Weld County Board of County Commissioners from Samuel S. Telep. 9310161 14. 9-11-92 Letter to Kennedy/Harbert/Lacy/Kirby/Webster,Weld County Board of County Commissioners from Kent E. Hanson. 15. 9-18-92 Letter to John Pickle (Weld County Dept. of Health) and Ms. Austin Buckingham (Colorado Dept. of Health) from Waste Management of North America, Inc. 16. 9-28-92 Letter to Waste Services Corp. from Weld County Board of Commissioners Requesting Submittal of Operations Plan. 17. Same as Exhibit No. 16. 18. 10-5-92 Letter to Bill Hedberg, Waste Services Corp. from Weld County Dept. of Health and Copy of Minimum Standards Regulations. 19. 10-7-92 Letter to Bill Hedberg,Central Weld Sanitary Landfill from Weld County Dept. of Health Outlining Recommendations to Avoid Water Contamination. 20. 10-16-92 Letter to Kennedy/Harbert/Lacy/Kirby/Webster, Weld County Board of County Commissioners from Kent E. Hanson. 21. 11-14-92 Letter to Glen Mallory, Colorado Dept. of Health Recommending Denial of Discharge Permit to Waste Services, Inc. 22. 12-14-92 Letter to Pam Nelson, Colorado Dept. of Health. 23. 12-11-92 Letter to Victor H. Sainz, P.E., Colorado Dept. of Health, from Waste Management of North America, Inc. 24. 12-22-92 Letter to Bill Hedberg and Alan Scheer, Waste Services Corporation, from Colorado Department of Health. 25. 12-23-92 Memo To File from Unda Johnson (Weld County Colorado) RE: Contaminated Soil Complaint-Central Weld Landfill. 26. 1-4-92 Memo to Chuck Cunliffe (Planning Dept-Weld Co.) from John Pickle Outlining Violations at Central Weld Landfill. 27. 1-8-92 Memo to Chuck Cunliffe (Planning Dept-Weld Co.) from John Pickle Outlining Violations at Central Weld Landfill. 28. 1-14-93 Letter to Bill Hedberg,Waste Services Corporation,from Weld County Dept. of Health Noticing Waste Services of Violations of the Solid Waste Disposal Act. 29. 1-18-93 Letter to Waste Services, Inc. from Weld County Dept. of Planning 301061 Services Noticing Waste Services of Violations of Conditions of Approval. 30. 1-18-93 Letter to Connie Harbert (Chairperson-Weld County Commissioners) from Greg Hobbs Requesting Hearing for Revocation of Central Weld Landfill's Certificate of Designation. 31. 2-15-93 Letter to Harbert/Cunliffe/Shelton/David from Greg Hobbs. 32. 2-22-93 Memo to Chuck Cunliffe (Planning Dept.-Weld Co.) from John Pickle Outlining Violations at Central Weld Landfill. 33. 3-2-93 Letter to Waste Services Corp. from Weld County Dept. of Planning Services Noticing Probable Cause Hearing. 34. 3-10-93 Memo to File from Trevor Jiricek(Solid &Hazardous Waste Specialist, Weld County, Colorado) RE: Central Weld Sanitary Landfill - Complaint. 35. 3-30-93 Memo to Chuck Cunliffe (Planning) from John Pickle (Health) RE: Central Weld Sanitary Landfill. 36. Photo 37. Photo 38. Photo 39. Photo 40. Tape of Original Hearing on September 22, 1971 before the Weld County Board of Commissioners on Central Weld Landfill. 41. 4-3-93 Statement of Glenn K. Billings, Former Chairman of Weld County Commissioners. 42. 4-3-93 Statement of Albion Carlson, Environmental Scientist with the State of New Mexico Environment Department. 43. September, 1975 "Evaluation of Existing Sanitary Landfills in Weld County as Hazardous Waste Disposal Sites.' 44. 1979 U.S.G.S. Map Showing Depth to the Water Table in the Boulder-Fort Collins- Greeley Area. 45. 6-10-81 E.P.A. "Notification of Hazardous Waste Site" Naming Weld County Landfill as a Hazardous Waste Site. 901061 1, -. t f„ ,f e/ TILL COUNTY COiif[1:SSIONERS OF WELD COUINTY, COLORADO Weld County Court House l cel ey , Colorado a)e31 Ye, t he nde r _ _.lased residents of Weld County, Colorado , being ndvir:eu cl an application being filed for permission to open a 1+nul f it l clomp on 1 tie West Half of the Southwest Quarter (W)6 &W)4) rid the Southeast Quarter of the Southwest Quarter (Si ;I Sl! .) of Section Thirty-two 32) , Township a'i. ve (n) berth , Range Siy y ix (tU) West of the uh '.h . , Weld County, Colorado , do l ielitiur 1'cu as follows: ,h ;iou refusc any permit for landfill, dump on the n.is I.r' a cats or the; Southwest Quarter (SQL SW.)Q of said : f t.ion '`' for FLe: reason that there appears to be no test of -Li ! ,,,: i t a ,;; ca the SEA SW, of said Section 32; that said 40 a,jcctart Le a north-south county road; is very close to tht, oiled main higlh•aay running to Greeley from Mil] iken and will depreciate the value of other lands in the neighborhood. 2. That if a permit is granted to open a landfill dump on the West Half or the Southwest Quarter (W1 S(,)v) of said Section 32, the following conditions be incorporated in the granting of such a. That the north-south county road leading to the dump site be blacktopped prior to the opening of the dump; b. That the road leading from the county road to the dump be blacktopped before the opening of the dump; c. ''halt operator of the nump erect a screen of U.wen wire along the south side and idle east side of said dump area to catch all trash and paper that might blow from the dump and that said operator be required to clean the . . :-scan t l e�tr't once monthly. Ln the event l tttor and trash EXHIBIT 9S1061 from the dump area blows over onto other lands in the vicinity, that the dump operator be required to clean up said areas regularly, at least monthly or oftener. d . That the streambeds in the draws adjacent to the dump area be protected from pollution from dump materials and that said draws be free of obstructions at all times. e. That the County Commissioners require a periodic inspection of the dump premises by a licensed sanitarian, weekly or oftener; f. That said application for opening of a landfill dump in the West Half of the Southwest Quarter (WY? SW$) be re- stricted to that part of said West Half of said Southwest Quarter lying east; of a streumbed which traverses in a north-to-South direction through the West Half of the Southwest Quarter (W;f SW)4) of said Section 32, and that said dump in no way interfere with the water from the stream- bed entering into or leaving an irrigation reservoir located on eleven (11) acres in the Southwest corner of the South- west Quarter of the Southwest Quarter (SO SW}4) of said Section 32; g. That the operators of the landfill dump be restric- ted from accepting for dumping any dead animals or effluent from septic tanks, and that at such time as the dump shall cc.::c, to be used as a dump area, that all trash and contents of the dump be covered and levelled for agricultural or building uses. h. That the County Commissioners take such other pre- cautions as may be necessary and required to preserve the -2- 931061 Transcript of Tape on 1971 County Hearing Central Weld Landfill We' ll call this Hearing to order. Docket No. 54 Weld Landfill Incorporated, Box 596 , Evans, Colorado Date: September 22nd, 1971 . Time: 2 o'clock Request site approval for sanitary landfill At this time Mr. Connell you will read the record. Connell : Mr. Chairman, pursuant to notice properly given pursuant to the zoning laws of the of State of Colorado, a Public Hearing is now held in the offices of the Board of County Commissioners, Weld County, Colorado, the Weld County Courthouse, concerning Docket No. 54 , Application of Weld County Landfill Incorporated, Lots 596 , Evans , Colorado. Hearing does come on at this time and date as published. Publication has been had in accordance with law in the Greeley Daily Booster as shown by the Certificate of Publication of the publisher of the Greeley Daily Booster. The request is for site approval for a sanitary landfill located in the west 1/2 of the SW 1/4 in the 1 EXHIBIT r�. o, - c 331061 SE 1/4 of the SW 1/4 of Section 32 Township 5N Range 66W of the Sixth P.M. Notice has been properly given to the adjoining land owners as evidenced by the Certificate of Certified Mail and the receipt thereof for HTK [King] , First National Bank of Greeley, Colorado, Elmer Knister Weld County Landfill, Guy A Shable. Said mailing to Guy A. Shable was returned to this office by the United States Post Office. Henry Wagner, Ella Spomer, and, again, the First National Bank. Matter comes on now for hearing. Certain of those present are shown to be represented by counsel . These should be identified in the process of the hearing. Those not represented by counsel should be duly noted. Chairman: This time, Mr. Moffatt, if you can present your case. Do you have anything to say regarding this landfill site? Moffatt: No, only that we went through all the necessary requirements that we know of , and we are here to answer any questions anybody might want to ask us and see if there is anything we can do; anything anybody wants to know. Chairman: Has this been approved by the County Health Department and the State Water Pollution Safety. . . ? Moffatt: We've contacted all the various people we knew; out there, and there' s been new law 2 921061 brought on the statutes, effective, I believe, July 1st, I believe that's right, and it was so new that there are some things in this that really even the State Health Department didn't have full data on them. So we met with the Health Departments of the County and the State and went over it, and we met all the things that they knew of , and we agreed in principle on anything that they might want we accepted to do, and really you can't spend all of the money it takes to get all the answers that this new law requires until you get into know if you have this site or not because you have to survey it, put in contour, you have to show, you have to prospect in there to see what type of formation. We have logs from the soil office which we are not including because they only went to a depth of approximately 4 or 5 feet. Then we did have a well log that covered 5 or 6 places that goes down quite a distance, but still that is small bore and we feel that before we could design the ground for final use we'd have to actually physically move dirt on it to see how we'd want to do it. But all of it can be done with sanction and approval from the various departments . Connell: Mr. Chairman, if I may interrupt. It might be noted this application has been before the Weld County Planning Commission and on recommendation of date August 4th, 1971 , certification of August 3rd, 1971 , 3 5331061 recorded in Book 111 by the Secretary of the Weld County Planning Commission. RESOLUTION favorably recommending to the Board of County Commissioners the approval of this site location and approval. Chairman: Thank you. At this time we' ll hear from the people supporting this application. All of you having anything to do with the cause, let' s have your opinion. Voice 2 : Yes Mr. Chairman. We, Weld County Health Department, approve of the site on the grounds that we figure it is well above the water level; we won't have any water problems at all, like we have down on the river. Also, it is within a quarter of a mile of a black top road and about a mile, that' s from the south, with about a mile and three quarters from the north is the black top road. We have studied the engineering reports from the soils and from the well , record and log from the well, and, therefore, we recommend this application be approved. I have also Mr. Orville Stoddard from the Water Pollution Commission and I would like Mr. Stoddard to comment. Chairman: All right, that's fine with. . . Mr. Stoddard? Stoddard: Thank you. My name is Orville Stoddard with the Engineering Section of Colorado Department of Health. There is an Amended Act pertaining to the regulation of land disposal sites and facilities that Earl Moffatt 4 931061 mentioned. This requires the applicant to submit a report of engineering, geological, hydrological, and operational data to the Department for review and recommended approval prior to issue of the Certificate of Designation by the County Commissioners. The site was visited with Mr. Moffatt, Glen Paul of the Weld County Health Department, and at that time the guidelines for developing this report were reviewed with Mr. Moffatt. He did submit a report to the Department, August 9th, 1971 , and did have considerable information of the type that we were after. The information submitted indicate after studying the soils reports, the test borings, information on the existing water table, soil conditions in the area, that this site can be operated in accordance with sanitary landfill requirements. Also, the Department is required to develop and promulgate rules and regulations pertaining to the engineering design and operation. These are to be presented to the Board of Health at their regular meeting in October for adoption. This is a suitable site and can be operated as a sanitary landfill. The only question we have at this point in time, and Mr. Moffatt touched on that, is that there are several alternatives in how the operation should proceed and this is just a matter of deciding which is the best way to go. 5 931061 Chairman: An operational problem? Stoddard: Right. Beg pardon? Chairman: An operational procedure that you. . . . Stoddard: Yes, that' s right. Chairman: Is there anyone else here who wants to speak for the application? If not we'll hear from the people whose opposing the application. Waldo: Mr. Chairman, can we ask questions of the people that are supporting the application? Chairman: Now, if you want to go ahead and state your name and. . . . Waldo: My name is Ralph Waldo, Jr. and my father and I represent Mrs. Ella Spomer and Mr. and Mrs . (Henry) Wagner, who represent [ too] . They have obtained signatures on a petition opposing the landfill in the SE 1/4 of the SW 1/4 , that 40 acres , and then if you grant the permit for the West half of that 80 acres , the West 80 acres, that that be granted with a lot of provisions on it. . . . Chairman: All right. Waldo: . . .that are contained in this Petition. We have 39 signatures, I believe, on the Petition. The people that have signed this Petition come from within a radius of about 2 miles, with 2 of them coming from Section 27 , Township 5N, Range 66 , which would be about 2-1/2 miles away. And I have here a chart that shows 6 9:1961 the location of the people that signed this Petition opposing this. We have no people that signed this that are clear away from there. And we have some questions that we would like to ask about this. The first one is "How much of this West half of the SW 1/4 and the SE 1/4 of the SW 1/4 would they use for a landfill operation?" Moffatt: Well, Ralph, like I explained a while ago, we're so bound down and so tight now by regulations, supervised by qualified engineers of the State, Norm Parson, that, sure there' s nothing there that we can do that would be, that will make, a problem, but I cannot tell you exactly how much of that we will use until we get in and explore . If you have shale picked up and this and that in there it makes water pockets there'll be places in there, then we are going have to —7 / drain that dry; our intentions are to drain it. ' When we get through with them we intend to return it to a good piece of farm ground. And, to do so we don't know exactly until we do some pioneering in there. It costs a lot of money to use this dirt and if you 're not going to use that, to move it you've got to figure out what your costs are going to be and you're bound to figure and see how it goes , and all I can assure you is that there' s plenty of qualified people sitting on top of it, watching it to see it is done right;; and our 7 intentions would be to go to the West line this side of water, where, and there's rules and regulations governing all that; you have to stay so many feet from the open water, and so forth in the new--it isn't quite even drawn up yet, is it, the law--and so water will be carried away and it will not be contaminated. All these things are covered by laws and I think that this will be asinine to bring them in right at this point. But we do intend to work the ground so that it would be possible to return some of it to farming before the I whole thing would be filled. And to do this we would have to work preferably on the west side, running north and to south, so that that ground can be turned back to agriculture probably much better than it was , it is now, because we would store the top soil and cover this other and then return the top soil on the ground. Don't let it kid you that it would be the worst thing in the north and south direction two sides . Waldo: Now, now let me ask you a few questions , here. There is a draw which runs more or less north and south through there, curving, would you plan to do any landfill operations on the west side of that draw? Moffatt: We would if practical and if it doesn' t interfere with any existing water rights or existing things that are there now. But you still have to determine if these things are practical or not and the only way you 8 931061 really can do that is to do some prospecting out there with equipment to see what, where this water underneath is seep water, and it comes from the shale and how you would handle it, you see. Waldo: Now who owns that land at the present time? Moffatt: We have an option on the land at the present time. Waldo: And Landfill, Inc. is going to buy it? Moffatt: And we will purchase that if it is approved. There is no other way that we can just run around and buy a piece of ground for $50 ,000 and then find out if it can be approved, you see. Waldo: Are you aware of the fact that Ella Spomer owns 11 acres in the SW 1/4 there? Moffatt: Oh, yes. It' s an exception in the. . . . Waldo: Now, Moffatt: I don't think we'll be anywhere near that, Ralph, really, and I have -- I live across there, and I don't think we'll be anywhere. . . . We'll stop quite a ways this side of it. From what you're saying is that it's going way to to bottom SW 1/4 , right? Waldo: Yes, Moffatt: No. Waldo: and it takes water from that draw that comes down from there. Moffatt: We don't intend to get into that draw and work into that draw, unless there' s water coming from this 9 side, that we might have to intercept and tile around, then again we would return and it would be water that was not contaminated by landfill. Waldo: That was the thing that was my next question, is how much seep do you find on that west slope of the. . . . Moffatt: Ralph, we won't know that till you dig down and if we do it will be seepage; it will be intercepted; if you dig all of these straight across from the south to the north, you're going to find all the different pockets (? ) and this was roughly our idea when you start a deadline ( 7 ) on the bottom end and come north, so we might be quite deep when we get there. We hope we are because this is a much better operation than what we are trying to run now with the shallow depth of cover, and you see if you intercept water in there any place, you're going to take it clear to the top and when you do you can turn it around and landfill will be packed tighter than the ground that is existing there now. You break that up and you go back around, so we shouldn't interfere with anything that is there, really. Waldo: Well, what all will you permit to be put into this dump? Would you take dead bodies and effluent from septic tanks, and that stuff . Moffatt: We have to take whatever they bring us. It' s all waste. There again, those things that the Health 10 921061 Department can answer much better than I can as to what the problems there might. . . . Most of those things burn themselves out in the landfill pretty fast once they' re sealed and covered. Waldo: Well, that was going to be the question. What happens to the solutions that come from dead animals and effluent from septic tanks, and all . Moffatt: If the water' s shut off from the well , there ' s nothing more to feed it than try to crowd or can' t get into it. What fluid they bring with them are going to burn out within the fill itself. Waldo: By "burn out" you mean they' ll make gas? Moffatt: Heat, gas, decomposition, so everything that' s in there. Is this correct, do you think? Voice 3 : Dry out, yes. The thing, of course, that will be required is that it does control the surface drainage and the —1 seepage around the fill areas, so that you don' t get a situation where you get contaminated polluted water flowing from the fill area. Anything that occurs and ` drains from the fill area will be merely surface water '` and seepage water that is in good condition. Landfill i operation, this is one of the advantage of them is that you can discharge anything that' s in the landfill and with time it will stabilize and have conditions for 11 931061 super saturation continuing at a small state of right at that particular depth location. Waldo: Now, there' s a spring in the SE 1/4 of the SW 1/4 . Did you know about that? Voice 3 : I don't think that was included in our information, and I don't know about it. Moffatt: It's probably fed from coming through from shale. Waldo: I don't think there' s any information from any well, or anything, on the SE 1/4 of that SW 1/4 , that East 1/4 , I guess. But there is a spring that crops out on that hillside. Moffatt: If there is it's probably from the shale and when we open her up we're going to expose it' s source and intercept it at the top. This is where you divert it. It's got to be coming down through to there because the only way you can get water in this country is it ' s got to come from an irrigation above in one of the sitographic grounds ( zones ) . Waldo: I don't know. Moffatt: Ralph, well I do. I mean, this is where it' s got to be coming from. It' s being irrigated above it' s on ground that goes down in the ground and it will go to hit something that too go further and then it daylights out at some place; it probably in time dries up, I don't know. I imagine it is second water, it will be a seasonal time when it will shut down, but 12 931061 this is why I mentioned a while ago. We just don't know what's under that ground completely, so when you dig it and open in clear through you're going to find out that section, and that' s the section to fill so you will have it under control, then as you move across , why, you do the same thing at the next one. Waldo: Well now two weeks ago I was out there at about the intersection, oh, about the 40 acre corner there, in the SE 1/4 of the SW 1/4, and on that hillside it' s seepy and it's been a pretty dry summer. There hasn' t been any irrigation there that I know of . Moffatt: There' s a carrier ditch, that carries water across there, practically all the time. Waldo: It didn't appear to have any water in it. Moffatt: It was in there when we were out there. Waldo: You mean irrigation ditch. Moffatt: Yes, it carries water you see, down to another farm. Now, this, of course, whoever' s farm we might see, it will be our obligation, if we ever work in that area, to bring that corner out and possibly realign it, to carry it on to his premises. In other words ,) we r i won't touch anybody' s water.\ But I think this is the biggest source you had with the water rights . Waldo: But that alfalfa down there looks to me like it was just pretty well seeped out. 13 9:1061 Moffatt: Could be. There again, cement-lined ditch in there a carrier ditch all the time will take care of that. Waldo: Now the next question is, is this water that' s coming out of there goes, we think it goes , down into one of these two lakes that Mrs. Spomer owns down there. If you put a landfill in there, then what is she going to do to replace the water that she loses , or will it be polluted, if it comes on down there? Moffatt: Well, if the water' s coming from the ditch, which I think it is because there' s very little water going along that premises itself, looks almost running across, Waldo: Well that's what it looks to me. Moffatt: Well, if the water' s coming from the ditch, coming down this back hole at the high spot goes to the next place you're seeing it. If we line the ditch and bring it to her, she won't lose any seep because it will all in the ditch to start with and if its going to her, she ' ll have practically 100% collection without the seepage involved. If you dry the seep up she won't get any water to start with and then what. If she receives the ditch of it, she' s going to do this free of cost to her. But she' s going to get more water than she has at the moment. And the ground would be dried up if that' s what causing your springs. 14 3;n1081 Waldo: No, she' s isn't going to get any more water because it doesn't go over to her place. Moffatt: I understand you said that's where this ditch is going. Waldo: No, this ditch goes over to the southeast and Ella Spomer' s property is directly south and to the northwest. Moffatt: Ralph, when they line these canals , and you line ditches across the country, when you drive to the place beside you, seep rights just disappear. Waldo: That' s one of the problems that we have. Moffatt: Well, I can't answer you. They have a prior right to a seep to [coughing] to I don' t think I can answer you. But I don't think anybody can keep you from lining the ditch just because they had seep water or something out of the ditch that you were carrying. . . . Waldo: I agree with you that nobody can keep you from saving your own water but I am concerned about this spring in there because I am not personally acquainted with it except by. . . . Moffatt: Well, I 'm not either, Ralph, but it' s got to be coming from an outcropping because of shale pulls out on the bottom, that's what it does , and I think that probably all the water comes in from that ditch above is going down that ridge and finding its way out at the 15 s10sa bottom. If you'd stop, cement the ditch, I think you would probably stop the seep, because I don't think that premises itself is irrigated enough to runoff excessive or even if it was it would cause a seep, and practically got to be from that carrier ditch, or premises above might be, being irrigated. Waldo: Now, I have another question. What are you going to do with this land when they get through with it, using it for a landfill. Moffatt: We intend to make a good piece of farm ground out of it because the surface amount of dirt and we intend to cover more than is required by any law. In other words we intend to cover enough --. We won't know this exactly how much is until we get in there and see what our bottom is. Then we can find our balance points where it' s no longer economical to dig deeper over the whole dirt past their points, you see. Then we probably have about a 3-foot or more, maybe 4-foot of cover on that ground when we're through with it. And it will be on, fit will either be on even grade that will be practical to irrigate or be benched; dropped down, then drawn out, you see. Waldo: What will the elevations be like? How will they compare with the present elevations when you get this 7 landfill completed? 16 331061 Moffatt: Well it will be flat across there, more or less, on the -- running east and west. But, of course, you can still have. . . . then we'll have to allow back off the premises or when they reach the other part of the , that' s one of the reasons we won't be working too far to the West. We're going to have a slope on this, you see. A slope at all then under the road and this will take extra dirt, too. Waldo: There's depression, I wouldn't call it a draw, but it' s aidraw of sorts,( it runs down, oh, in an easterly side of this west half , this west 80 acres,(is it your intention to use all of that for landfill and fill that I in? Moffatt: If it' s practical so we can. There' s no reason why we can't, you know, from water or making Waldo: It appears to be pretty seepy and wet in there now. Moffatt: " But I think if we intercept all of it, that seepage--by going clear through and going to the top we should be able to intercept these places where they come through and if necessary and we can head the drain up there and make an L shape and bring this all out to where daylight is--. That piece of ground should not have any seep within the L shape; should not have water left in it there if we intercept it. 17 331061 Waldo: Well, these are some of the requirements that these people are asking the Commissioners to put in the permission if it' s granted. Moffatt: Well, I think Ralph, we're pretty well covered by the State and like I said, we're bound so tight now that I think if we can conform with the existing regulations, it' s going to probably answer all the things you're asking today. Waldo: Well, we'd like to ask you these. . . . Moffatt: Yes, sure. Waldo: and see what you think about them. First, we 'd like to see a black top road leading into the dump. Moffatt: We will -- leading to the dump? Waldo: Yes, the old County Road, we'd like to have the County black top the road or somebody black top the road so that it becomes . . . . Moffatt: It is our intention to make an in and out road that will be surfaced. Waldo: To control the dust? Moffatt: Yes, right. Waldo: And then we'd like to have a screen of some type extended along the south and the east sides to collect any refuse or papers or trash that blows out of there. Moffatt: We are now at the present time-- we have 95% completed. . . we have large screens made out of steel pipe to be built into Weld County Landfill . You can go 18 331061 see them . We haven't put them up yet. They are portable and we vacuumed right into them with a dozer and they have hooks on them, see, because they' re quite heavy. The dozer will pick them up and we can move them and we can move them. We intend to place those around our operation when the stuff is being immediately dumped, this will confine it down close. We haven't finished them completely because of the wire we brought in, we've found problems with it, it' s wire , it's galvanized and welded, we find some bugs in snaps , so we think we have to do a bit more research on it before we the wire. We have enough of that fence to set up with a, helper fences between the two covers across from the [coughing] Waldo: Up to 800 feet. Moffatt: That should contain all the areas we will try to dump at one time. Waldo: Then if any of this trash were to escape that would you see that periodically, once a month or oftener, that you clean up around there. Moffatt: We have a man now that works every day. No, I take it back, he works, I think he works part of every day, he' s an epileptic and he takes now, he was up and down the Evans bar pit picking up the first area and around the premises on land, so he will be continued. So it won't be once a month it will be regular. 19 924061 Waldo: Then would you see that the stream beds in these draws were kept free of pollution and obstructions at all times so you didn't push any dirt over in them and push them full or clog them up so that the drainage would be free in there. Moffatt: We will do this. Waldo: [coughing] Free of pollution? [Moffatt: We will do this. ] And then we would want the County Commissioners to have a licensed sanitarian to make an inspection there, weekly at least. Chairman: Ralph, that comes under the jurisdiction of the Health Department. Waldo: Well, we think the County Commissioners ought to be responsible for seeing that it gets done. Chairman: We are. Voice 4 Glen, how often do you spend now. Glen Paul: Just once a month. But you want it weekly? Waldo: We think it ought to be weekly. Voice 4 Does that cause any problem? Glen: No, we're going to need a man in each territory every day. He can go by once a week. Waldo: We'd also like to restrict them from dumping any dead animals or effluent from septic tanks in there. Moffatt: Well, the problem that you've got there, I think you're worrying about something really, something nobody like to discuss much. We don't have that many 20 931.061 dead animals. You're talking about an occasional somebody' s-- Most people bury their pets and take care of them. The larger animals go, we're located right now next door to a dead animal place and those animals go right in there because there' s a pay for them. I don't think, with one exception to my knowledge, in the over two some years we've had that, we did bury a party's horse because they didn't want it, it was a pet and they just absolutely stood right there and made instructions for a place to bury it because it was a pet. But you're talking about a handful of cats , of course, and the septic tank, this we don' t, this landfill down here we don't have many and they do take quite a few of them out to some others, but they don't make that much of a problem. You're not talking about very much. Waldo: Well I know they have to dump them some place and I . . . Moffatt: [indistinguishable) Waldo: where they pumped it out of and get rid of it. Moffatt: They're covered every day. The thing will be covered and we will have plenty of dirt out here to work with, which we have not had since we started. For right now we just have to use a dirt real sparingly. 21 91061 Voice 5: I think about the biggest percentage of your septic tank space is those that are on farms are dumped right on the farm. This saves those big farmers additional cost of septic tank and a person to haul it to a sanitary landfill. I am sure you get some of them on some subdivision. Moffatt: Well, I don't know that we could find out whose use the . We can call down to the landfill when the guys go on the books , how much money came in at $2 a truckload in the last year, if you want to, but you're not talking about very much, really. Waldo: We don't know how much. We just know we don' t want any of it. Moffatt: Well, there again, when you start the landfill one group don't want trees , the next group don' t want this , the next group don't want car bodies, and pretty soon then where are you going to go with it. Then you've got to harness up a special, then you go somewhere and you have another hearing and somebody don't want that, so, like I said, a landfill really is about what it says. Voice 6 Ralph, do you have copy of the definition of solid waste? Waldo: No, I don't. Chairman: Most of this is under the jura. All of this operation will under the jurisdiction of the Health 22 3:1061 Department and the State Health Department and the Water Pollution people, is that right, Glen? Glen: Right. Chairman: They are under full control of the whole operation. Glen: And air pollution. Voice 6 : Well, the residue from septic tanks would be included under solid waste, so that. . . Chairman: Do you have anything else, Ralph? Waldo: Yes, one more question. Mr. Moffatt would this be practical for you to take on if you didn't use the SE 1/4 of the SW 1/4, that piece 40? Moffatt: Well, Waldo: Confine it to the west part of the west 80 use. Moffatt: I don't know what we'd do with it later, and, like I said really I don't know whether that will fit in or whether it won't fit in. But when we get through we've got to return that piece of ground into something and when we put $50 ,000 in a piece of ground, we don't intend just to drive off and leave it, because I think this is going to be part of what we do. We feel we've got to upgrade that piece of ground in order to help. But this has been an extremely difficult situation. We've been every direction trying to find a landfill and there's always some type of thing. We have spent 23 931061 lots of money trying to find out--where we can find out this and that and we're going to have to try to make everything work. But we're going to get back into the mechanics of it again, if its too soggy and too wet, and we can't intercept it, now if we can intercept it and take the water out of there and it doesn't make any problem, we can make a better piece of ground out of that when we leave there than it has ever been before. Just common sense tells you that, in other words , it isn't much right now. Voice 7 You folks have any more questions? Mikner: I 'm Mr. Mikner. It sounds kind of interesting. It looks like its going to be a kind of expensive operation for Mr. Moffatt, talking about this , seepage what he's going to do with it, I 'm satisfied there ' s places that are less expensive to operate. Moffatt: It' s procuring one is the problem. Mikner: Well, that may be true, but I know I 'm situation where there' s. . . . About the first thing that recommends to me, is soil conservation ( ? ) where the water is, the depth of it and what' s to be done and things like that, which. . . . Moffatt: We already did it. We did it. Things were so inconclusive, you see. They only went down 40 maybe 5 feet another, wellfre're talking about going to a depth of maybe 50 feet. 24 921061 Mikner: What kind of pattern this take just Moffatt: They, the price. Still when they didn' t have any depth to it, you see this doesn' t do us any good„ we need depth for a landfill. Mikner: Well, I mean, sure an individual can go out there in a takes different places and comes up favorable. Moffatt: Not necessarily. But the thing of it is , it wasn't particularly, that wasn't what we were after. They weren't conclusive enough. You think you got five feet, we want to know what was in the ground 50 feet, and we still don't know until we go down there. We have some well logs that tell us down as much as 50 feet and I think 45 feet, but still when we dig in shale can turn up like this, sandstone you see. we have enough equipment to rip some of this but sometimes it isn't practical that' s why we will have to make a pass all the way from the south to the north wide enough to run this trench and then I think we'll know good enough that we can contour the rest of the ground and balance it and figure out how we have to put it back together to make this farm ground, because you being a farmer we can't just sit down and hear . You're going to have to bring it out. If we can't make enough ground to come from the top to the bottom on the north, north and south on the west 25 331061 side, we've got to have an even grade. You can't [coughing] graders and bank it and maybe that way. Mikner: I think that' s a point too, I 'm satisfied that Klineman ( 7 ) is your speaking of drying up isn' t going to do it, because it may be coming in from a different direction. Moffatt: If it does, we'll intercept it across the top explain what I want to do. Mikner: I may be mistaken. If I am, you may correct me. But does the County subsidize your operation? Moffatt: This particular operation? Mikner: Well, any landfill operation. Moffatt: The County subsidizes any landfill that doesn't return $5,000 a year. That' s been . This landfill here is much, has much more land than that. So the County does not subsidize this landfill. Mikner: Well, let me your operating expense is to where. . . Moffatt: That' s our tough luck. If we can't make it run, all we're concerned about was . . . . you see landfills that anyone knows that you can' t hardly make them run even on a buck, you see. But they do have to give service to the area, so we operate those also. Now that when you talk about the subject. To get the record straight, now anything above $5,000 that we take 26 321061 in, and anything we take in on that $5, 000 is returned to the County and credited off of the $5,000 . For an example, the Windsor Landfill, this last year took enough in money even Kodak moving into that area and its off the County' s back, they took in $5 ,000 or $7 ,000. Mikner: Well that' s the reason I asked the question. Moffatt: Well, I want to make it clear, I 've run into this before. The County's subsidizing everything you 're doing. Well, the County is not subsidizing, only up to $5,000 and then any revenue that comes in is credited off of that five, so they get down, you see. Does that answer your question? Mikner: [Muffled] Waldo: Darryl (? )LHow long do you anticipate you could .` use this area for landfill Moffatt: Well, Ralph, we're getting in a little better position to answer that now than when we first started because we know, and, of course, your area is growing and all these things, and then again we don't know how much of that ground we can actually use, just like we've been discussing, some of that ground might not be practical to do but we'll still try to turn it into i,-- something. But if we can use, say 80 acres of that ground to a depth of approximately 45 feet, I think 27 9.31061 we' ll have at least a 15-year goal. At the present, if you increase it that much more for the cutdown ( ? ) Voice 8: Ralph [Waldo] , we figured around 60 , 000 population and we figure average about 5 lbs per person per day. So we figure about 300 ,000 lbs going into this place everyday and from there we figured anywhere from 15 to 25 years. That is if the conditions, like Earl stated, and you asking to stay away from the east side of the 80 . J Moffatt: So anything can influence it. If we can increase that 15 from what we planned, in other words if we go down to 80 and we find that we can work there practically, that's going to give you that much more time in that area. Now if it turns out that shale and sandstone is in there to the point to where it is not practical to move it, we 've got to figure to balance the job out sooner, then that why I thought really conservative at 15 years, and they're trying to go further. Wagner: Now, these well . . . . Connell: If I could interrupt, before we go too far beyond his statement, can we have Mr. Wagner' s full name and address for the record please? Wagner: Henry Wagner, 4603 83rd Avenue, Greeley, Colorado. Connell : Thank you, Mr. Wagner Wagner: 852-0347 28 931961 Connell: Thank you. Chairman: Ralph, do you have any more questions? Waldo: Yes. Unless the well logs that you had on the west 80 there all indicate that they hit yellow sandstone at 14 to 47 feet. Moffatt: I don't know as that. . . . Waldo: What's that yellow sandstone? Is that going to be what you want to have landfill operation in, below that you get into blue shale and then blue sandstone? Moffatt: Well, none of those are things we can't use to work. We had this over at Windsor now were in there-- incidentally we was just over there last week and opened up a new area and you can walk right down in there and walk around and you can see what you are cutting into there. Shale with its present and yellow sandstone can be moved with the type of equipment we have nowadays, but if you go some sands are a lot harder than that, then it' s not practical. We got rippers nowadays that can pop most all that stuff but it' s not practical. In other words, you spend too much horsepower and machine time to try and get a small area, so this. . . . you see if it comes up, your ground goes down and comes up and traps pockets in there and you can't relieve them as you come up and break most practically, then you'd best give up and figure that to stabilize. Then, because under your 29 laws and under your common sense, you're not going to lay this down in pockets to be collected. You' re going to have to daylight all the water out that will come in around your landfill. Waldo: What about the seep condition that there is on that westerly slope of that land. . . . Moffatt: Ralph, when you say west are you saying across the draw on the west side and coming back sloping east. Waldo: I 'm saying on the east side of the draw. That whole hillside is seeping. Moffatt: I agree, but I think we are going to decide, I (think we are going to intercept that water, we ' re going to divide it cut it off and turn it back into the draw. That' s what I think we'll find. Waldo: All right, now that brings me to the next question. ) Mr. Stoddard if they can't cut that water off , then it will be your job to stop the landfill , is that right? Stoddard: Yeh, I have to agree,` I think with Earl , we won't really know until we get into it more. (Yes, it will have to be diverted either around the fill or, there are other ways of doing it. It can be piped underneath the fill with certain precautionary measures taken to keep any seepage into the culvert or whatever they use under the fill. The important thing that we will be looking at, of course, is to make sure that water 30 921061 pollution does not occur from this operation in any way shape or form. Waldo: How often will your department make an inspection. Stoddard: We're, we make annual inspections at this point in time and certainly think that your idea of more frequent inspections would be better. Waldo: If they were; if they just found unsuitable it would be the job of your department not the Weld County Health Department to shut it down, or is it both departments? Stoddard: We're together on it. I mean, if Glen Paul thinks there' s a problem there, then they would contact us and we would. . . . Moffatt: ( Ralph, I don't think there' s any problem here that we don't have a solution. In other words , but we 've got to determine whether it' s practical, like we said, we can put a drag line underneath. You're talking about a minute amount of water that' s coming at a time , you're not talking about a large body there. Waldo: Well , it just keeps coming. Moffatt: Certainly, but nce you put it under control and put in a small pipe or pipe beside the cut, it won 't increase because it still comes from a given point, see. Waldo: Well, that kind of bothers me too, because we don't know what development there' s going to be to the 31 31061 ' north there. That could change the whole situation here, I believe. Moffatt: Not really. Once you close that off , or seal it off, it' s going to go, water goes to the line of least resistance when you get something open then it' s going to be open. Anybody that' s going to develop into the north out there, it' s going to take care of their own water if they've got. . . . I don't know what you're talking about, talking about city development or something like that? Waldo: Yes. Moffatt: Well, they're going to have to take care of that on their own drainage on main street, gutters and pipes and circulate. That isn't going to involve us . Waldo: They do that, but the underground drainage comes out someplace. Moffatt: Up there farming, there' ll be less water in the town than there would be over these irrigated grounds . Waldo: You have any figures at all on the underground strata on that east 40 acres down there? Moffatt: Not until we explore. Waldo: Well, the only thing you know is that there is seep water down there in the corner now and it is seeping but no well information. . . . Moffatt: As I said, what we're going to do is , we' ll let those quarter yards of dirt straight through and open 32 331061 it up and take a . Six months to get that thing ready to go, at that time there won't be any seepage left, it will all be out there in the open. Voice 8 : You', talking there right west where the house used to be at Waldo: Yes. Voice 8 : Is the spring new? Spring to the north and west of that house, where' s that spring? Mr. Shable can tell you about that spring. Shable: It' s either the first draw or second draw just west of that there. I think it' s the first draw, I 'm not real sure, but I 've seen it because my brothers water cattle and it does run quite a bit of water. [End of Side A] Moffatt: I bet you an educated guess that that' s water coming down that ditch goes across that piece of property and that line that springs dried up. Shable: The ditch you're talking about, irrigates , I should state my name probably, first, Judge. Chairman: That' s right, if you will please. Shable: I 'm Guy Shable, Route 1 , Box 65, Milliken. Headland adjoining this land. The ditch you're talking about irrigates the Garcia farm and it runs right across the top, up there. 33 9:1061. Wouldn't be over 5-600 feet long and that' s the only water that comes in there and that grading there, that you're speaking about, has nothing to do with this grade of [overspoken by Moffat] Moffatt: It comes from above there. Shable: It comes from the Coopenrider and the, well, Knister place, and the Greeley-Loveland Ditch is where it really actually comes from. Until you stop that ditch you are not going to get rid of your seep water. Moffatt: This is true but I think we can intercept it and take it around the fill . Shable: Well, I farmed on some of the Knister place and I find out that we have lots of seep trouble up there and 7 we're above you.\\ And the land slopes your way so you're going to have our seep water, or his seep water I should say, plus other people' s seep water, plus your own and I think you've got a problem. Moffatt: Well, like I said. . . Shable: Not only that you admit that you haven' t dug down to see how far your sandstone is . Well my brother' s farmed that and I 've been up there when he farmed it and a lot of times your ploughshare will hit the sandstone. Moffatt: Well, you'll hit loose sandstone. 34 931061 Shable: And, you can move some of that. . . . You can ' t move it to no great depth because I 've tried it up in Wyoming on uranium and you just can't do it. Moffatt: Well, it depends on where you're at. Shable: Well, it gets hard or you have to go down a little bit. Moffatt: Afraid of the hanging cliff . Shable: Personally, I think, excuse me Ralph [Waldo] , go on ahead here. . . Waldo: Go ahead. Shable: He asked me a question, but I think you are in trouble on that piece of land. I think when you go out there and run some deep tests on it you ' re going to find out you have water problems everywhere, even up on 1 top of the hills you are going to have water problems .. Moffatt: L.:The interception cut it off at the property line and taken back to that draw, that' s where it ' s going to go. Shable: But you're not going to be able to cut if all off . Have you ever run. . 12.9 Moffatt: Then we won't under it, it' ll be going along where-- [TAPE CHANGE] -- There was a large portion of repeated language before picking up with Moffatt. I have deleted this duplicated portion. ] 35 931061 --it was before, if it had a carry before it would still have one because if we can't go down it and move it then we won't be Shable: Have you ever run a drain line in shale. Moffatt: Yes. Shable: How did you get along with it? Moffatt: Well you're on the bottom, if you get it all you don't change. Shable: You don't have no sand or anything there. Moffatt: No you're on the bottom when you're on shale. That' s why. Shable: You can pack that with sand and if you do you ' ll take care of spot maybe as wide as this room but above that you won't have a thing done. Moffatt: But if you put it on grade you will. You're going have to put it on grade. Shable: I tried it, we. . . . Moffatt: No, we put those things in. That is our type of work. Shable: I know that. Moffatt: We got equipment enough to do it, but. . . Shable: It ain't my type work but I 've done it; it doesn' t work. 36 931061 Moffatt: If you put it in on grade, water' s water, there ' s no secrets about it, it' s just going to follow what you got and if you've got open lines it will go down. Shable: Ever so far if you put crossline in it you might stop. Moffatt: Well, I just said that, if we have to go along the intercept, go clear across the whole place on the upgrade and turn and take it down and out that area. That' s it. You're intercepting. What are you going to do then, where are you going to get the water then, it won't be coming off our premises? Shable: Well, it'll still be going through your premises . Anything that comes from up above has still got to go somewhere. Moffatt: ( Well, when it hit, when it does, we intercept and take it around. Now, if it' s flowing under us , it ' s not practical to go down, it' s not going to be a pollution problem because it' s below you. Shable: It isn't something going under you because you 've got sandstone there. It' s got to come up through your landfill . Why won't it come up through your landfill . Moffatt: Well, fine. . . Shable: It can't do anything else. Moffatt: You can intercept it, can't you? 37 931061 Shable: I don't think you intercept it that good. That' s my own personal opinion. I 'm no engineer. I 've been in water a long time and I know it just can't be done. Moffatt: We have intercepted. Chairman: Are there any more questions? Guy, any more? Shable: Oh, I 've got some other questions. Chairman: We want to hear all this as a matter of record. Shable: Well, to start with I own this land: East 1/2 of E 1/2 Section 6 , Township 4N R66 W that joins this land on the SW corner and it joins next to Ella Spomer ' s lake. My main objection to this landfill here is that is the trash and stuff that' s going to blow off from it. Our prevailing winds are from the north, northeast and northwest, and that will run all this here trash is going to blow. You say you are going to put up screens . I 've seen screens and I 've also seen your man you've talked about and he seems to be a pretty good man. I 've check that down here and he is working. But there still is trash that gets away from you. Moffatt: We don't have any screens out there yet. Shable: I 'm talking about the roads. He' s not working out in the fill where the wind blows , he ' s working where it blows off the trucks, is that right? Moffatt: Well, he works all around the place. Shable: Well every time I 've seen him he' s been on the highway. But anyway my main objection is that this 38 331061 here pollution problem, the water problem and this here, and then the main thing is , I haven' t talked to the County Commissioners about it yet but just a little bit. I planned on making a housing project out there myself and this here, you know what that will do to my housing project. You just as well say goodbye to it; nobody's going to buy land where there' s landfill with garbage. I figure the valuation of my land is going to go down and should be going up instead of down. And I think that there are plenty of drainage on that. But I have an alternate plan for you. Now, you can't say everything' s bad. I mean if you're going to say everything' s bad you've got to have an alternate plan, right? I and my brother have some land out here on the dry land and I say there ' s the place where you ought to take your landfill. We have 960 acres out there and I haven't talked to him and I don't know if he' s or not. But we will sell it to you. Moffatt: Where' s it at? Shable: 11 miles straight east of Ault. It won' t bother anybody. Moffatt: We've got a landfill up in that area, you know. The problem we've got right now is everybody' s on our back because they don't want us to move this far out. I imagine you've got a banker man right here and he' ll probably tell you he don't want to go this far. 39 3:1061 Shable: Big study. Did you read that in the paper where out in California they're figuring on moving that by boat out into the desert area? Moffatt: Well, that' s not the point, we know, the thing is Shable: Well, we've got that coming up. Moffatt: We've got a closer site than that but the problem we've got you know is they don't want to increase the cost again. We've tried our utmost, every direction we could, and publicly and every way to get a piece of ground that is as close in as we can get for the benefit of everybody. Shable: Let me ask you a question, then. You say this will increase your costs. Right? Moffatt: Partly. I 'm not saying that you're saying that. I guess the cost of where we are at now, we are an expensive operation. Shable: Well, I don't know why they let you go down on the river to start with. Moffatt: Because they had [coughing] and you've got to look back at the times. When we started this you didn't have the same problems. But if you. . . Shable: You're not hauling the garbage, is that right? Moffatt: No, no, we don't. Shable: Then how will it increase your costs? Moffatt: In which way? 40 931061 Shable: You said if you went away from Greeley a ways it will increase your costs. Moffatt: Well, no, but we're concerned with the people that are. This will increase the costs of all your moving. Shable: If you've got a site that will last you for 50 years without any trouble, you don't have water problems, you don't have slate problems, you can go down 50 feet down without any slate; we have tests out there that prove that. Moffatt: I believe that, but like I said that really isn ' t up to me and I know what you've run into. I just know because we do have our problem. Shable: You are looking for a place, is that right? Moffatt: Yes, now we are looking for a place . We are looking for a place as close in as we can get due to the people who are calling for a landfill . Shable: You say this place here will last 15 years, is that right. Moffatt: I think so. Shable: I say it won' t last 5. Moffatt: Well , then you're badly informed. Shable: I 'm not badly informed. I 've lived here all my life and I know that place better than anyone . Moffatt: We're just getting into discussion that has nothing to do with what we are talking about. 41 931061 Shable: Well I 've been over every foot of that land with plows. Moffatt: It' s a lot deeper, but then Shable: I don't think you have. Moffatt: I 've been over it. I won't start wrestling. Shable: I don't want to start wrestling too. Moffatt: Nobody Shable: Anyway the reason that I think that all this plan to get you out in the dry land where you don' t have no population to bother you, all you 've got out there is jack rabbits and antelope. . . . Moffatt: You have to sell that to . Just as I said, Chairman: I think we are going to have to hold this to this problem, Guy. I don't want to break up the fight and. . . Shable: That' s all I 've got to say, I was just giving them an alternate plan. Chairman: Let' s stick to the case. I appreciate your comments. Now is there anyone else, that. . . . is there anything else you want to talk about, Guy? But we've got to stick to this case is the one we're talking about. Mr. Carlson. Carlson: My name' s Bill Carlson, Route 3 , Box 431 , and shown the access roads, supposedly going out from the Ashton School House west and then north. Moffatt: We haven't made yet. . . . 42 9a1061 Carlson: About a mile and three quarters of dirt road. It is unnecessary to oil them in the first place. I 'm against the whole thing myself , I 've got a small amount of property out there and it doesn't join but I don' t like to see my property being close to a city dump. And, I especially don't want to see the traffic and the kind of people who are going to be going up and down those roads ; sixteen, eighteen hours a day. Bringing these trash trucks coming through. Another thing on the sort of waste. What happens to the offal the guts and what not that say Greeley meat is refuse. Where' s it go? Chairman: Denver. Carlson: Does it go to the landfill. Chairman: Colorado, ah Animal Byproducts in Denver. Carlson: It does go to Denver? Voice 9 I don't think you're going to get any of that type of fill at all in this because there ' s value and all that. I guess the closest statement that comes to something like that is they don't save the sweet oil ( 7 ) of a pig anymore and think Curley ( ? ) you don' t have any of this have you at all? Curley? I don't, really I wouldn't know, let' s look at. . . . No, I think that stuff ' s all trucked to Denver. Voice 9 You mentioned Greeley Meat out here , and I know they have a truck and all this is loaded right into it 43 921061 Curley? Right, even this place next door, they pick up all that stuff from there, so. . . . but the access road I don't know Mr. Carlson what. . . [Brief interruption in tape] Back up west. Carlson: It doesn't make good sense to me because we [unintelligible due to overspeaking] go north, west of Ashton Schoolhouse and then back down south and it doesn't make sense to me at all . Curley? I think, Mr. Carlson, the reason they probably gave that is because it was easier to find from that description. Voice 10? But as far as traffic, I agree with you they' ll go round the oil anyway. You won't drive the dirt roads yourself if you're coming out the other way you can go around the oil. Anybody comes from the other direction would anyway, just naturally. Carlson: What hours and what days are you keeping that open? Moffatt: A sixteen/eighteen hours a day isn' t so. See we open at 7 : 30 in the morning and close at 4 : 30 in the afternoon. We're open 8 : 30 till 11 : 30 on a Sunday morning. Your hours aren't that great. Chairman: Ms. Carlson, will you give your name please? 44 9n1061 Carlson: Carol Carlson, Route 3, Box 431 . I was wondering about who uses it? Is this open to the public? Everybody and their pickups and-- Moffatt: Everyone Carlson: --they come out there? Moffatt: Yes. Carlson: What's to keep them signs put out there? To direct them to the dump? All around the way around. Moffatt: Once the thing is confirmed we' ll make up signs and put arrows on, you know, LANDFILL. We' ll probably put out a mimeograph sheet giving maps on how to get there and probably give it out 60 days in advance of when we close the existing one, so that all the users would have opportunity, plus. . . . Carlson: What do you do with the people who want to take a short cut? Moffatt: In what regard? Carlson: Oh, it' s shorter to go from the schoolhouse. Moffatt: Well, I can't do anything about that at all, you know. I mean this is something I don't have anything to say about it. Carlson: Well, if the neighbors object to it? Moffatt: Possibly, the Commissioners will have to decide on it. Chairman: If I 'm right on the law, the law says that a county shall provide a road to the dump--period. 45 931061 That's all we can do with road and bridge money to provide a road to the dump, is that right Tom? Tom: At this point I don't know if there is a final determination made in the course of County business to black top any given. . . . Chairman: But we have to provide an adequate road to the dump, and that' s as far as we can go to spend County money. In other words , we can't go inside the dump premises other than maybe help out with a dust problem or something in the case of an emergency which we did down here one time. We have to be oiling out there in front of that dump and we had about 500 gallon oil left over that we were going to have to haul back so we oiled round the office there to keep the dust down. But that' s as far as we can go on something like that. [The tape becomes very poor quality at this point. ] Carlson: But what do you do about the people that want to take a short cut. Do you come back in here and try to Chairman: the road will have to be oiled Ma'am, there won't be any short cuts unless you go down there to the, and come in a mile east of the old Carlson place, and I don't think they' ll be driving that road when they can go oiled both ways. 46 cin Ar4 Carlson: Well, I was wondering, our road because there ' s a very dangerous corner by our house. We saw 5,003 last year right on account of that I sure wouldn't want this traffic on that road. Chairman: Right is there anyone else? Do you have any more questions, Mrs. Carlson? Garcia: Yes, my name is Arthur Garcia and me and my father, we own this place. My concern is blowing paper an open ditch I have to run my water through that place because it would be . In a screen all the way around, any way, seeing blowing paper being what it is and if you got it any time in the ditch where you run water 24 hours a day and if it ever got in there at any time and create damage Moffatt: I assure you that we will take care of it, whether there screens, leaves or , but you won' t have any problems. Chairman: Ms. Telep, do you have? Telep: I 'm Myrtle Telep and I heard about this from my parents, Mr. and Mrs. Knister, and I really am sorry that you couldn't find some other place other than out there because I think that just beautiful and I hate to see a dump there, isn't there some other place? Can't you keep looking for a while? Moffatt: Well, we can then Mrs. Telep what we ' re up against everyone is all on our backs in the other direction, 47 9:4061 get off the river where are we going to go? Pretty soon you're going to have to go somewhere. Telep: Out on the dryland. Guy said he had some Moffatt: You sell the public on that and you can go to the dry land. Telep: O.K. Guy Thank you, that' s one Chairman: Go ahead Paul ( ? ) Paul ( ? ) I was not prepared to give the legal description of anything but the gravel pit of Torrez out here? Chairman: Can't dump in open water. Paul ( ? ) Oh, that' s open water? Chairman: Paul ( ? ) Like I said, I wasn't prepared Chairman: Bob? Give us your name for the. . . . Licher: I 'm Bob Licher, if that' s what you . Our distance from the city of that, [Tape is extremely difficult to hear with traffic noises and distance from the recorder. A passage concerning distance has not been transcribed as being too patchy to be accurate. ] Bob: A question I am a good question. About three years ago when we opened up landfill at the present location, we were told trash haulers that the landfill would be open the same as the city. I was 48 931061 given from April 1 to October 1 for a period of one hour extra during the summer months and if we have to travel this further distance, we are going to need this extra hour. Chairman: Carl ( ? ) , I think that is something you can work out with Earl. I think Earl: I agree. Bob: It' s going to take us two hours and we make two loads, and four men on those trucks , the trash rates are going to have to go up. Moffatt: Still going to Voice: Bob what kind of raise. . . Bob: If you raise them any more the public is going to start hollaring and screaming worse than what they did before. Voice: Unless you . How much difference do you think that raise will have to be? Bob: Two hours a day at 25% of my day shot if we haul two loads . Voice How many loads would you be able to haul out to the Sandhills per day? If you're out here Bob: About about 5 or 6 loads now. Voice: I say, if you had a landfill out in the Sandhills which has been suggested, how many loads a day would you be able to haul on a 30-mile round trip? Bob: 30 miles? 49 831061 Voice: 15 out and 15 back. Chairman: Oh, it will be more than that. Voice: Oh, I 'd hate to go that far. Bob: At least a half of your day. I 'd have a full hour route and a four hour run, Chris ( ? ) Voice: We're talking about doubling our fees . Bob: Well, it just too costly to go out 15 miles. Voice: What is there 7 Bob: Putting in a transfer station, and I don' t think the City of Greeley like transfer stations or dumps or anything else around this community. I know I wouldn't. Voice: You got that distance you'd end up with transfer stations . [Difficult to distinguish with traffic noises or something. ] Voice: The general opinion on 15 miles is the farthest. . . . I hereby certify that the foregoing document consisting of 50 pages is a partial transcript of the 1971 County Hearing Central Weld Landfill and was taken by me directly from two tapes of said Hearing. I further certify that any text which has been omitted for reasons of inaudibility or any other reason has been indicated by blank lines, or other appropriate notation. Dated: January 14 , 1993 . Estelle Kennel , an er 50 Continuation of transcript of tape taken at the 1971 County Hearing, Central Weld Landfill: . . .I mean, think about everything else. Moffatt: Old Mosburg, even when he hauls quarters 10 miles, everything beyond that he knows is extra. Waste of money, waste of time, waste of equipment. For every mile driven, we've got to pay a ton mile Voice: [ Indecipherable] We've got to keep a record of that. Voice: Trash is getting pretty high. We know it' s going to go higher because the cost of everything else is going. I just bought a couple of pieces of equipment 36-37 Thousand Dollars. That' s why buying a house up here you take 45 years to pay a house off , but we 've got to pay these trucks off in 3 years. This is just a 10% right off the top with us with this cost of landfill. There' s no way out of it. But I would like that extra hour during the summer time, Earl . Moffatt: Well , I 've got everything from you, I 've got my work out. . . . Voice: That's all I need. Chairman: Russell Billings back here. Bob: Oh, there's one other question. Chairman: Go ahead Bob. We' ll let you get everything on the tape. Bob: That Record? Chairman: Yes. 51 9:1061 Bob: Earl, the Windsor Landfill is still where it' s at at the present time? Moffatt: Yes, we don't have any problem with it; we don' t have any reason to move it, and I my friend, but it's all decent over there. You see the Windsor has been picking up all our trash. . . you still use it, too don't you? Bob: Right. Moffatt: Yes it will still be there. Bob: O.K. Chairman: Russell Billings. Billings: I 'm Russell Billings and I represent First National Bank as agent on land--in fact it may have been on the land that we're talking about but I didn ' t know anything about this until I got to the notice. As agent it' s my job to try to better these farms ; improve the . I think I 'm doing it Especially when you say it' s going to take 15 to 20 or 25 years. The landfill out there certainly isn't going to help the value of any this land during that period of time. I think we all realize that the growth of Greeley is west; as Horace Greeley always said -- "Go West, young man, Go West! " Greeley told them that and I think this will take their land right in the line of development and it' s pretty good developed land back down there to the south at this time. 52 931061 I wasn't aware that the land was being sold and when I talked to people that I represent they just didn't seem to be aware of what it was being sold for, or they indicated they wouldn't consider it at all . So, that' s my feelings about it. Chairman: Mr. Billings could you state for the Record please who you're the agent . . . ? Billings: You need my home residence, or. . . . Chairman: No. Who you're testifying as agent, who. . . . Billings: I 'm agent for the First National Bank. That is we are agents for. . . you want to know who I 'm working for? Chairman: Yes, yes please. Billings: I 'm agent for Ann Fulmer. I 'm agent for Realton. Chairman: O.K. , thank you. Billings: That is the bank agent I represent. . . Chairman: Represent the bank, yes. Chairman: Herm? Fry Clarence Fry . 13 , 14 , 15 . I agree with Earl on some parts. We 've got to go somewhere with the trash. Presently we 're hauling two towns . It' s going to be a nine-mile haul , roughly 8 or 9 miles from Greeley. All right, what do I do with haul . Do I haul that for 14 miles. . . a road sign that says Greeley, from Ault to Greeley. O.K. add another 9 53 sf 061 miles on to it. same way, I add another 9 miles from Greeley to Kersey by road. . . . Chairman: What' s your cost per mile? Fry Never figured it out. Chairman: You're a hell of a trucker! Fry Well, I tell you, this is a long way to haul . Voice: You could use that sanitary landfill 7 miles straight east of Ault on Highway 14 . Fry: O.K. open it up for us. We' ll dump there tomorrow. Moffatt: Clarence, it' s open. If you' ll work with us , we've have a man there all day, already, every day of the week. So all you have to do it cooperate with us so we know because we've got to get it covered, you know. Fry That' s two loads a week coming out Ault, Earl . Moffatt: Why haven't you talked to us about it? Fry I talked to Joe about it earlier. Moffatt: Well, I don't think this place stays open. Fry I know it. Moffatt: But I don't think that should increase your Ault run there but it will increase your Ault to Greeley, there' s no question about that. Fry But I agree with Earl ' s project on this piece of ground out there, the way it sounds to me. . . I 've never been out there. Sounds to me like it's a piece of 54 971061 ground that isn't being used for much. Well , the one man says he'd like to build houses , so do a good job of filling it, and then turn it into a park. Moffatt: There's a big quarrel about that but I don't know what else. Chairman: It' s happening all over. Billings : On behalf of my clients I would like to say this , that they do object to using that east 40 acres . The reason, that that' s right out on the road and it' s going to be used for such a long time that it' s going to depreciate the value of their land out there. Now, Mrs. Fulmer isn't going to be here forever and she isn't an old lady but she doesn't want to see her land depreciated for the next 15 years . And, Mr. and Mrs . Wagner live up to the north and the west of there and they don't want to see their land depreciated. The rest of the signers on that petition feel the same way, and there isn't any information on the soil conditions in that land, except that it' s seepy. And it looks to me like it' s an expensive proposition for Landfill , Inc. to go into and if it' s an expensive proposition for them to go into, it'sgoing to make it all the more likely that they're going to have to do everything they can to cut corners and make things break even for them. And, we want to file this petition at this time, and if 55 971061 you'd care to, I ' ll read the names into the Record so that they can be part of the Record. Chairman: I think we will accept them as Voice: Mr. Chairman they are listed on the petition together with their addresses and the properties in which they have ownership or interest. The petition itself is marked as "Protestants ' Exhibit A" and the map Mr. Waldo submitted is marked as "Protestants ' Exhibit B" and in the absence of objection, I recommend that they be included in the Record as they stand. Chairman: We' ll accept them as Exhibit A and B and if you want to mark that other one Ralph. Ralph: No, this is a copy of that one, a copy of the petition. Chairman: Oh, all right. I think that rather. . . this tape has to be transcribed and this can be made a part of the Record, Ralph, rather than. . . . Ralph: All right, fine. Now if you want a little additional homework, there' s a real good article on garbage pollution in the Better Homes and Gardens for October 1971 , and maybe we could get some ideas about recycling or something that would save the land, or save the depreciation of property and everything else on this. It's a pretty interesting article there . Moffatt: You know, Ralph, on the depreciation of property, it was all wasted down on that river. The whole thing 56 $ 1O61 was all subject to overflow. Now, if you put a nice dike in there, since July the water' s went down, so we stuck a lot footing in there, we dressed up all the old car bodies in the banks, and with that dike in there, enterprising people have bought the piece of ground the other side of it and they're putting in a mobile court, which they would not have been able to do had not that dike been built down through that river; which it could never have been built down there with money just out of your pocket. So it was built without any taxpayer money involved in it and it' s taken all those trees out, thereby ensuring less chance of flooding that bridge in there, and the surrounding ground, and I got to disagree pretty strongly because it's upgraded all that ground around through there. And, it' s not going to be an unsightly thing because. . .over on that west side. . .we've learned a lot and we've got a lot better piece of ground now. I don' t know what the expenses will be but they've been terrific down there because we've had to bring everything out of the river, everything went and bring it over to get covered. We're going for depth out there now. And the thing gets covered every night, so you're just talking about a small piece of area that will be open in the day and closed in the night. 57 331.061 Ralph: Earl, if you go 50 feet deep you're going to be below the water level out there in those ponds. Moffatt: If you. . . it depends on what you' re talking about. When you come from daylight to bottom and you take it to the top, I don't know what it will be, we ' ll see what it will be, Ralph. But that ground falls a lot, awful fast down there. Ralph: I don't think it goes 50 feet. Moffatt: Well, I don't know. You' ll have to drive and see. Whatever. Ralph: C I 'm trying to visualize how high it's going to get; a kind of mountain in there, when you get through with it. Moffatt: Well, no. When you get through with it, it will be fenced out and put in a piece of tillable ground and that' s something it isn't now. Ralph: You've got to take out what' s in there now and then you've got to add in 50 feet of trash and compact and then put like 50 feet on that. Moffatt: ( Yes, but you're filling out down the grade all the time, you see. The hill ' s falling away, you' ll be building out below you. Chairman: Mrs. Telep, you have another question? Telep: Well, I just think you'll have a mesa when you get through. You' ll have a table land won' t you. Moffatt: Yes. Well, no 58 Telep: I think that looks like the dickens. Moffatt: No, it will be brought down in banks . It won' t just go out like this and then drop straight over. Besides it will be sloped off so that they meet the road on whatever dirt will stand good. Chairman: Mrs. Carlson. Carlson: What happens between now and, say, 25 years when somebody wants to buy the properties. I they won't buy it. . . it's too close to a landfill. Chairman: That hasn't been the case in the East. We were on one in Peoria, Illinois, Billings and I , and they filled almost 160 acres of cap and fill Billings : We were actually at this landfill , a lot of it was dredging the river and they were pumping silt right out of the river filling up seep areas and dumping other trash and stuff in there with the silt and, according to Caterpillar, they'd built this huge, it' s their brand new foundry for all their parts . They built it right on top of that. Got quite a folder on landfills but I gave away some of the articles like Ralph had. One development back in the Kansas City area where they had something pretty similar to what' s being done out at Evans now. They reclaimed some lowlands and had a 15 story apartment building built right on top of it and landscaped and an 18-hole golf course and everything. There are excellent possibilities of 59 8:1061. reclaiming poor land back to good use on land if the job is done right. But, there is very little questions about this, I think those people from the Health Department here would verify my statement. Voice: Mr. Chairman, I have some pictures I took this morning I 'd like to pass around in this . Mr. Moffatt hasn't built this yet and if you can see anything against this view from the road, from the bridge, and I took just one picture and you can see from yourself water color. It' s sand, but I think. . . and he hasn ' t built this yet. have to heap it on top. So I think its just. . . . a good part of land never get through-- [coughing--indistinguishable] --soil over there and this is sand here. Chairman: All right, at this time does anybody have anything else for or against? Are there any other questions anybody'd like to ask? Go ahead Guy. Guy: You said to keep this here. But I still say I didn't know Ault-Kersey came into this deal, does it? Chairman: Well, here' s the situation we're in Guy, and this for the. . . "take that off" [the tape seems to clicks off ] . Guy: You're going to take it out here Marsh. This is clear to West 8 where all these towns, you can take it out there in the dryland where I suggested, you said 60 not to mention that, but I 'm still going to re-mention it. Now from Ault we're just 11 miles ; from Kersey we'd be 15; from Greeley here the closest would probably be around 25 to 6 miles, maybe. Moffatt: There' s where your volume is now. Guy" Yea, I know that' s where your volume is. But, this boy here, you just said in your statement, that after you get a load on, and I know it' s the same because I do a lot of trucking myself , it don' t cost very much more to go another 10 miles. It costs a little, we'll admit that. But 10 miles doesn' t mean a thing and these boys said they're going to lose a lot of time. I don't know how fast their trucks go, but if they're going 40 miles an hour, which I 'm sure they do, and they go 10 miles , what is it 15 minutes? Moffatt: They can't go out there in that time, it would take them 30-35 with all the corners , and all . Guy: I mean, extra time of what they're going. So I think this proposition that I 've given you've got 960 acres and there'd be no water problem or anything out there, and I 'd rather see the land out there put into that kind of a deal; I 've already studied the land out there and this out here, because this is going to hurt my property out here terrifically. My value going down. Like Mr. Billings said, back there, he thought of making a housing project on that land and I thought 61 of the same thing of mine. I have I think a little better land that he does, but either way they are both good housing projects. Now this may not happen the next 5 years but I think eventually it will, because Greeley is growing West. And I personally, before you O.K. this here site out there, I 'd like for you to look at this other deal and see if it isn't feasible. And that' s my suggestion. Chairman: Well it' s these two boys back here ' s the ones that have to worry about that. Can you afford to run 50 miles round trip? Voice: Not sending a truck and a crew. Voice: Our problem is this Marsh. We make our money off of customers that we serve. The less dollars that you take away from the customer serves , only makes an add-on to the customers that we do serve. Some place along the line we have to protect our customers from cost. We realize it' s a problem. Nobody wants it in their back yard. I wouldn't want it in mine; now this is true. It' s a matter of a policing action to take care of what you have, that' s all that' s necessary. May sure there is no pollution. Chairman: All right, at this time if there isn't any more questions? Will the people supporting this application please hold up their right hand. Take a count Gale. 62 People supporting the action? Or the people supporting the application? Gale: 8 Chairman: Let the Record show there' s 8 people supporting the application. Now the people that' s opposing the application? Gale: 12 Chairman: Let the Record show there' s 12 people opposing the application. Is there anything else to come before this hearing? If not, I ' ll declare it closed. [Again, the tape appears to have been turned off . ] Voice: I 'd like to hold that over and make an on-site inspection. Chairman: We're going to have to go. . . . Voice: . . .out the over the weekend and try to find it, find where it was posted. Couldn't find where it was posted, or where it was actually at. Chairman: His option runs out on that property, I think next Monday. [Muttering] Voice: I haven't even had the time to think about it or I haven't seen it either. . . . Chairman: Why don't we run out there or he ' ll lose his option if we decide whichever way we go on this. Drop property, what have you got on that Byron? 63 8C1.061. Billings: I had a call this morning from an attorney whose representing Roger Gump and it seems as though Roger Gump is not the only person who owns that property at this point, which I didn't know. If he would ask. . . he had asked. . . he had just been assigned in this case and hadn't had time to actually find out what the problems were. Mr. Gump and the other owners , the other two owners of the property, asked for a continuance for this until next Wednesday so that they could bring in actually 3 different proposals as to construction of that road and I told him, as far as I was concerned, that time was kind of running out. That there was in our approval of that zone change a time limit for construction to be started, and he said he couldn' t speak for Mr. Gump but the other two owners of the property were quite interested in getting construction started immediately and wanted to get all the problems straightened out, so I told him I would bring it before the Board and see if it was possible to continue this until next Wednesday, when they could actually bring out all the facts . I think we are going to need Chairman: I don't think. . . It think it' s a problem between Byron and them. What do you know about it Byron? Byron: Well, other than [female voice interrupted with "why don't you listen to this guy; what do you know 64 931.061. about him?" ] criteria we have established although we did extend it out to allow for expansion if he kept the same criteria. I want a that says the road he had it. Now if they want to go ahead and propose a Voice: What are they proposing, Byron: The real difference is they want it this way. This map that you have here, as indicated is fine . That' s. . . . I 'd like to see what else they can come up with. Chairman: How many hours did you spend on that--100? Byron: Oh, not that much, really. Probably a total of about a week' s time. Chairman: I 'm going to overrule him. Welfare security, we'll want to talk to Jeannie on that. Voice: I 've got the information to the County Attorney. I guess he hasn't had time to do anything. Chairman: O.K. Make a resolution for a request of Larimer Weld Regional Planning Commission. I don't know what that means . Voice: Which one is that? Voices: [ Indistinct] Chairman: [Tape appears to be recorded over, briefly. ] We are not sending to the Board of County Commissioners a decision concerns a hearing we held approximately a week ago on Landfill , Incorporated, 65 3 ..061 granting a land use permit of sanitary landfill can fill in the legal description on the Record. At this time I think it is in order to make a decision on the granting of this land use permit to Landfill, Incorporated. At this time, gentlemen, what' s your pleasure? Voice: Chairman, I move for the approval . Chairman: Byron what do you say? Byron: I 'm not thoroughly convinced that this is possibly the ideal location. I still have mixed emotions about what decision I should make, I 'll have to vote "No" . Chairman: The Chair will vote yes on this decision. Let the Record reflect the vote is 2 to 1 for the operation of a landfill on the described property as shown on the application. With that we'll call this hearing closed and the application is GRANTED. I hereby certify that the foregoing pages 51 through 66 of this document are the continuation of the transcript of tapes of the 1971 County Hearing, Central Weld Landfill , taken directly from the tape recording thereof . I further certify that any text which has been omitted for reason of inaudibility or any other reason has been indicated by blank lines or other appropriate notation. -7 Dated: February 19 , 1993 5 /€-& -e is Estelle Kenne 1 sober 66 2:1064 COLORADO DEPARTMENT .EALTH - 4210 East 11th Ave - Denver, CO. 80220 File Copy Transmittal I .O.C. 17// July 2, 1980 Board of County Commissioners Weld County 915 10th Street Greeley, Colorado 80631 Attention: June Steinmark, Chairman Gentlemen: A representative of this Division recently conducted inspections of the following solid waste disposal sites: 31 Disposal operated by Stan Rech near Roads 18 and 31; We],dCnunty i■neo.i, Inc., operated by Bill Cannon near Roads .35 and 12; Colorado_Landfill, Inc., operated by Lynn Keirnes near Road 61 and U.S. 85; and Greeley—Millikin Landfill operated by Lynn Keirnes approximately three miles south of Road 54 and west of Road 271/2. The inspection at 31 Disposal revealed evidence of potential for serious ground— water pollution. Areas of dead vegetation and rust colored deposits along the road into the site were noted. Water could be seen bubbling up from the ground and running down into this area. Also, trucks dumping directly into the emergency lagoon had eroded away the clay liner in several areas. Weld County Disposal, Inc., was operating the day of inspection with one unlined pit in use. This showed evidence for the potential for groundwater contamination. Colorado Landfill, Inc., appeared to be well operated and near completion. Because the fill is located in an old gravel pit approximately 11/2 ft. above groundwater, there is concern for groundwater pollution. Also, methane gas has been detected on site in levels as high as 60% by volume. At present there are very few buildings adjacent to the site. However, with the completion of the site, methane gas would be a concern regarding future land use. The Greeley—Milliken Landfill sits on a hill. Surface runoff over old cells could contaminate the two ponds situated directly below the fill at the vest end of the /)</N X.eite. EXHIBIT I 4 . D. - (O p -_ Prepared by: ,9 a, , Approved by: Legal Concurrence: Date: Date: Date: Executive Director's Action: Signed: Date Mailed: 7 t-cF a Returned unsigned: Date: ez-cJ AD 36 A - (Rev. ) (10-74-50) 931961 Board of County Commissioners July 2, 1980 page 2 As operated these sites are in noncompliance with the Solid Waste Sites and Facilities Act 30-20 Part I, C.R.S. 1973, as amended and the regulations issued pursuant to that act. Under regulations recently promulgated pursuant to the Federal Resource Conservation and Recovery Act of 1976, these facilities will be considered open dumps. This requires the creation of compliance schedules for the proper upgrading or closure of these sites. We would like to request a meeting of the Commissioners and Representatives of this Division at your eatliest convenience to discuss this matter. If you have any questions, please contact Joan Sowinski of this Division. Sincerely Nir Albert J. Basle, Director Radiation and Hazardous Wastes Control Division AJH:JSsew • cc: Don Holmer, Water Quality Control Division John Hall, Weld County Health Department S:A: .061 fifer W Co• Ce..r.nis/On on 7-1 -70 SOLID WASTE FACILITY INSPECTION Compliance a/ Non-compliance Open Dump t C '7ounty Date / gr Located in Facility CnP e e ,o y Incorporated Area / / Location Current Operator y t1 r a M� Mailing Address of Operator ex, n) s h/ C v e CjQ P,e1e' p Current Owner (If different) 1 1 Mailing Address of Owner (All items checked must be explained in supplemental report) I. Public Health and/or Environmental Hazards (Department enforcement against violations) 1// t 2 &A. Evidence of Industrial Waste Disposal l n1O1a s> 3 WATe -Pkorn G W) V B. Evidence of Potential for Sa... E Surface or Ground Water Pollution C. Surface Diversion/Containment Facilities Inadequate or not Maintained D. Landfill Gas Migration Concerns ✓ E. Sludge or Septic Pumpings Disposal on Site (Unauthorized) 7 F. Safety Hazards G. Non-Compliance with Approved Design and Operation H. Other * REMEDIAL ACTION REQUIRED II. Minimum Standards, CRS 30, 20-110 (Locally enforced standards) A. Odors and/or Vectors Present B. Inadequate and/or Irregular Cover C. Inadequate Fencing (to control access and windblown debris) D. Burning apparent E. Not Designated and/or Improperly Zoned �/77 INSPECTING ENGINEERS RECOMMENDATIONSFOR SITE IMPROVEMENT e n - r s ^.a 0 -F / n e r i� Ml a ste_ c P e'fn c,P_ .517 n it /i'f Le Q i t � - 1 I \Inn ;_f n i ; i�o 1 r�-1--S b P-r, ,, e Si it 4nel _ponds Sbn1sIc4 aonSrrle cl • tst"? , ci- erm t P' R 3j- u_A * t[kite (Y� nrk(` iZni. ndu7n- -e L J O, p IC 1•l r j. u,t sa. O � can ",<_L t�� i ii l•cZ„ 3 F2 c i cn d v i a'1 II Complaints Received (Attach copies) Action Taken r RO b Ie.YY1S IV. Remarks ` Reo't \ L,* ``d; C�rt"�j r_ ,n-F q(� t7nn` rd "-cc rnr5in Scr'S rd-P i7 n'F fi ra c . r _ k , , 1 r( C rl P �-, . �,� � - l t C P � 1 '•� c'F' inn r\ r M R 2ff _pn 4 gt-PR • n l- u r�rl-P r1 . °YeSA. 11 n \pie-ell( it,Cr) ' 'Dc, 1YlnS --Inn (- 1r* S r-zp• tPrl -r-n siSi F' x 1er Je- - ri 't'r� b r rl r to r ►t - i o - I S -41- nn rt S "' Rev (Name) PRESENT AT INSPECTION It 11 EXHIBIT /yen Wa-esche • oa n C ' J rl i f}, Q ' I (5nitj n SLcr , rhntr1r1 E/Q fY\el —� �1�e rt 0 iyp�I S nr. J e p f� Inspecting Engineer c6L424_4 .4 I` Cp.4O1 2 DAI *-2.31O41. (WHITE COPY-FLLF_1_. tvPr.r.nw rncv- IPF.RATDRI (PINK COPY-COUNTY) (GOLD COPY-D.E.) COLORADO DEPARTMENT 1HEALTH - 4210 East 11th Aven ) - Denver, CO. 80220 File Copy % Transmittal I .O.C. / . __ i :) , 7 c ,_ _, - . L — July 30, 1980 . r _ - \- - - vr- LjThl Board of County Commissioners - >', Weld County , 915 10th Street Greeley, Colorado 80631 " r -' -. `! Attn: Ms. June Steinmark, Chairperson Gentlemen: On July 23, 1980, representatives of this Division and the Weld County 1 .J Health Department met with the Weld County Commissioners to discuss po- tential problems at several solid waste disposal sites in Weld County, ;\'!-' Colorado. A brief summary of the discussions held on each site is - i' presented below. \- 1) Brighton - Fort Lupton Landfill - This landfill is nearing completion and is due to be closed approximately September 1, 1980. Potential problems which could arise at this site - `\ in the future are methane gas migration and leachate formation. It may be necessary to drill several leachate and gas monitor- ing wells around the site as development encroaches upon it. 2) Greeley - Milliken Landfill - This landfill is located in an area of high groundwater. The high groundwater levels may be due to agricultural return flows. Unless modifications are made to 1 intercept and divert the groundwater, a leachate may develop at this facility and contaminate the adjacent ponds. The co-die- posal of liquids and solid waste at this facility should be discontinued. The liquids (molasses water) should be separately � disposed of in a shallow lagoon. + 4 c C .,, <-1\ 3) Weld County Disposal, Inc. and 31 Disposal, Inc. - Both of the , ' .G\l' facilities treat and dispose of liquid wastes and have had \ ' seepage problems in the past. As the Weld County Commissioners and the Water Quality Control Division of this Department have <:\ .. _ ^ ; . been deeply involved in correcting the problems at these sites, `\:- . this Division does not believe it necessary to become involved \�. at this time. Prepared by: Approved by: Legal Concurrence: Date: p. Date: Executive Director's Action: EXHIBIT Date Mailed: ,.r —/— et 0 N ed: Date: Z'c,t) AD 36 A - (Rev. ) (10-74-50) ` ` � ' 1 Z ;1 Th Board of County Coessioners — July 30, 1980 •r ^� il Attn: Ms. Steineark - page 2 In summary, both the Brighton - Fort Lupton and the Greeley - Milliken Landfills are in compliance with the applicable State and Federal Statutes at this time. We appreciate having the opportunity to have met with you and hope that you will not hesitate to ask, if we can be of any assistance in the future. Sinncerely, l r-L L E. Albert J. Hazle, Director Radiation and Hazardous Wastes Control Division AJH:KLW:ev cc: Sam Cooper, District Engineer John Hail, Weld County Environmental Health Director Margo Nielson, Environmental Protection Agency S 3:1.061. TELEP AND TELEP ATTORNEYS AT LAW 2315-54th Avenue Greeley, Colorado 80634 $n,nuel S Telep (3031 33043100 Cynthia J Telep Residence(301)3304942 CERTIFIED MAIL Eares Park. Colorado RETURN RECEIPT REQUESTED (103)586-1131 George Kennedy, Chairman July 17, 1992 Constance L. Harbert, Commissioner Gordon E. Lacy, Commissioner C. W. Kirby, Commissioner William H. Webster, Commissioner WELD COUNTY/BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS Centennial Center 915 IOth Street Greeley, CO 80631 Re: Notice of Non-Compliance - Greeley-Milliken Landfill Certificate of Designation No. 21 (Original Cart. No. 261 Final Closure Engineering Design and Elevation Contours REQUEST FOR HEARING Dear Commissioners: I would like to express my concern about the dump owned and controlled by Waste Management of Colorado, Inc. located southwest of Greeley, near the Little Thompson River, in Sec. 32-T5N-R66W of 6th P.M. About 21 years ago I was involved in the conception of the existing facility. At that time it was agreed that because of the Evans dump reaching its capacity we needed to find a new location. Due to nuisance and being located in a major drainage area, it was proposed that the new site would be used for a maximum of 15 years. The adjacent land owners felt that this was a time limit that they could live with. Final closure envisioned irrigable land which would not impair Knister, Shable, Garcia or Spomer properties' planned land use, water flow or quality, or line of sight views by becoming a dominant land form.. That was the agreement that permitted the site to go unchallenged by lawsuits which would have prevailed because the decision was clearly against the weight of the evidence, testimony and known hydrogeology. We urge you, as Commissioners, to listen to official audio tapes of the hearing because they are an important part of the administrative record in this matter. We, as neighboring property owners, performed our part of the bargain. Now 21 years after the fact, six years and (31 owners past the target date of closure, and well past the natural fill capacity of the 1971 plan, it appears that this dump is to be used forever. From a common sense point of view I would like to make the following observations; • - 21 years ago this facility was not engineered for its present day use. - inc height of the artificial structure has been permitted to rise higher than the natural fill capacity of the site, unduly increasing volume, weight and pressure on inadequate original fill. - This dump it; unlined. New facilities require liners. Composites are EXHIBIT 801061 Weld County Carmissioners July 17, 1992 Page Two called for in 1993 federal regulations. The base of the fill was dug below groundwater table and dumped into standing groundwater. - Fires, blowing trash, putrid odors, rotting carcasses, vermin, petroleum. medical and chemical waste, acceptance of material rejected by other counties and municipalities, recent deep dangerous trenches to divert the year-round water flow on the property, ponding on the site, escape of sludge and leachate, the habitual practice of dump management to permit unsupervised access and dumping (not during, regular hours) have taken place without us as neighbors filing official complaints in an effort to get along with the dump operation until final closure which was expected to have already occurred by now. - Dust problems are intolerable along County roads from the north due to excess trips and heavy truck traffic to and from the dump at all hours. - Landfill operator paid funds into segregated reserve account for oiling the roads to the dump from the north but only 2/10 mi. from south to the gate has been oiled. This work has repeatedly been scheduled. Landfill funds were to have been audited. Frequent re-grading, re-graveling or watering these dirt roads is general misuse of County road funds. - One of the most important commodities Colorado has is its water. It is imperative that we protect this resource. Because of the topography of the existing dump site and its geographical location adjacent to the Little Thompson River (flow joins S. Platte at Dos Rios) you need to be aware of contamination of surface and groundwater as well as hazardous gas related to this dumpsite and which pose grave public health concerns. ( In examining the legal standards for new facilities I have found that a prudent • approach to protecting our constituents is a facility that meets current day standards. (Contrary to CRS 30-20-109(c) which is applicable to this site, legislative intent, and public policy, you have already missed at least two opportunities which mandated the filing of an Engineering Design and Operations Report l "EDOR" 1 for the Greeley—Milliken dumpsite when an amended application is filed on a Certificate of Designation for an existing solid waste landfill) The wording of CRS 30-20-109(c) treats "new or amended solid waste disposal site application" the same, clarifying legislative intent to phase in updated design standards for existing landfills. An existing landfill shall file for an amended Certificate of Designation pursuant to a "substantial change of operations." CDHR Sec. 1 . 3.7 Current Colorado Department of Health Regulations ('CDHR") Sec. 1 .2 defines the term and CDHR Sec. 4.0-4.8.3 regarding 'new facilities' are then applicable to the site, instead of the previously-existing facility merely having to comply with the insufficient 'minimum standards" of CDHR 2.0. These regulations had an effective date of January, 1963. The first opportunity to apply current engineering standards and to require an acceptable closure plan pursuant to CDHR 4.8.3 was on or about May 7, 1986, when the Keirnes family (Lynn, wife Lela, with accountant/manager son Brad and ex-Weld County Assessor Richard Reines) applied for Certificate No. 21 to be amended when they requested transfer of ownership from Colorado Landfill, Inc. to Waste Services, Inc. (emphasis mine) A possible next opportunity ems when the Keirnes family corporation changed to Waste Services Corporation. The most recent opportunity missed by Weld County of which I em now aware was on or about Juiy 12, 1991 . A letter signed by Brad Keirnes on letterhead of Waste Services Corporation dated July 15, 1991 was written to. you about a merger fAO6i Weld County Commissioners July 17, 1992 Page Three transaction. A copy of this letter is attached hereto as Exhibit A For your review. This letter is remarkable not so much for the information it contained as for the information it apparently neglected to tell you: namely that the ownership, control and management of daily operation of the dumpsite had de facto passed to Waste Management of Colorado, Inc. Despite Waste Management operating Greeley-Milliken landfill in the name and guise of Waste Services Corporation for the past year. Waste Services did not file for an amendment to Certificate of Designation No. 21 reflecting the selling or tranferring, pe5c. b1y since doing so would have triggered the consequence of a public hearing and a mandated EDOR a year ago. Whether any member of the Keirnes family holds mere title or any actual operational role in Waste Services is irrelevant toethe substance of the sale transaction. As you probably know, assets and liabilities of a business can be sold to a purchaser in basically one of two ways: (11 outright sale of land, equipment, etc. wherein the fact of sale and transfer is made a part of the public records; or 121 sale or exchange of shares of corporations wherein the fact of sale of assets and liabilities is not necessarily apparent. Usually a target corporation is extinguished upon acquisition. However, a reverse merger in which the target corporation is the surviving entity may also qualify as a tax-free reorganization under Sec. 368 of the Internal Revenue Code (with or without taxable 'boot" compensation to the sellers which, for example, might be cash or securities of a parent corporation such as Waste Management of North America, Inc. (currently trading for about $34/share on the New York Stock Exchange; designation "Waste' ) . I submit that when a small family business (the new lined and buffered Ault landfill packaged together with this marginal site) is bought out by a subsidiary of a $7 Billion corporation there has occurred a "substantial change of operations" which is defined in the Coda of Colorado Regulations at 6 CCR 1007-2: "Substantial change in operations' means any redesign or planned construction which would significantly change the planned design performance of a facility for solid waste disposal as originally designated; the addition of a category of wastes or other waste handling processes that have not been previously reviewed and accepted as complying with these regulations: or the selling or traasferriaq of the Certificate of Designation to a new operator. in my investigation of this matter, we have ascertained that representatives of both the Weld County Health Department and the Colorado State Health Department understand that they are dealing with Waste Management of Colorado, Inc. regarding this site. We seek approval of CDHR Sec. 4.8.0 Closure Data satisfactory to us and other parties negatively impacted by illegal dumping practices and variance from the 1971 plan and design of Ibis:dumpsite. We formally requested a public hearing in January, 1992. I had no notice of a study session on this matter January 20, 1992. From published reports, our concerns were not addressed. On January 31 , 1992, a new slate of officers and directors for waste Services Corporation was filed with the Secretary of State. CRS 30--20-112 thru 114 provide that after public hearing, severe penalties can be imposed for failure of operators to comply with applicable laws and Regs. None of this explains how the sale avoided triggering .the required public hearing, EDOR and acceptable Closure Data for this marginal site in July, 1991 . - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Weld County Commissioners July 17, 1992 Page Four My daughter and son-in-law recently met with the management of the dumpsite only to be told that topography, monitoring, volume, and merger documentation usually required to be maintained in normal course of business was not available. We have been "stonewalled" for a number of years, but at this point it has become egregious. Very truly yours, 6 h' 1. G-� // Samuel S. Telep Manager - Knister Farms cc: Tom David, Weld County Attorney cc; John Pickle, WCHD - Environmental Protection Department C1'MTU$S CRS 30--20-109(c) and 6 Code of Colorado Regulations 1007-2 ( "Solid Wastes Disposal Sites and Facilities'I ('CDHR Rags' ) are applicable to this site: Colorado Department of Health Regulations lin pertinent part) : 1 . 3.7 An amended application shall be made for a substantial change in operations as defined in Section 1 .2 of these regulations, and shall be referred to the County Board of Commissioners and the Department for review and approval before such change shall become effective. 1 . 2 "Surstantial change in operations" means any redesign or planned construction which would significantly change the planned design performance of a facility for solid waste disposal as originally de ignated; the addition of a category of wastes or other waste handling processes that have not been previously review and accepted as complying with these regulations; or the selling or transferring of the Certificate of Designation to a new operator. 4 -8.0 Closure Data: The engineering design and operations report IEDAR1 shall include, as a minimum, the following closure data: 4 .8. 1 Provisions for the maintenance of the facility after closure, to present or minimize nuisance conditions. 4 .8. 2 Provisions for the monitoring of explosive gas and groundwater wells or surface water after closure. 4.8.3 Plans for final closure of the facility, including planned final contours of fill surface after closure. CRS 30-20-109(c) , in pertinent part states: Ic1 The establishment of a fee for the review of a new or amend4c] eolid waste disposal site application and for the preoperation inspection of such site shall be as follows: . . . [fee schedule of up to several thousand dollars is set forth based on volume aqd is dependent on sound and reliable re:.ard-keeping practices) 331.081 / WWPA L. SCOTT TURNER 3102828447 P. 03 cA\ Waste Services CORPORATION RECEIVED SANITATION DIVISION July 15 , 1991 JUL 15 1991 Board of Weld County Commissioners 915 10th Street Greeley , CO 80631 WELD CO NTY HEM DEPT. Dear Commissioners : I wish to take this opportunity to inform you that effective July 12 , 1991 , Waste Services Corporation has merged with Waste Management of Colorado . This action was taken to enable Waste Services Corporation to continue our commitment to meeting Weld County ' s solid waste management needs in a more comprehensive manner. As a small family business , we determined that we needed additional resources and means to do so, as well as to meet the increasing regulatory, financial and competitive demands of our industry. Upon realizing our limitations , we sought and selected the company whom we believe is best committed to the same principles by which we have done our best to conduct our business . We believe that the addition of Waste Management ' s expertise and strength to Waste Services ' ongoing operations will result in our continuation of what we trust has been cost-effective and environmentally-sound service to our customers and to Weld County. Wel:.re Services Corporation will continue in its ownership , development and operation of the Central Weld and North Weld Sanitary Landfills . I intend to continue in my present management role. if you have any questions about this matter, I would be hdppy to try to answer them at your convenience. Thank you. Res ectfully, C . Bradley Keirnes President Ctriktc cc : Don Warden Wes Potter Rod Allison EXHIBIT A 831061 Lee Morrison 0)37 S:EVENTY.SEVFNTij AVFhnr . _CREPT ry rnrnPAnn anwa4 • /Intl 11ASit KENT E. HANSON Attorney at Law Canyon Center 1881 9th Street,Suite 216 (303)449-)6[0 Boulder,Colorado 80302 Telefax(303)443-6:1 September 11, 1992 Certified Mail, Return Receipt Requested George Kennedy, Chairman Constance L. Harbert, Commissioner Gordon E. Lacy, Commissioner C.W. Kirby, Commissioner William H. Webster, Commissioner Weld County/Board of County Commissioners Centennial Center 915 10th Street Greeley, CO 80631 Re: Central Weld County Landfill Dear Commissioners: I represent Samuel Telep. As you know, Mr. Telep owns land adjacent to the Central Weld Landfill and has raised several concerns about the County's failure to regulate the landfill as required by State law. Most recently, these concerns were raised in January 1992 when Mr. Telep first requested that the County hold a public hearing on the change of operator for this site. When the County failed to act, Mr. Telep raised several questions in a letter dated July 17, 1992. His questions have not been answered despite several subsequent communications. After reviewing the public records concerning Central Weld Landfill, I find Mr. Telep's concerns to be extremely well- grounded. Weld County has not conducted a public hearing despite "substantial changes in operations" as defined by Colorado's regulations pertaining to solid waste disposal sites an' facilities. More specifically, the landfill has been allowed to significantly change its planned design performance. When the original Certificate of Designation was issued, the final surface elevation of the landfill was to be no higher than surrounding properties. Nevertheless, the County has allowed landfill operators to begin construction of a trash plateau. In addition, a substantial change in operations occurred when Waste Management purchased all stock of Waste Services, Inc. from the Keirnes family. Data recently submitted to the County confirms that there is off-site groundwater contamination. The County has expressed EXHIBIT • � , ( `1 ??ZiO61 George Kennedy, Chairman Constance L. Harbert, Commissioner Gordon E. Lacy, Commissioner C.W. Kirby, Commissioner William H. Webster, Commissioner September 11, 1992 Page 2 some concern about this situation but has taken no action. The County even failed to conduct its quarterly monitoring in August and has allowed Waste Services to withhold its most recent monitoring data. This is only the most recent example of the County's failure to inform itself about activities at the site. It appears that the County has never required the submission of engineering, design and operations plans and reports in violation of the Certificate of Designation's requirement that the operator comply with all State laws and regulations. Engineering reports concerning the design and operation of landfills has been required since 1971. Moreover, the regulations make the operators' records available to the County Board of County Commissioners upon its request. One can only speculate about the reason the County has allowed Central Weld Landfill to operate virtually unregulated and about the reason the County has delayed responding to Mr. Telep' s concerns. None of the likely reasons reflects favorably on the County. I request that the County take immediate action to fulfill its responsibilities and enforce all legal requirements applicable to Central Weld Landfill. At a minimum, the County should: 1. Investigate off-site groundwater contamination, and in conjunction with the State, require appropriate remedial action at the site; 2 . Enforce the requirement that the final elevation of the landfill not exceed adjacent land surfaces in compliance with the design on which the Certificate of Designation was predicated ; and 3 . Obtain an up-to-date engineering design and operations report, together with all other information necessary to evaluate t`e performance of the landfill. Because of the County's past delay in responding to Mr. Telep' s concerns, I must demand that the County acknowledge no later than Wednesday, September 16, 1992 that it will begin to :1-31061. George Kennedy, Chairman Constance L. Harbert, Commissioner Gordon E. Lacy, Commissioner C.W. Kirby, Commissioner William H. Webster, Commissioner September 11, 1992 Page 3 act in accordance with the above requests. If such acknowledgement is not received, legal action will be initiated. Mr. Telep and I would be happy to meet with the Commissioners if you wish to discuss any of these matters. Sincerely, ent E. Ha on /te cc: Lee Morrison 831.06.1. IQ% 'Nast?. ianac_men:c;cr:h America. inc. r"---- ,`� Suite 4 4 Sae;°n _ 5660 Greenwood Plan B vd.•_nglew00,i. Cc:torado 70111 Suite»24•JD1. .70 September 18, 1992 Rr_ C : ( Irr L Mr. John Pickle SEP w i 1992 Weld County Department of Health 1517 16th Avenue Court . .,r" , Greeley Co 80631 1•--W ..;i ;;_ _ ^ Ms. Austin Buckingham Colorado Department of Health Waste Management Division 4210 E 11th Avenue Denver CO 80220 SUBJECT: CENTRAL WELD SANITARY LANDFILL (CWSL) EXPANDED HYDRO GEOLOGICAL INVESTIGATION Dear Mr. Pickle and Ms. Buckingham: As discussed in our meetings with Ms. Buckingham on July 10, 1992 and Mr. Pickle on July 17, 1992 , Waste Services Corporation (WSC) has authorized Golder Associates Inc. to complete an expanded hydrogeologic study as part of the CWSL investigation. As previously reported to the Weld County Department of Health and the Colorado Department of Health, volatile organic compounds (VOCs) were detected during the initial _investigation in four shallow d—Wffg ad ent monitoring wells (GWMWB-4 , 5, 5N, and 7) and at the outlet of the landfill underdrain (LF-UD) . Their locations are shown on Figure 1. The VOCs detected at these locations are listed in Table 1. The basis for the expanded study is to assess the extent of migration of the detected VOCs in the shallow groundwater downgradient of the landfill . Golder Associates Inc. is scheduled to commence this investigation on September 21, 1992 . The fieldwork is expected to be completed by September 25 , 1992 . Golder intends on using a Temporary Sampling Point (TSP) system as an alternative investigative approach to conventional drilling and well installation. Specifically, Golder will use the GEO Environmental Expendable Aquifer Sampling Implants (EASI) system. The EASI system provides for minimal surface disturbance, no permanent well installation, and quicker collection of groundwater samples. wpA\o\pickle.916 - F: CWLF9.1 EXHIBIT 931061 a Pickle/Buckingham letter 2 September 18, 1992 Golder proposes a phased approach to groundwater sampling. Initially, TSP-1 through TSP-5 will be installed and sampled. TSP- 6 and TSP-7 will be installed and sampled if VOCs are detected in the initial four temporary sampling points. The proposed monitoring locations are also shown on Figure 1. Since the project consists of a phased approach additional sampling locations may be required to ascertain the extent of VOC migration. Golder's report describing the field investigation and its findings will be forwarded to you as it becomes available. If you have any questions please call Bill Hedberg at 654-1133 or Alan Scheere at 770-3324 . Sincerely, a4". C-Cletq Bi 1 Hedberg Alan Scheere Division V.P. Landfill Operations Environmental Specialist BH\mmp cc: Jon Stephens, w/enc Dave Hayes, w/enc wp51\u\plcklc.916 F: CWLF9.1 931061, 1 Lr C- a Art OFFICE OF BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS PHONE(303) 3564000, Exr. 4200 P.O. Box 758 GREELEY, COLORADO 80632 REOENFD SEP 2 9 1992 COLORADO KEn4 rotowUN September 28 , 1992 Waste Services Corporation 6037 77th Avenue Greeley, CO 80634 Attention Bill Hedburg RE: Central Weld Sanitary Landfill (Greeley-Milliken Landfill) Dear Mr. Hedburg: The Greeley-Milliken (Central Weld Landfill) operation dates back to prior to 1971 . Permits were conditionally obtained from Weld County on October 6 , 1971 subject to approval by the State Health Department. The applicable statute, CRS 1973 S 36-23-3 (2) , was amended effective July 1, 1971 and required submittal of geological, engineering, hydrological, and operational data, as may be required by the State Health Department, for review and approval by the State Health Department. Regulations implementing the statute were not made effective until 1972 . Apparently no study covering the engineering, geology, hydrology, and operations of the facility was ever prepared or submitted for State Health Department approval and, to date, no comprehensive plan covering all aspects of the site and its operation has ever been prepared, although there have been studies which address certain aspects of the site and its operation. Continued operation of this facility without a comprehensive evaluation of the site and its operation, whether required by the State Health Department or not, does not appear to be in the best interest of Waste Services as operator, adjacent landowners , or the citizens of Weld County. Recent discoveries, by your own testing, of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in ground water adjacent to the site only adds weight to the urgency of completing the appropriate studies . The Board understands that studies have been underway since early this year in order to establish an operations plan to show compliance with Subtitle-D regulations, but that the operations plan is not yet ready for submittal to state or local agencies . EXHIBIT I A .O. -l� 931061 Waste Services Corporation Page 2 September 28, 1992 The Board respectfully requests that a plan containing geological, hydrological, engineering, and operational information be completed and submitted as soon as possible to County and State Health Departments and the County Department of Planning Services, and that it be done no later than 45 days from the date of the letter. It is expected that this plan should cover all aspects of the anticipated expanded continued operation and use of the existing fill areas . As you have been advised previously regarding your Subtitle-D operations plan, the submittal of the plan will likely trigger a need for a full review under either or both the Solid Waste Sites and Facilities Act (Certificate of Designation) or the Weld County Zoning Ordinance (Use by Special Review) . This process would include public hearings . Thank you for your continued attention to this matter. Yours truly, BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS George Kennedy ----- Chairman GK/LM/gb:waste pc : Weld County Health Department Department of Planning Services Lee Morrison, Assistant Weld County Attorney Austin Buckingham, State Health Department William A. Jeffry bc : Kent Hansen 221061 OCT 5 ' 92 14 : 49 PAGE . 062 411 OFFICE OF BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS RHONE(303)356.4000,Err.4200 PII Burt 758 GRciGY,COLORADO are2 III • COLORADO September 28, 1992 Waste Services Corporation 6037 77th Avenue Greeley, CO 80634 Attention Bill Hedbcrg RE: Central Weld Sanitary Landfill (Greeley-Milliken Landfill) Dear Mr. Hedbarg• The Greeley-Milliken (Central Weld Landfill) operation dates back to prior to 1971. Permits were conditionally obtained from Weld County on October 6, 1971 subject to approval by the State Health Dena -tment. The applicable statute, CRS 1973 5 36-23-3(2) , was amended effective July 1, 1971 ana required submittal of 1 en ineering, hydrological, and operational data, as may e required by the Sta a nealth Department, for review and approval by the State Health Department. Regulations implementing the statute were not made effective until-1-2'4. Apparently no study Covering the engineering, geology, hydrology, and operations of the facility was ever prepared or submitted for State Health Department approval and, to date, no comprehensive plan covering all aspects • of the site and its operation has ever been prepared, although there have been studies which address certain aspects of the site and its operation. Continued operation of this facility without a comprehensive evaluation of the site and its operation, whether required by the State Health Department or not, does not appear to be in the best • interest of Waste Services as operator,, adjacent landowners, or the citizens of Weld County. Recent discoveries, by your own testing, of volatile organic compounds (vCCs) in ground water adjacent to the site only adds weight to the urgency of completing the appropriate studies. The Board understands that studies have been underway since Carty this year in order to establish an operations plan to show compliance with Subtitle-0 regulations, but that the operations plan is not yet ready for submittal to state or local agencies. • EXHIBIT A-- 0717 OCT 5 •92 14: 50 PAGE . 003 c P • Waste Services Corporation Page 2 September 28, 1992 The Board respectfully requests that a plan containing geological, hydrological, engineering, and operational information be completed and submitted as soon as possible to County and State Health Departments and the County Department of Planning Services, and that it be done no later than 45 days from the date of the letter. It is expected that this plan should cover all aspects of the anticipated expanded continued operation and use of the existing fill areas. As you have been advised previously regarding your Subtitle-D operations plan, the submittal of the plan will likely trigger a need for a full review under either or both: the Solid Waste Sites and Facilities Act (Certificate of Designation) or the Weld County Zoning Ordinance (Use by Special Review) . This ptocess would include public hearings. Thank you for your continued attention to this matter. Yours truly, BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS orge Kennedy C' Chairman GE/LM/gb:waste pc: Weld County Health Department Department of Planning Services Lee Morrison, Assistant Weld County Attorney Austin Buckingham, State Health Department William A. Jeffry • ** TOTAL PAGE.003 ** 221061 ' . .r-hi" neftHr- ,-2 DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH 1517- 16 AVENUE COURT Wil ige GREELEY, COLORADO 80631 ADMINISTRATION (303)353.0586 HEALTH PROTECTION (303)353-0635 COMMUNITY HEALTH(303)353-0639 COLORADO October 5, 1992 Mr. Bill Hedberg Waste Services Corporation Central Weld Sanitary Landfill 6037 77th Avenue Greeley, Colorado 80634 Mr. Hedberg: This Division has reviewed your Hydrogeologic and Geotechnical Characterization for the Central Weld Sanitary Landfill, dated July, 1992. Trevor Jiricek and myself will be meeting with you on October 6, to discuss our concerns with regard to the report. At this time, we do wish to advise you that in the opinion of this Division, the findings in your report, specifically, the presence of volatile organic compounds in the offsite monitoring well, constitute a violation of section 2.1.4. of the State Solid Waste Regulations. You have been most cooperative up to the present in taking appropriate action toward mitigation and remediation of these problems. Consequently, we will suspend further legal action, pending our meeting on October 6, the results of further studies, and so long as you continue to cooperate as you have in the past. Very _ ly hn S. Pickle !/Director, Environmental Protection Services Division xc: Lee Morrison, Assistant County Attorney Randy Gordon, M.D. , M.P.H., Director EXHIBIT i A- o,- Ig SECTION 2 MINIMUM STANDARDS 2. 1 Minimum standards All facilities for solid waste disposal shall comply with r the following minimum standards of the act: 2.1.1 Such sites and facilities shall be located, operated, and maintained in a manner so as to control obnoxious odors and prevent rodent and insect breeding and infestation, and they shall be kept adequately covered during their use. 2.1.2 Such sites and facilities shall comply with the health laws, standards, rules, and regulations of the department, the_ Water Quality"ControINCommission, the Air Quality Control Commission, and all applicable zoning laws and ordinances. 2.1.3 No radioactive materials or materials contaminated by radioactive substances shall be disposed of in sites or facilities not specifically designated for that purpose. 2.1.4 'A site and facility operated as a sanitary landfill shall provide means of finally disposing of solid wastes on land in a manner co minimize nuisance conditions such as odors, windblown debris, insects, rodents, and smoke; shall provide compacted fill material; ' shall provide adequate cover with suitable material and surface :drainage designated to prevent ponding of wacereand wind erosion and prevent water and air pollution; and, upon being filled, shall be left in a condition of:orderliness and good esthetic appearance and capable of blending with the surrounding area. In the operation of such a site and facility, the solid wastes shall be distributed in • �i the smallest area consistent with handling traffic to be unloaded; shall be placed in the most dense volume practicable using moisture and compaction or other method approved by the department; shall be fire, insect, and rodent resistant through the application of an adequate layer or inert material at regular intervals; and shall have a minimum of windblown debris which shall be collected regularly and placed into the fill. 2.1.5 Sites and facilities shall be adequately fenced so as co prevent waste material and debris from escaping therefrom, and material and debris shall not be allowed to accumulate along the fence line. 2.1.6 Solid wastes deposited at any site/or facility shall not be burned, other than by incineration in accordance with a certificate of designation issued pursuant to section 30-20-105; except that, in extreme emergencies resulting in the generation of large quantities of combustible materials, authorization for burning under controlled conditions may be given by the department. 2.1.7 Any provision of the "Air Pollution Control Act", Title 25, Article 7. section 108, CRS 1973 as amended, to the contrary notwithstanding, the board of county commissioners in any county with less than twenty-five thousand (25,000) population, according to the latest federal census, is authorized to develop regulations, by resolution, permitting the noncommercial burning • (10) Revised 8/90 riitt,e , ,i,e , , tz, ,, _ \ DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH 1517 . 16 AVENUE COURT WI ip GREELEY. COLORADO 60631 O ADMINISTRATION 13031 353-0635 HEALTH PROTECTION 13031 353-0635 COMMUNITY HEALTH (303) 353-0639 COLORADO October 7,1992 Mr. Bill Hedberg Central Weld Sanitary Landfill 6037 77th Avenue Greeley, Colorado 80634 Dear Bill: This letter will confirm our conversation of October 6, 1992 concerning the Hydrogeologic and Geotechnical Characterization of the Central Weld Sanitary Landfill, July 1992. Trevor Jiricek of this office and Alan Scheere of your office were also present at our meeting on this date. During this meeting we discussed the findings of this study, and also the recommendations from Golder Associates. The presence of VOCs in the offsite monitoring well is of concern to us all. Further, the possible contamination of the Spomer Lakes and the ditch coming from them is another area of concern. We discussed the recommendations as follows: 1. The design of the unlined portion of the diversion trench along the northern boundary of the site should be revised to prevent continued recharge to the shallow aquifer system. Any change in the diversion trench would be reflected in a new Design and Operations Plan. Several alternatives were discussed including lining the trench. 2. The extent of the off-site volatile organic compound migration south of the landfill should be delineated. Results of testing performed prior to this meeting should be available within approximately two (2) weeks. 3. The current use of the downgradient water wells south of the landfill should be determined through interviews with well owners. Plans in this regard have been incorporated in the new Groundwater Monitoring Plan, a copy of whirh tae ceived at this meeting. We EXHIBIT will review this document within the next two (2) weeks and comment on this aspect as part of that review. 4. Surface water in Spomer Lakes should be sampled to determine if discharge from the landfill underdrain is measurably impacting the lakes. We discussed that this sampling also included the ditch coming from the Spomer Lakes and continuing through the adjacent property. It appears that a part of these results is contained in the "Confirmation Groundwater Sampling" , dated October 5, 1992. It was indicated that sampling results from the ditch will be forthcoming within the next five (5) weeks. We received a copy of this document, the day of our meeting, and will be reviewing it over the next two (2) weeks. Our comments will be forthcoming at that time. 5. Shallow monitoring wells along the southern portion of the landfill should be resampled to provide a larger database and to confirm the results of the Golder investigation. Results of this testing were also contained in the "Confirmation Groundwater Sampling". 6. The potential impacts from upgradient irrigation activities should be defined through quarterly sampling of all monitoring wells. This is in the Groundwater Monitoring Plan and will be reviewed as above. 7. Seasonal water level changes should be determined through quarterly monitoring of water levels in all monitoring wells and soil gas probes. Also in the Groundwater Monitoring Plan and will be reviewed as above. 8. The extent of saturated refuse in the northern portion of the landfill should be determined through installation of additional piezometers. After some discussion pro and con we decided that continuing to monitor saturation levels in TP-1 and TP-6 would not be extremely costly, and might be of service as you decide what to do regarding the diversion trench mentioned in It 1. Other than the above issues, we discussed the fact that regular, written reports from you might would be helpful in communication. These would provide us with up to date information as you resolve this issue. We discussed the fact that a report as to any remediation recommendations would be forthcoming sometime within the next three (3) weeks. We look forward to receiving this document. S31.061 We also discussed the fact that other issues will arise from time to time as we resolve this issue. We were all aware that these would have to be addressed as they arise. Please accept this letter as the Division's response to your Hydrogeologic and Geotechnical Characterization; however, understand that the Colorado Department of Health may have additional comments, or requirements regarding same. If this letter does not accurately reflected the discussions at our meeting, please contact me. Also, I certainly appreciate your attention to, and your cooperation in this matter. Very trufl yours, ohn S. Pickle irector Environmental Protection Services xc: Glenn Mallory, Colorado Department of Health Lee Morrison, Assistant County Attorney George Kennedy, County Commissioner KENT E. HANSON Attorney at Law Canyon Center 1881 9th Street,Suite 216 (303)449-0600 Boulder,Colorado 80302 Telefax(303)443-6490 October 16, 1992 Certified Mail George Kennedy, Chairman Constance L. Harbert, Commissioner Gordon E. Lacy, Commissioner C.W. Kirby, Commissioner William H. Webster, Commissioner Weld County/Board of County Commissioners Centennial Center 915 10th Street Greeley, CO 80631 Re: Central Weld Landfill Dear Commissioners: Over the past nine months, my client, Sam Telep and other members of the community have voiced growing concern over the situation at the Central Weld Landfill. These concerns arose out of existing environmental problems and the County's long history of allowing - and even assisting - owners of the landfill to operate in violation of state law. Within the past few weeks, the County has begun to pay greater attention to this matter. The County's actions, however, do not adequately address problems at the site. Indeed, some action promised by the County has yet to be taken. Generally, requests for action have been met with resistance and unfounded arguments attempting to justify the County's past inaction. In some cases, requests have simply gone unanswered. This letter summarizes the reasons for Mr. Telep' s concerns. It concludes with a request that the County take immediate action co correct existing problems. The County Never Reauired Compliance With the certificate of Designation The Weld County Commissioners approved the Certificate of Designation on October 6, 1971. At that time, a Certificate of Designation could be issued only with the approval of the Colorado Department of Health ("CDH") . This requirement was incorporated into the Certificate of Designation which was EXHIBIT A . D , - ao 821061 Weld County Commissioners October 16, 1992 Page 2 granted subject to the condition that "any sanitary landfill facility to be installed shall be approved by the State Health Department. " This condition was never satisfied. CDH approval was not obtained before the Certificate of Designation was approved because the County Commissioners wanted to accommodate Earl Moffat and Weld County Landfill, Inc. Moffat held an option to purchase the site of the landfill. The option expired in October 1971 and Moffat wanted approval to operate a landfill before exercising the option. In addition, Moffat did not want to go to the expense of performing the required environmental and engineering work if the County was going to deny his application. CDH explicitly advised the Weld County Commissioners that the Certificate of Designation "be made contingent upon the submittal of an engineering report concerning the design and operation of the site as described in Regulation 3 and 4" of the state's proposed regulations which became final in early 1972 . A review of CDH and Weld County files reveals that no engineering report of any kind was submitted over the following 21 years. CDH has never given its approval to the facility. At no time has Weld County taken any action to require compliance with this condition of the Certificate of Designation. Indeed, Weld County ignored several requests over the last year to require the operator to submit an engineering, design and operations report as required by the law. On September 18, 1992, in response to repeated demands, the County Attorney's Office indicated that it was drafting a letter demanding that the operator submit information for the County's review. On September 28, 1992 the County finally requested that the operator submit a "plan containing geological, hydrological, engineering, and operational information. " The County allowed the operator to submit the information as late as November 19, 1992 (16 days after election day) . The County acknowledged that such information had not been submitted previously and that full review of the plan was required under state statute and County zoning ordinance, but failed to set a hearing. Apparently, the County intends to allow the landfill to operate without complying with the existing Certificate of Designation. There also seems to be a presumption by the County that any amended Certificate of Designation will allow current operations to continue. The County Never Approved Expanded Operations Since 1971, the size of the landfill has been expanded and its operational life extended. Each of the several expansions of S31.061 Weld County Commissioners October 16, 1992 Page 3 the facility have significantly changed the performance of the facility as originally designated. As a result, each change has been a "substantial change in operations" requiring the filing by the operator of an amended application which must be reviewed and approved by the County and CDH before the change is implemented. The County knew about each change but never required an amended application be filed. Weld County' s approval of the original Certificate of Designation was based upon several representations by Earl Moffat concerning the operation and ultimate size of the landfill. Among other things, Moffat represented that: all draws would be kept free of pollution and obstruction; the depth of fill would be approximately 45 feet; there was a "fifteen year goal" for the life of the landfill; fill material would be deposited laterally from the hillside; final elevation would be at an "even grade or benched" and would not extend above the crest of the hill; three feet or more of cover would be placed over the fill, resulting in a "good piece of farm ground. " During the 1970 's, the County was well aware of the deficiencies in the information it had concerning the operation of the site. In 1979, CDH requested information concerning existing Weld County landfills. On April 20, 1979, the County responded that "a great deal of information requested in your form simply was not available for these sites without a large financial expenditure for a consultant in this area. " The County went on to state, "Before the [Central Weld Landfill] site is developed any further, the hydrogeologic characteristics of the draw on the West end of the field should be analyzed. Water flow through this area may prevent further westward development of the site. " Nevertheless, the County expressed its intention that the Central Weld Landfill would be expanded to create one of "two large regional sites. " The County was then discussing the development of the Central Weld Landfill into a regional site with Lynn and Lela Keirnes. The Keirnes incorporated Colorado Landfill, Inc. , which began operating in June 1979. Lynn Keirnes is the brother of former Weld County Assessor Richard Keirnes. The County agreed to sponsor the issuance of industrial development bonds to finance the acquisition and expansion of the facility by Colorado Landfill . The County and Colorado Landfill entered into a loan agreement on March 6, 1980 enabling Colorado Landfill to borrow $1. 3 million. Under the loan agreement, Colorado Landfill committed to construct improvements on the site in accordance with the "Plans and Specifications. " Colorado Landfill represented that the Plans and Specifications had been submitted S31061. Weld County Commissioners October 16, 1992 Page 4 to and approved by all necessary government authorities and that they complied with all environmental laws and regulations. However, Colorado Landfill never submitted and the County never approved an application for an amended Certificate of Designation. Some time before February 1986, the Central Weld Landfill operations underwent another substantial change when it began accepting for disposal liquid sludges. CDH notified the operator that this practice could continue only if he first submitted an amended application/operational plan for the review and approval of CDH and the Weld County Commissioners. CDH sent a copy of its letter to the County Commissioners. The County took no action. Weld County again came to the financial assistance of the Keirnes family in 1990 when the County issued another $3, 360, 000 in industrial development bonds. Most of the proceeds ($2 , 500, 000) was used to finance the acquisition, development and permitting of the Ault Landfill. The balance ($860, 000) was used to re-fund the 1980 bonds. The documents executed in conjunction with this transaction suggest that expanded use of the Central Weld Landfill was contemplated by the parties. The County did not approve an amended operational plan. In 1991, the Keirnes family sold its stock in Waste Services Corporation (the successor to Colorado Landfill, Inc. and the owner of the Central Weld and Ault landfills) to Waste Management of Color lo, Inc. In March 1972, Waste Management submitted a special waste plan to CDH. Documents obtained from other sources indicate the County has been involved with the review process, but the nature of the County's involvement is unclear. Despite several requests for documents regarding Central Weld Landfill, the County has not made the special waste plan available. The County Did Not Approve Change of Operators Under Health Department regulations, transferring a Certificate of Designation to a new operator constitutes a "substantial change in operations" requiring County review and approval of an amended application. The operator of the Central weld Landfill changed on several occasions. Only once did the County approve the transfer of the Certificate of Designation. The purpose behind the rule is to assure that each operator is qualified and capable of meeting the performance design of the facility. Depending upon the qualifications of the operator, the transfer of a Certificate of Designation may be denied altogether, or the Certificate may be amended to include 031061 Weld County Commissioners October 16, 1992 Page 5 performance standards that the new operator is capable of meeting. . The County interprets the rule to apply only to the purchase of corporate assets and not to mergers or other stock acquisitions in which all of the shares of stock of a corporate operator are acquired by a purchaser. This interpretation elevates the form of the transaction over the substantive requirement that an operator be qualified and approved by the County before taking over operations. This interpretation has also allowed operators to change due to financial problems and sales without being subjected to public review and comment at public hearings. The County Has Given Central Weld Landfill Preferential Treatment Not only has the County failed to enforce statutory and regulatory requirements as outlined above; the County has vigorously enforced those same requirements at other facilities. For example, the Eaton Landfill received its Certificate of Designation in 1969. In the mid-1970 's, the County required the Eaton Landfill to submit engineering, design and operations reports. This stands in stark contrast to the County's position as late as September 1992 that it had no authority to require the operators of Central Weld Landfill to submit similar reports. Also as discussed above, Weld County assisted the Keirnes family in financing not one but two landfills: Central Weld Landfill and the Ault Landfill. It appears that this assistance was uniquely available to the Keirnes family. It now appears that Weld County is preparing to relocate a segment of County Road 27§ just north of the entrance to the landfill . Currently, the road curves gently around an existing wetland in the toe of an earthen dam. The only possible rationale for the County's action is to facilitate access to the landfill. The resulting destruction of the wetland would violate federal regulations. The County Has Obstructed Public Involvement The County has been generally unresponsive to the expression of concerns concerning the Central Weld Landfill. When the County has reacted, it has been only as a result of the persistence of the community. For example, the County learned of off-site groundwater contamination at least three months before citing the operator under the County's nuisance authority on October 5, 1992 . This action came only after demands by the Weld County Commissioners October 16, 1992 Page 6 Ashton Call to Action Committee for an explanation of why the County had not formally cited the operator. The county has yet to respond to reports that Spomer Lakes have been contaminated and are discharging "milky" water that has the odor of garbage. In January 1992 , Sam Telep requested that the County conduct a public hearing concerning the landfill. The County never responded to Mr. Telep's request, although it apparently held its own "study session" on January 20, 1992. On July 17, 1992, Mr. Telep sent a letter to the Weld County Commissioners articulating several concerns about the landfill. The County never responded to Mr. Telep's letter despite the fact that, on the same day, the County met with Waste Management of North America "to review current projects. " In that meeting, there were discussions about "several projects" designed to "enhance facility operations. " When the County failed to respond to Mr. Telep's letter, his daughter made several telephone calls to County officials and wrote letter on July 29, July 31 and August 18, 1992 . Once again, the County failed to respond to any of these letters. The unresponsiveness of government is always disconcerting. It is particularly troublesome where, as here, the County has ignored public concerns while it has maintained an ongoing dialogue with landfill operators. The County has been equally unresponsive in supplying requested information. Requests for documents have been made to several County departments. Very few documents were produced. Most documents, including documents that the County authored, signed or received as an addressee, have been obtained from other sources. Documents the County has not produced include: documents relating to the industrial development bonds and in particular engineering reports, environmental audits, plans and specifications; quarterly groundwater monitoring results; inspection reports; Waste Management's Special Waste Plan; notes of many meetings with landfill operators; any environmental, engineering, design or operational information about the site (except for the July 1992 report of Golder Associates) ; and Planning Commission staff reports. The County's delays have all inured to the benefit of Waste Services and to the detriment of neighboring landowners. Waste Services has been permitted to continue its operations without an engineering design and operations report. Under the ownership of Waste Management, landfill operations have been greatly expanded in an apparent effort to avoid some of the stringent requirements Qr 1061 Weld County Commissioners October 16, 1992 Page 7 that will take effect under Subtitle D of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act in the next year. The delay also has allowed Waste Services to negotiate the acquisition of property adjacent to the landfill so that groundwater contamination will no longer be off-site. The Need for Immediate Action It is clear that the County needs to exercise its authority and responsibilities with respect to the Central Weld Landfill. Some of the necessary actions were articulated in my September 11, 1992 letter to the Commissioners. Because the County' s efforts to exercise its authority have been less than vigorous, I must repeat our earlier requests. Information discussed above makes other requests necessary. As a result, I request the following: 1. Investigate off-site groundwater contamination, and in conjunction with the state, require appropriate remedial action at the site; 2 . Enforce the requirement that the final elevation of the landfill after closure not exceed adjacent land surfaces in compliance with the design on which the Certificate of Designation was predicated; and 3 . Obtain an up-to-date engineering, design and operations report, together with all other information necessary to evaluate the performance of the landfill; 4 . Investigate surface water contamination, including the contamination of Spomer Lakes, and require appropriate remedial action at the site; 5. Prohibit any activity at the landfill that represents a substantial change in the operations as represented to the County Commissioners in September 1971; 6. Immediately schedule a public hearing on the issue of change of the landfill operator; 7 . Locate and make available to Mr. Telep and other members of the public all documents in the County's possession regarding Central Weld Landfill; and 8 . Disclose the County's plans for County Road 271. 51;31061 Weld County Commissioners October 16, 1992 Page 8 These requests represent the minimum actions the County must undertake in order to comply with applicable statutes and regulations and to protect the public and the environment. I request that the County take these actions no later than October 26, 1992 . If the County refuses to take such action, I would aprreciate the courtesy of an explanation of the County's position no later than October 26, 1992. Sincerely, ent E. Ha on /te cc: Sam Telep S AlOSt Glen Mallory Colorado Department of Health Waste Management Division Mail Code HMWMD-HWC-B2 4300 Cherry Creek Dr. South Denver, Colorado 80222-1530 November 14 , 1992 RE: Central Weld County Landfill Mr. Mallory, Recently Waste Services (operator of Central Weld Landfill & a Waste Management Company) applied for three permits to discharge fluids from the underdrain located through the Central Weld Landfill and to discharge fluids from the Spomer Lakes located off site and to the west of the Central Weld Landfill. We strongly urge and recommend the denial of these permits for the following reasons: 1. Recent water tests reveal serious contamination from these points of discharge. Preliminary tests indicate Heavy Metal and VOC contamination. Weld County Health Department and Waste Services have not tested for a full spectrum of contaminants and therefore are not completely confident as to what contaminants are contained in the discharged fluids. 2. Considerable controversy surrounds this particular landfill. No design report was ever filed with the State of Colorado or Weld County as required by your office in 1971 . Hydrological and geological reports indicate significant amounts of subsurface water movement in a variety of dynamic conditions. The life of this particular site was originally estimated at 15 years and the present life is 21 years. Radioactive Waste was deposited at this site from 1973 to 1976 (Golder Associates, July 1992) and has yet to be identified as to location of deposit, amount of discard, and potential hazard. 3 . Spomer Lakes are located on private property located off site from the Central Weld Landfill . These lakes receive large amounts of waste water from the landfill boundaries. The contamination questions regarding these lakes are still unanswered and the approval of discharge from these lakes would appear premature and unnecessary. 4 . The discharge of fluids from these points is less than 1/2 mile from the Big Thompson River and may violate The U.S. Clean water Act. Much of the discharge may be diverted to irrigate cropland and the landowners utilizing this discharge desire full analysis before its utilization. Much of the discharge would go directly into the Big Thompson River and until a detailed analysis of this discharge is made, any approval would appear imprudent and unreasonably premature. EXHIBIT A , q , - a \ °'.210£1 5. The Hydro-Geological report furnished by Waste Services admits that the ,Central Weld Landfill is not lined and has no buffer zones to protect adjacent properties. This report admits to a significant and ongoing off site contamination. Since the identity and extent of the contamination is unknown, we urge you to recommend further testing before considering Waste services permit for waste water discharge. We urge your department to consider utilizing Subtitle D, Appendix II water testing as stipulated by the Environmental Protection Agency for the following reasons: 1. Colorado is re-writing their water quality standards and during this period, citizens, business and municipalities are without clearly defined standards and guidance. Appendix II standards are clearly defined and it provides a reasonable and methodical approach to water quality problems. 2. Colorado Department of Health will adopt standards at least as restrictive (if not more restrictive) within the year anyway. App. II standards would appear tO be the prudent and reasonable approach to any water quality problems the State encounters during this interim period. Pam Nelson (CSHD) confirmed to us last month that no required discharge permit had ever been granted nor applied for at any time. It is only as a result of our diligent investigations and inquiries that application for a discharge permit of any kind has recently been made. The fact of leachate effluent discharge at the outflow point of the underdrain was known at all times by the owners & operators of the landfill since the date of installation. On repeated occasions we have contacted waste Management local and regional personnel only to receive absolutely no cooperation or information. we are landowners/residents living in the Ashton-Daniels District of Weld county. The Central Weld Landfill is located in our district. we are very concerned with the Central Weld Landfill and the leek of regulation and misapplication of Colorado and Federal Law. Sincerely, 7,7edeite-E-251-57:4O Michael S. Hayes 8200 W. 49th St. Greeley, co 80634 cc: County Commissioners, Weld County John Pickle, Weld County Health Dept. Kent Hansen F:iO6i path Nelson Colorado Dept . of Health Water Quality Control Division Permits and Enforcement 4300 Cherry Creek Drive South Denver, CO 80222-1530 December 14, 1992 Ms Nelson, In reviewing the application for discharge permits by Waste Services for the Central Weld County Landfill (CWCL) , we noted several factual discrepancies in their application. 1 . The CWCL began operations in 1971 not 1967 . Surrounding landowners and the Weld County Health Dept. (WCHD) verified this incorrect date . No dumping of any kind began on this property until Mr . Earl Moffat began operations in the late fall of 1971 . Until then the land was partial wetland and partial pasture . 2 . The underdrain is purported to be "generally 8 feet below the predevelopment ground surface" . Interviews with landowners surrounding the landfill indicate that the western side of the landfill (the area of the underdrain) was excavated to a depth of 5 to 25 feet below the groundwater and the underdrain was setthrough this area . Trash was then used to fill in around the water and the drain. This is in direct contrast to the gravel trench specified by Waste Services . While we do not doubt that portions of the underdrain were constructed as described by Waste Services , we also know of the portions set beneath the surrounding groundwater table . Golder & Assoc . report of Jul 92 speaks toward this issue. 3 . Sect . 9 of the Application Permit indicates that any public water supply intakes within 5 miles are identified on Atch 1 , Fig . 1-2 . This information is not indicated on that or any attachments . 4 . Sect . 10 is incomplete in that this site is currently on the Superfund list because of past acceptance of hazardous and toxic wastes . Nuclear waste was disposed at this site from 1973-1976 (Golder and Assoc. Report Jul 92 ) and up to 10 , 000 lbs of Pesticide was dumped at the CWCL from 1973- 1976 (Glenn Mallory' s letter dated Oct1987 ) . Also in regard to Sect. 10, Waste Services states they are a permitted landfill . In November of 1992 , The County of Weld discovered the Cert . of Designation was not complete inits original issuance . No EDOR was ever filed with the State or with the County. As a result , Waste Services is having to recomplete the process for a Cert. of Designation and will be required to meet a public hearing. EXHIBIT 5. Sect . 14 is inaccurate in the following regards : a . Landfill underdrain 001 water flows are the result of two flows; subsurface groundwater and surface irrigation of the Knister Farm north of the landfill . The irrigation operations are highly variable and during the period of testing by Waste Services , only a small irrigation operation was in progress . If the irrigation operation significantly increases (due to crop rotation and type of crop farmed) a corresponding increase in water flows will occur. b. The underdrain outflow is released at one of the Spomer Lakes . The particular Spomer Lake also receives all surface runoff from the western and southwestern slope of the CWCL. The landfill area (actual fill area) terminates at the shores of this Spomer Lake . The surface of this section of the CWCL is composed entirely of petroleum contaminated soil deposited and spread throughout the summer of 1992 . Any water runoff over this area would/will carry contamination into the Spomer Lake . c. There is a retention pond on the eastern side of the CWCL . This pond has no discharge point. This water has been observed to be collected by a tanker truck and deposited into trenches along the western section of the CWCL and into the Spomer Lakes . Sect. 14 of the application requests information on all contributing wastewater to the effluent yet no indication of these above mentioned operations are listed or an evaluation of those effluents attached. 6 . Sect . 17 . Most of the water that flows into the inflow of the underdrain is directly affected by the surface irrigation operations on the farm to the north of the CWCL. These irrigation operations are by definition seasonal . These discharge flows are highly variable yet Waste Services indicated a response of "NO" to this section. 7 . Sect . 19A. is incomplete in that several water tests have been performed onthis area of the CWCL all with significant contamination results (see ATCH 1 ) . Waste Services contracted with Golder & Assoc. in a JUL 92 report that indicates heavy metal and VOC contamination offsite in the area surrounding the discharge points this permit application is filed for . Mr . John Pickle of the WCHD can speak towards this contamination concern. We note that Waste Services has indicated very little contamination in this area while private testing indicates significant contamination . 8 . Sect . 19D. See Sect . 19A and ATCH 1 to this letter . Q" .ORA 9. Sect . 19F. The aquatic life biomonitoring test done by Waste Management indicates significant toxicity at the 100% level . While they attempt to try and explain away the failure , the results are still a failure. If there was some question as to the validity of the 100% level another test should have been performed . By their own admission, " this sample would be acutely toxic at the 100% concentration level . " Their methodology is extremely suspect in that the precise location of their sample point is not indicated. The discharge point for the underdrain is located atthe Spomer Lake , but it is very difficult to find the location of the underdrain discharge point . The Weld County Health Department could not locate its position until a member of our group escorted them to the point of discharge . If Ms . Sanchez (sampling technician) happened to sample the wrong water, Waste Mgt . ' s tests would be highly diluted with waters from the Spomer Lake. 10 . Sect. 21 . Most of the wastewater will be applied to land during the summer and fall months . The underdrain releases water concurrently with the Spomer Lakes . This water flows entirely into an irrigation system utilized by 4 farms as their only source of irrigation water for their agricultural lands . It is also used to water cattle and horses . Any water not used is discharged into the Big Thompson River less than 2000 ' downstream from the discharge point . We note that Waste Services indicated on their application that no land application will be practiced, yet 4 farms use this water as their sole source of irrigation. Overall we have indicated 10 areas where Waste Services has erroneously completed their application for a wastewater discharge permit . This indicates a serious breech of reliability on their part . Significant controversy surrounds this landfill . It is located in a draw where extremely large amounts of groundwater exists ( less than 3 feet below the surface on the western boundaries of the CWCL- Soil & Gas Monitoring Plan submitted NOV 92 ) in addition to large amounts of irrigation water that impinges along the Northern and Western Landfill boundaries . Their own water flow reports indicates the enormous amounts of water traversing through the landfill on a daily basis . The area of the landfill where the underdrain is located is situated in 5-25 feet of groundwater and it is suspected that this leachate is contributing to the contamination at the underdrain outflow discharge point (WCHD NOV 92 ) . In addition, some radioactivity has been detected in the waters around the CWCL (Golder & Assoc , JUL 92 ) but to date Waste Services has not indicated the location of any radioactive waste deposits . The underdrain discharges into the Spomer Lakes . The underdrain was originally designed in this manner to conceal any leachate activity by diluting it with the waters of the Spomer Lakes . This water is used by 4 farms as their sole source of irrigaton waters . Any water not used ( during the months not farmed) is discharged directly into the Big Thompson River ( 2000 ' from the underdrain discharge point) which meets with the Platte River approximately 1 mile downstream. The discharging of known contaminants into river is a violation of the U. S. Clean Water Act as you are well aware . We urge denial of the CWCL/Waste Services Waste Water Discharge Permit . There is ample evidence of erroneous information on their permit application. The issue of water contamination cannot be overstated when this water is discharged and farmers have historically used the Spomer Lakes for their irrigation operations . The CWCL has created an untenable situation in which serious contamination is exiting their operation and is discharging into the Big Thompson River in violation of the U. S. Clean Water Act . Given these reasons we most strongly urge the denial of their permit. Concerned , �2GG31llee.� '� Michael S . Hayes ASHTON-DANIELS COMMUNITY ACTION GROUP 8200 W. 49th ST. Greeley, CO 80634 1 Atch. cc: Weld County Comm. Weld County Health Dept. Hon. Wayne Allard Hon. Hank Brown Glenn Mallory CDH/WMD Victor Sainz CDH/WQD L Waste Management of North Ameriea, Inc. Nal Mountain Region 5660 Greenwood Plaza Blvd. • Suite 400 Englewood. Colorado 30111 ED 303/770.3324 c C G 1 .; : December 11, 1992 O . 14. 199Z Victor H. Sainz P.E. Colorado Department of Health Water Quality Control Division Permits and Enforcement Division WQCD-PE-B2 4300 Cherry Creek Drive South Denver CO 80222-1530 Subject: CENTRAL WELD SANITARY LANDFILL (CWSL) COLORADO DISCHARGE PERMIT SYSTEM (CDPS) APPLICATIONS Dear Victor: This letter is provided in response to your correspondence dated November 17, 1992 and received on November 30, 1992 concerning the CDPS applications for CWSL. As discussed during our phone conversation on November 6, 1992, CWSL has been actively compiling the required information for the submittal of CDPS industrial wastewater discharge permit applications for several months. The CDPS application for the landfill underdrain was submitted to the Colorado Department of Health (CDH), Water Quality Control Division (WQCD) on November 25, 1992. As a point of clarification, your November 17, 1992 letter indicates that the discharge from the surface drain/perimeter frenchdrain eventually discharges into the Big Thompson River. Rather, this discharge flows to an onsite retention pond which does not include an outlet for offsite discharges. The retained water is currently managed onsite (i.e. for dust control and irrigation of undeveloped areas of the site). However, CWSL does not intend to continue to use the water as described above, once approval for other management methods are received from CDH. The CDPS applic don for the perimeter frenchdrain is in the process of being finalized and is ex ted to be submitted in December, 1992. As"further disease ;C dWSL is also evaluating t�tibiity` of constniai ng inst'Fc rnnjection"weII'asari`alte aa`tivn_to'.managtn8the fl frenchdrain'water'under the CPDS system! Any information you may have concerning this alternative is requested. w n..t..:az.10 EXHIBIT P: CWSL I-0I A i. — a3 Letter Victor Sainz December 11, 1992 Page 2 Should you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at 770-3324 or Bill Hedberg at 654-1133 Sincerely `2L Alan Scheere Environmental Specialist AS/mmp cc: John Pickle, WCDH Patricia Nelson, WQCD Roger Doak, CDH Bill Hedberg, WSC Barbara Taylor, WQCD wp51W1sss12.10 P: CWSL STATE OF COLORADO COLORADO DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH op °kq. .. ._`(� Dedicated to protecting and improving the health and ;y,f .�. `, � d V� b environment of the people of Colorado " •,(N : 4300 Cherry Creek Dr.5. Laboratory Building I• • • • Denver,Colorado 80222-1530 4210 E.11th Avenue tt_ - to 76 Phone(303)692-2000 Denver,Colorado 80220-3716 ' (303)691-4700 Roy Romer Governor December 22 , 1992 7 W; Pa&i a&Nolan,MD,MPN Executive Director Bill Hedberg v` y Alan Scheere Waste Services Corporation 5660 Greenwood Plaza Boulevard, Suite 400 Englewood, Colorado 80111 RE: Application Completeness Review for Waste Services Corporation, Central Weld County Sanitary Landfill Permit No: CO - 0043419 For the past couple of weeks, the Water Quality Control Division of the Colorado Department of Health (the Division) has been reviewing documents pertinent to the Central Weld Sanitary Landfill. These documents have been submitted along with a discharge permit application from an underdrain to Spomer Lakes. Groundwater and surface water laboratory data both upstream and downstream from the. landfill, letters from concerned citizens in the area, and documents by private consulting firms characterizing the geological and hydrogeological characteristics of the area are included in these documents. At this point in the review process, the Division would like to ask for 1) clarification on some information and 2) additional current data. 1. Clarification is required on the following: a. Please provide a full description of the following sample points: 1) NDIS 6) RP - Inlet 2) LF-UD 7) EB 3) GWM5A 8) TB 4) GWM5A-DUP 9) LF - UD 5) N-Discharge b. Describe the uses of the water that flows from the french drain to the retention pond. c. What is the ultimate use or destiny of the water that flows from the underdrain to Spomer Lake? EXHIBIT , , -a� X1.061_ to: 12/22/92 Bill Hedberg Alan Scheere Waste Services Corporation Page 2 d. A drain flows in a westerly direction on the northern perimeter of the property. Please describe the discharge point and the nature of the drain. 2 . Additional information required: a . Testing is required on all point-discharges which ultimately flow to surface waters of the State. Additional current data (3 months or less old) or testing is required for: 1) additional metals 2) fecal coliforms 3) Nitrates and nitrites 4) Total suspended solids 5) Uranium 6) Organic chemicals 7) Pesticides See Table 1 (attached) In accordance with permit issuance protocol, further processing of this permit application will be postponed until the requested information is obtained. Your timely response will be appreciated. If you have any questions regarding surface-water discharge call me at (303) 692-3615. Sincerely, Barbara Taylor Environmental Engineer Water Quality Control Section Colorado Department of Health LETTER.WEL 12/22/92 PAGE 2 sit Ogle. to: 12/22/92 Bill Hedberg Alan Scheere Waste Services Corporation Page 3 cc: John Pickle Trevor Juricek Weld County Health Diana Orf Attorney 1675 Broadway, suite 2430 Denver, CO. , 80202 L. Morrison, Weld County Assistant Attorney 915 10th Street Greeley, CO. , 80632 Weld County Department of Planning 1400 N. 17th Avenue Greeley, CO. , 80631 Chuck Cunliffe Director Weld County Commissioners 915 10th Street Greeley, CO. , 80632 Dave Dubois North Front Range Water Planning Association 500 E. 3rd Street, Civic Center Loveland, CO. , 80537 LETTER.WEL 12/22/92 PAGE 3 TABLE 1 ORGANICS PESTICIDES Benzene Simazine ` Benzidine Vydate (Oxamyl) Bromochloromethane Picloram Bromoform Aldriri Carbofuran Dieldrin Carbon tetrachloride Endrin Chlordane Endrin aldehyde Chloroethyl ether (BIS-2) Toxaphene Chloroform DDE Chlorobenzene DDT Dibenzo(a,h)anthracene PAH Aldicarb Dichlorobenzene 1,2 Dichlorobenzene 1,3 Dichlorobenzene 1,4 Dichloroethane 1,2 Dichloroethene 1,2 Dichloroethane 1,1 Dichloroethylene 1,2-cis Dichloroethylene 1,2-trans Dichlorophenol 2,4 Dichlorophenoxyacetic acid Dichloropropane 1,2 METALS & INORGANICS Dinitrophenol 2,4 Dioxin (2,3,7,8 TCDD) Diphenylhydrazine 1,2 Aluminum Ethylbenzene Copper Heptachlor Nickel Heptachlor epoxide Zinc Hexachlorobenzene Cyanide Hexachlorobutadiene Nitrate Hexachlorocyclohexane, Gamma Nitrite (Lindane) Sulfide Hexachlorocyclohexane, Alpha Isophorone Methoxychlor Nitrobenzene PCB's Pentachlorobenzene Pentachlorophenol Tetrachlorobenzene 1,2,4-5 Tetrachloroethylene Toluene Trichloroethane 1,1,2 Trichloroethene RADIOACTIVE Trichloroethylene Trichlorophenol 2,4,6 Uranium Trichlorophenoxyproprionic acid (2,4,5-tp) Vinyl chloride OTHER PARAMETERS Fecal coliforms Total suspended solids hi.e:: CevtrI Weld. bu L& fit, mEmoRAnDum WII'D o To File December 23, 1992 QQ O.k COLORADO Linda Johnson / . From v L &tw Contaminated soil complaint - Central Weld Landfill eet On December 21, 1992, at approximately 11:30 a.m., I investigated a complaint regarding several truckloads of dirt being received at Central Weld County Landfill. I spoke to Bill Hedberg of Central Weld County Landfill. The landfill is receiving contaminated soils from two UST removals in Arvada. According to the Special Waste Reports, the landfill will be receiving between 6000 - 8000 cubic yards. On December 21, as of the time of my inspection, the landfill had received 324 cubic yards. Prior to December 21, they have received 828 cubic yards. The Special Waste Report includes lab analysis from the excavation pits / 1a� as well as the stockpiles. The fi11 was currently utilizing the soil _for X daily cover. Bill Hedberg informed me that-they did not nee3 sate approval for eac load as that was a part of Central Weld's Special Waste Plan. EXHIBIT A 44(1114Dr mEmoRAnDum WIID€ To Chuck Cunliffe, Planning DM@ January 4, 1992 COLORADD John Pickle, Health From SubjectCentral Weld Sanitary Landfill The Central Weld facility has been the subject of very close monitoring over the past six (6) months. Disclosure of offsite groundwater contamination by Waste Management in August 1992, along with growing community concern, prompted increased surveillance since July, 1992, and it continues to the present. During this time period, Environmental Protection staff have spent considerable time in field inspections of the site, meetings and correspondence with Waste Management, Waste Services, Colorado Department of Health, and other county offices, as well as review of reports and records from the facility. In the process of these activities we have determined the following areas of concern, which our Division submits as violations: 1. The Central Weld Sanitary Landfill had never filed a design and operations plan. This would be a violation of subsection 3.1.2. of the Solid Waste Regulations. There is some question as to whether or not this was a requirement at the time this facility was permitted. 2. The Central Weld Sanitary Landfill has never filed an amended application for substantial change of operations, despite the fact that the facility has changed ownership, and further that the facility appears to have accepted a category of waste that was not previously reviewed. This would be in violation of subsection 1.3.7. of the Solid Waste Regulations. 3. The Central Weld Sanitary Landfill has operated without required Discharge Permits. This is a violation of subsection 2.1.2. of the Solid Waste Regulations, and 25-8-501, Colorado Revised Statutes. 4. The Central Weld Sanitary Landfill contaminated the ground water. This is a violation of subsection 2.1.4. of the Solid Waste Regulations. The facility has been notified of this violation by our Division on October 5, 1992, and also by the Colorado Department of Health on December 23, 1992. 5. The Central Weld Sanitary Landfill has allowed ponding of water onsite. This is a violation of subsection 2.1.4. , and 2.2.2. of the Solid Waste Regulations. 6. The Central Weld Sanitary Landfill has placed solid waste into the groundwater on this site. This would be a violation of subsection 3.1.11. of the revised Solid Waste Regulations. These regulations are scheduled to become effective prior to October, 1993. The Colorado Department of Health has determined that violations outlined in #4 EXHIBIT o , - ai and #6 above constitute a public nuisance. Environmental Protection Services Division concurs with this determination. Consequently, we would request that these violations at the Central Weld Sanitary Landfill, be brought to the attention of the Board of County Commissioners, in the form of a public hearing for probable cause. Should you need any additional information, please contact me. xc: Lee Morrison , memoRAnDum Wilk Chuck Cunliffe, Planning January 8, 1993 To COLORADO John Pickle, Health 1� From Central Weld Sanitary Landfill Subject: The Central Weld facility has been the subject of very close monitoring over the past six (6) months. Disclosure of offsite groundwater contamination by Waste Management in August 1992, along with growing community concern, prompted increased surveillance since July, 1992, and it continues to the present. During this time period, Environmental Protection staff have spent considerable time in field inspections of the site, meetings and correspondence with Waste Management, Waste Services, Colorado Department of Health, and other county offices, as well as review of reports and records from the facility. In the process of these activities we have determined the following areas of concern, which our Division submits as violations: 1. The operators of the Central Weld Sanitary Landfill did not file a Design and Operations plan, although a partial submission was made at the County's request on November 12, 1992. Additional information is still being submitted as it is developed by Waste Services. This failure to file would be a violation of C.R.S. 30-20-103 and Subsection 3.1.2 of the Solid Waste Regulations. There is some question as to whether or not this was a requirement at the time this facility was permitted. Such a report was required in the 1971 Amendments to the Solid Waste Act prior to the hearing by the Board of County Commissioners, but the Act requires such a report only "as may be required by the [State Health] Department by regulation." The State appears to have decided that no report was necessary as they treated the landfill as a grandfathered site. Regardless of the State's position, it appears that the Board of County Commissioners expected such a review and that one never occurred. A review of the files does not show that there ever has been an "approval" by the State Health Department, though there has been some correspondence in recent months. The only correspondence that could be construed as any kind of approval, was that of Dennis Hotovec, approving a change of operator, so long as the landfill continued to be operated in accordance with an operations plan, which apparently, has never existed. 2. The Central Weld Sanitary Landfill has operated without required Discharge Permits. This is a violation of Subsection 2.1.2. of the Solid Waste Regulations, and 25-8-501, Colorado Revised Statutes. 3. The Central Weld Sanitary Landfill contaminated the ground water. This is a violation of Subsection 2.1.4. of the Solid Waste Regulations. The facility has been notified of this violation by our Division on October 5, 1992, and also by the Colorado Department of Health on December 23, 1992. • EXHIBIT (.14 V ` D . a1 � JAN 1 1 1993 _a I 'Moil Nun*,of onion Chuck Cunliffe, Planning Department Re: Central Weld Sanitary Landfill January 8, 1993 Page 2 4. The Central Weld Sanitary Landfill has allowed ponding of water onsite. This is a violation of Subsection 2.1.4. , and 2.2.2. of the Solid Waste Regulations . 5. The Central Weld Sanitary Landfill has placed solid waste into the groundwater on this site. This is a violation of Subsections 2.1.4 of the Solid Waste Regulations, and will be a violation of Subsection 3.1.10 of the revised Solid Waste Regulations. These regulations are scheduled to become effective in April, 1993. 6. In the absence of any design and operations plan, the only basis for establishment of the parameters for the 1971 permits, are the representations of the applicant at the time the permits were considered by the Board of County Commissioners. Those representations did not contemplate a regional landfill with a life of thirty-five (35) years, but rather one with an expected life of less than twenty (20) years. The representations did not contemplate placing fill above the existing grade as Waste Services currently plans. (Reference Design and Operations Plan, Sheet It 7) The Colorado Department of Health has determined that violations outlined in #4 and #6 above constitute a public nuisance. Environmental Protection Services Division concurs with this determination. Consequently, we would request that these violations at the Central Weld Sanitary Landfill, be brought to the attention of the Board of County Commissioners, in the form of a public hearing for probable cause. Should you need any additional information, please contact me. /jp-011 xc: Randolph L. Gordon, M.D. , M.P.H. , Director, Weld County Health Department Lee Morrison, Weld County Assistant Attorney • II JAN 1 4 1993 DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH 7 U 1517-16 AVENUE COURT Ti,nninr GREELEY, COLORADO 80631 WI 1 ADMINISTRATION(303)353-0586 G HEALTH PROTECTION(303) 353-0635 COMMUNITY HEALTH (303)353-0639 COLORADO January 14, 1993 Certified Letter No. : P 423 630 398 William J. Hedberg Waste Services Corporation 6037 77th Avenue Greeley, Colorado 80631 Dear Mr. Hedberg: On December 20, 1992, a representative of the Environmental Protection Division of the Weld County Health Department inspected the Central Weld Sanitary Landfill, located at 6037 77th Avenue, Greeley, in Weld County, Colorado. The purpose of the inspection was to inspect and assess the facilities compliance with the "Regulations Pertaining to Solid Waste Disposal Sites and Facilities" (The Regulations) as promulgated by the Solid Waste Disposal Sites and Facilities Act (The Act) , Title 30, Article 20, Part 1, C.R.S. , as amended. On the date of the December 20, 1992, field inspection, the following was observed, or has been observed previously: 1. This facility continues to discharge pollutants into state waters without an approved discharge permit. 2. This facility continues to allow water to pond on the eastern portion of the facility. 3. This facility continues to operate in the absence of an approved Design and Operations plan. 4. This facility has contaminated the groundwater beyond the facility property line. 5. Solid waste has been placed into groundwater at this site. 6. This facility is currently operating without an emissions permit. It has been documented that previously disposed solid waste is currently exposed to groundwater and that groundwater pollution has occurred at this location. As you are aware, subsection 2.1.4 of The Regulations states that "A site and facility operated as a sanitary landfill shall provide means of finally disposing of solid wastes on land in a manner to minimize nuisance conditions. . . ." and that EXHIBIT I A. o . - ag) o`� 11.0 ' William J. Hedberg • Certified Letter No. : P 423 630 398 January 14, 1993 Page 2 "nuisance condition are those which may result from explosive gas, bird hazards, disease vectors, odors, windblown solid wastes or cover materials, open burning, water pollution. . . ." This facility allows water to pond on the eastern portion of the site. According to subsection 2.1.4 this facility "shall provide adequate cover with suitable material and surface drainage designated to prevent ponding of water. . . ." and subsection 2.2.2 which states "Surface waters shall be diverted from, or around, the disposal site and facility and its working face." The Central Weld Sanitary Landfill is currently operating without an emissions permit as required by the Air Pollution Control Commission of the Colorado Department of Health. In addition, this facility continues to discharge pollutants into state waters without an approved discharge permit. Operating without a discharge permit is a noncompliant activity according to Title 25, Article 8, Part 5, Colorado Revised Statutes, as amended. Both deficiencies are in violation of Subsection 2.1.2, of The Regulations which states in part "facilities shall comply with the health laws , standards, rules, and regulations of the department, the Water Quality Control Commission, the Air Quality Control Commission. . . ." The operation of this facility in the absence of an approved Design and Operations Plan is a violation of 30-20-103 of The Act, as it states in part, "Such application shall. . . .set forth the location of the site and facility; the type of site and facility; the type of processing to be used, such as sanitary landfill, composting, or incineration; the hours of operation; the method of supervision; the rates to be charged, if any; and such other information as may be required by the board of county commissioners. The application shall also contain such engineering, geological, hydrological, and operational data. . . ." The Division has taken into consideration that a preliminary Design and Operations Plan, a remedial action plan, and a discharge permit have either been applied for or submitted, which address some of the above issues. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at 353-0635. Sincerely, ( / �i LUC fiC Trevor Jirieek Solid and Hazardous Waste Specialist TJ-085 cc: Roger Doak, Colorado Department of Health Lee Morrison, Assistant Weld County Attorney Chuck Cunliffe, Weld County Planning Department Alan Scheere, Waste-Management of North America, Inc. Bill Webster, Weld County Commissioner 1 iirtft ----NHDEPART MENT OF PLANNING SERVICES PHONE(303)353-3845, EXT. 3540 C. WELD COUNTY ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICES WI I 1400 N. 17TH AVENUE GREELEY, COLORADO 80631 COLORADO January 18, 1993 Waste Services, Inc. C/O Waste Management P.O. Box 122283 Ft. Worth, Tx. 76121 Subject: Violation Notice - ZCH-96 on a parcel of land described as part of the W2 SW4 and the SE4 SW4 of Section 32, T5N, R66W of the 6th P.M. , Weld County, Colorado. Dear Sirs: A review of your property was conducted to determine if the Conditions of Approval placed on the property at the time SUP-116 was approved by the Board of County Commissioners are in compliance. The review revealed violations of Condition of Approval #1. John Pickle' s memorandum dated January 8, 1993, and Trevor Jiricek' s certified letter Number P423 63O 398 dated January 14, 1993, outlines the violations of Condition of Approval #1 on the Board of County Commissioners' Resolution dated October 6, 1971. The Department of Planning Services is still evaluating the possibility of violations of Condition of Approval #2 on the Board of County Commissioners' Resolution dated occober 6, 1971. You will be notified if violations are identified during the Department' s evaluation. Copies of John Pickle' s memorandum dated January 8, 1993, Trevor Jiricek' s certified letter dated January 14, 1993, and the Board of County Commissioners' Resolution dated October 6, 1971 are enclosed for your review. The Use by Special Review area must be brought into compliance with the Conditions of Approval within 30 days from the date of this letter. Noncompliance will result in our office scheduling a Probable Cause Hearing before the Board of County Commissioners. If the Board determines there is sufficient probable cause to warrant further action, a Show Cause Hearing will be scheduled to consider revocation of the Use by Special Review permit 116. If you have information that may clear up this matter, please call or write. . Sincerely!, � �_ I ';d\is4- Chu� 'unliffe, AICP Director EXHIBIT enclosures I ft• 0, al pc: William J. Hedberg Bill Jeffry /e Morrison, Assistant County Attorney John Pickle, Weld County Health Department j- Jk71011 1-& , Pc. Attorneys At Law 1775 Sherman Street • Suite 1300 Denver, Colorado 80203 (303) 861-1963 • Fax: (303) 832-4465 Ext. 123 January 18 , 1993 Ms. Connie Harbert, Chairperson Weld County Commissioners 915 - 10th St. , P.O. Box 758 Greeley, Colorado 80632 RE: Request For Hearing For Revocation of Certificate of Designation for Central Weld Sanitary Landfill Dear Chairperson Harbert: The Ashton-Daniels Neighborhood Association ( "Neighborhood Association" ) and Sam and Myrtle Telep request the Board of County Commissioners of Weld County ( "Board") to institute a Certificate of Designation Revocation proceeding with regard to the Central Weld County Landfill, under the provisions of C.R. S . 30-20-112, and, upon notice and public hearing, revoke the Certificate of Designation for the Central Weld Sanitary Landfill and require closure and remedial action measures which return the site to its original grade and prevent releases of contaminants into the environment, including groundwater and surface water. The Ashton-Daniels Neighborhood Association includes citizens of Weld County who own property in the vicinity of the Central Weld Sanitary Landfill. Sam and Myrtle Telep own land which adjoins the Landfill. Members of the Telep family reside on the property. Operation of the Landfill has interfered with the use and enjoyment of the property of members of the Neighborhood Association, including Sam and Myrtle Telep. The land use approval for the Landfill was obtained as the result of representations made by the applicant, the Weld County Health Department, and the Department of Health at a hearing before the Board on September 22, 1971. These representations govern the land use approval for the site and apply to the original applicant and all subsequent owners and operators. EXHIBIT I Ito.- ? ,.og Ms. Connie Harbert January 18, 1993 Page 2 Based on information and belief, the owners and operators of the Central Weld County Landfill include Waste Management of North America, Inc. , Waste Services, Inc. , Mr. Brad Keirnes, and the Keirnes family. A transcript of the tape recorded hearing of September 22, 1971, is attached hereto. The Neighborhood Association also requests the Board to commence a civil action to enjoin operation of the Central Weld County Landfill as a public nuisance and to require corrective action to abate the nuisance by restoring the land to its original grade and remediate releases of contaminants into the environment, including groundwater and surface water. The Neighborhood Association requests the Board to base its Certificate of Designation and Nuisance Abatement action on grounds which include the following: 1. The Central Weld County Landfill has been operated without an approved design and operations plan in violation of C.R.S. 30-20-103 and Subsection 3 . 1. 2 of the Solid Waste Regulations of the Colorado Department of Health. At the Board's public hearing, it was represented to the Board that rules and regulations would be promulgated by the Colorado Department of Health governing engineering design and operation of the Landfill. (Hearing of September 22, 1971, at Page 5 . ) All materials disposed of at this facility in the absence of an approved design and operations plan were illegally disposed of and should be ordered to be removed. 2 . Solid waste has been disposed of in groundwater, con- trary to Subsection 2 . 1. 4 of the Solid Waste Regulations and contrary to representations made on September 22, 1971, during the Board's public hearing by the applicant in obtaining the Certificate of Designation, which representations were material to the Board's decision to issue the Certificate of Designation. At the hearing it was represented that water pollution would not occur and that the land filling operation would cease if it did. (Hearing of September 22, 1971, at Pages 4 and 30. ) All materials contacting groundwater or surface water, or leeching contaminants into groundwater or surface water, should be ordered to be removed. Ms. Connie Harbert January 18, 1993 Page 3 3 . The Central Weld County Landfill has discharged pollutants into the waters of the State of Colorado and the United States, contrary to Subsection 2. 1.2 of the Solid Waste Regulations, the Colorado Water Quality Control Act, C.R. S. 25-8- 501, and the Federal Clean Water Act. Such discharges should be ordered to cease immediately, and remedial action orders should be issued for the removal of contaminants from the environment which were released into the environment without a discharge permit. 4 . Material representations were made to the Board at its public hearing of September 22, 1971, that the Central Weld County Landfill 's operating life would be fifteen years, or shorter, if groundwater or other geologic constraints were encountered (hearing of September 22, 1971, at Page 28 and Page 41) . The Landfill 's operating life would be longer only if subsurface conditios so allowed. Based on such representations, the Certificate of Designation was issued by the Board, and said Certificate either contains an implied condition limiting the life of the Landfill to no more than fifteen years, which term has expired, or the Certificate of Designation was fraudulently obtained. In either circumstance, the term of years for operation of the landfill has expired, the landfilling operation should be ordered to be terminated under the Certificate of Designation, and a closure and remedial action order should be entered. 5 . The land use approval for the landfill was for burial below the surface of the ground, not for "air space" filling rights. Material representations were made on September 22, 1971, to the Board, during the Certificate of Designation hearing, that deposition into the landfill would not exceed the grade of the land which existed at the time the Board issued the Certificate of Designation, except for the possible cover of three to four feet of clean fill dirt, and that upon closure, the site would be graded or benched to conform with surrounding agricultural land uses. (Hearing of September 22, 1971, at Pages 16-17 and Pages 27-28 . ) No "air space" rights were applied for or granted by the Board, and the applicant represented that there was sufficient subsurface space and conditions to operate a landfill over a fifteen-year life below the surface. Despite these material representations, the pre-existing grade of the land has been altered and continues to be altered, contrary to the approved land use plan for the site under the Board's Certificate of Designation approval. Materials which cause the pre-landfill grade of the ground to be exceeded should be removed, and the site should be restored to the grade which existed at the time the Certificate of Designation was issued. :iC1O81 Ms. Connie Harbert January 18 , 1993 Page 4 6 . The owners and operators of the landfill have allowed the ponding of water on the site, contrary to Subsections 2. 1. 4 and 2 . 2. 2 of the Solid Waste Regulations. 7 . The owners and operators of the Central Weld County Landfill have disposed of special wastes at the site without the required approvals. These wastes should be ordered to be removed. 8 . The existence of the Central Weld County Landfill constitutes a public nuisance which should be enjoined, and the nuisance abated by restoration of the site to its pre-existing grade and removal of all materials which contact groundwater or surface water. 9 . The facts and documents supporting revocation of the Certificate of Designation for the Central Weld County Landfill and abating the public nuisance caused by the Landfill are within the possession and control of the Board of County Commissioners of Weld County, the Weld County Health Department, the Colorado Department of Health, Waste Services, Inc. , Waste Management of North America, Inc. , Mr. Brad Keirnes and the Keirnes Family. The Board should order Waste Services, Inc. , Waste Management of North America, Inc. , Mr. Brad Keirnes, and the Keirnes Family to produce for inspection and copying all documents and information which pertain to the Landfill and its operation throughout its existence. 10. Available information indicates that hazardous substances may have been released at the site. The County should investigate whether hazardous substances in reportable quantities have been released and, if so, whether the owners and operators of the site have complied with applicable reporting requirements, including the requirements of Section 103 of the Comprehensive Environmental Response Compensation & Liability Act, 42 U. S.C. § 9603 . WHEREFORE, the Ashton-Daniels Neighborhood Group and Sam and Myrtle Telep request that the Certificate of Designation for the Central Weld County Landfill be revoked, that the landfill be determined to be a public nuisance, and that closure and remedial action orders be issued 1) for the restoration of the site to the grade which existed at the time the Certificate of Designation was issued, and 2) for removal of all materials which contact or cause the release of contaminants into the environment, including groundwater or surface water. ai):Lnt'1 Ms. Connie Harbert January 18, 1993 Page 5 DATED this 18th day of January , 1993. Respectfully sub- mitted by the Ashton-Daniels Neighborhood Association. Kent E. Hanson �3�� Gregory J. Hobbs, Jr. 885 Arapahoe Ave. , Suite 216 Hobbs, Trout & Raley, Jr. Boulder, Colorado 80302 1775 Sherman Street, Ste. 1300 (303 ) 449-0600 Denver, Colorado 80203 (303 ) 861-1963 Ext. 123 Attorneys for Ashton-Daniels Neighborhood Associaiton, and Sam and Myrtle Telep GJH/det c: ■ Weld County Department of Health ■ Colorado Department of Health ■ Mr. Tom David bc : Sam Telep Kent Hanson 11493104 Q'a 0 1 7-7bJk 7 o -& , Pc Attorneys At Law 1775 Sherman Street • Suite 1300 Denver, Colorado 80203 (303) 861-1963 • Fax: (303) 832-4465 Ext. 123 February 15, 1993 Ms. Connie Harbert, Chairperson Mr. David Shelton, Director Weld County Commissioners Hazardous Materials and Waste 915 - 10th Street, P.O. Box 758 Management Division Greeley, Colorado 80632 Colorado Department of Health 4300 Cherry Creek Drive South Mr. Chuck Cunliffe Denver, Colorado 80222-1530 Director, AICP Department of Planning Services Mr. Tom David, County Attorney Weld County Administrative Offices Weld County 1400 N. 17th Avenue 915 - 10th Street Greeley, Colorado 80631 Greeley, Colorado 80632 RE: Violation Notice ZCH-96 of January 18, 1993, and Certified Letter to Waste Services Corporation Central Weld Sanitary Landfill, Dated January 14, 1993 Dear Ms. Harbert, Mr. Cunliffe, and Mr. Shelton: The Ashton-Daniels Neighborhood Association and Sam and Myrtle Telep sent the enclosed letter and attachments on January 18, 1993 to the Weld County Commissioners for the purpose of ensuring that the violations occurring at the Central Weld Sanitary Landfill are remedied in accordance with the law and the representations made to the Weld County Commissioners when the land use approval and Certificate of Designation for the landfill were obtained from Weld County. We enclosed a transcript which shows that the landfill authorization was obtained on the basis that the facility would not contaminate groundwater, would be in existence for fifteen years, and would be graded so that the natural ground level was maintained upon closure. EXHIBIT a . 4,— 31 Connie Harbert, Chuck Cunliffe and David Shelton February 16, 1993 Page Two The conditions for approval of the landfill have been violated, and no operations plan can be approved which allows the natural surface of the ground to be exceeded in light of the representations made when the land use approval was given. To the extent that the Colorado Health Department and/or Weld County is considering an operations plan for the facility, it must include a condition restricting and prohibiting exceedence of the natural grade of the ground. However, our position is that no operations plan, and definitely no expansion of the facility, should be allowed. We believe that legal and technical review will demonstrate that the only appropriate plan and order for this facility consists of a closure and remedial plan to intercept and treat contaminated groundwater and surface water, and restore the natural grade. Sincerely, Gregory J. Hobbs, Jr. for HOBBS, TROUT & RALEY GJH/det c: • Glenn Mallory • John Pickle • Lee Morrison GJH/det/21693II enar ^m Weanern i ,t errat + � Mu ?J _ _ ] F ...- mEmoRAnnDum WIIV€ Chuck Cunliffe, Planning February 22, 1993 To e COLORADO John Pickle, HeaLt From G Central Weld Sanitary Landfill sutiect: This memorandum is a follow-up to our meeting with Waste Management and Waste Services on February 18, 1993. Since that time, I have also met with Glenn Mallory, and Roger Doak, Solid Waste Division, and Pat Nelson, Water Quality Division, Colorado Department of Health. In response to these meetings, it is the opinion of this Division that the Central Weld Sanitary Landfill continues in a state of non-compliance. We submit the following areas of concern as violations : 1. The operators of the Central Weld Sanitary Landfill have not submitted a complete Design and Operations Plan. (See attached letter of February 22, 1993) . This is a violation of C.R.S. 30-20-103 . 2. The Central Weld Sanitary Landfill continues to operate without required Discharge Permits. This is a violation of subsection 2.1.2. of the Solid Waste Regulations, and 25-8-501, C.R.S. In conference with Pat Nelson, Water Quality Division, their position is that the absence of the required permits constitutes technical violation of the Rules; however, they are holding further enforcement in abeyance so long as as this facility continues to proceed in good faith with the Discharge Permit application process. Our Division agrees with this position. 3. The Central Weld Sanitary Landfill continues to contaminate the groundwater. A review of the Hydrogeologic and Geotechnical Characterization and supporting documents indicate that a portion of . this contamination is due to a lack of adequate cover and adequate surface drainage. This is a violation of Subsections 2.1.2 of the Solid Waste Regulations, specifically, 3. 11.5 of the Water Quality Control Commission Rules, and 2. 1.4. of the Solid Waste Regulations. In conference with Glenn Mallory and Roger Doak, Solid Waste Division, Colorado Department of Health, their position is still as outlined in their letter of December 23, 1992. 4. The Central Weld Sanitary Landfill has allowed solid waste to come into contact with groundwater on this site. A review of the Hydrogeologic and Geotechnical Characterization and supporting documents indicate that this condition is due to a lack of adequate cover and adequate surface drainage. This is a violation of Subsections 2.1.2 of the Solid Waste Regulations, specifically, 3. 11.5 of the Water Quality Control Commission Rules, and 2. 1.4. of the Solid waste Regulations. In addition, this will be a violation of Subsection 3.1. 10 of the revised Solid Waste Regulations, which are scheduled to become effective in April, 1993. EXHIBIT We=stern Inter not us ' - == •-.-- This Division, and the Colorado Department of Health continue to feel that items ti 3 and 4 4 constitute a public nuisance. Consequently, we would request that these violations be brought to the attention of the Board of County Commissioners , in the form o£ a public hearing• Should you need additional information, please contact me. ENV\342 XC: Lee Morrison, Assistant County Attorney Randolph Cordon, M.D. . M.P.H. Glenn Mallory, Solid Waste Division David Holm, Water Quality Division Kit DEPARTMENT OF PLANNING SERVICES PHONE (303) 353-3845, EXT. 3540 WELD COUNTY ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICES Ce 1400 N. 17TH AVENUE GREELEY,EY, COLORADO 80631 COLORADO R March 2 , 1993 M �C$11' 4,Q ets Waste ices Corporation Noe CS s Sr 40000 Weld County Road 25 HpVr199j Ault, CO 8O61O '4,0. Subject: ZCH-96 Dear Sirs: The Probable Cuase Public Hearing originally scheduled for March 24, 1993 , HAS BEEN RESCHEDULED by the Board of County Commissioners. Notice is hereby given that on Monday, April 5, 1993, at 9:OO a.m. , or as soon thereafter as the agenda of the Board of County Commissioners permits, the Board of County Commissioners of Weld County will hold a Probable Cause public hearing pursuant to Section 81 of the Weld County Zoning Ordinance and the policies and procedures of the Weld County Administrative Manual. This meeting will take place in the Commissioners' Hearing Room, Weld County Centennial Center, 915 Tenth Street, Greeley, Colorado. The purpose of this public hearing will be to review Case Number SUP-116 for compliance with conditions of approval as approved by the Board of County Commissioners on October 6, 1971, to determine if probable cause exists to hold a hearing on revocation of SUP- 116. Mr. John Pickle, in his memorandum dated February 22, 1993, has identified the items of non-compliance with conditions of approval for SUP-116. A copy of his memorandum is attached. If it is determined at the public hearing that there is probable cause that you are not in compliance with SUP-116 the Board of County Commissioners will schedule a Show Cause public hearing to consider revocation of the Special Review permit. If you have any questions regarding this matter, please call or write. Respectfully, f�u 1LAAi .C� — Ch Cunliffe, AICP Director enclosure pc: William J. Hedberg Marian King Bill Jeffry EXHIBIT Lee Morrison John Pickle A p — 33 Kit DEPARTMENT OF PLANNING SERVICES PHONE (303) 353-3845, EXT. 3540 Willi COUNTY ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICES 140C. ON ORAAVENUEO631 GREELEY, COLORADO 80631 COLORADO March 2, 1993 TO: SURROUNDING PROPERTY OWNERS Subject: ZCH-96 NAME: Waste Services Corporation, c/o Waste Management FOR: Central Weld Sanitary Landfill LEGAL DESCRIPTION: Part of the W2 SW4 and the SE4 SW4 of Section 32, T5N, R66W of the 6th P.M. , Weld County, Colorado. LOCATION: Approximately 1 1/2 miles northeast of the Town of Milliken. A Probable Cause Public Hearing originally scheduled before the Weld County Board of County Commissioners on Wednesday, March 24, 1993, HAS BEEN RESCHEDULED to Monday, April 5, 1993, at 9:OO a.m. , or as soon thereafter as the agenda of the Board of County Commissioners permits , in the County Commissioners' Hearing Room, First Floor, Weld County Centennial Center, 915 10th Street, Greeley, Colorado. The purpose of this public hearing will be to review Case Number SUP-116 for compliance with conditions of approval as approved by the Board of County Commissioners on October 6, 1971, to determine if probable cause exists to hold a hearing on revocation of SUP-116. You are receiving this notification because your property is within five-hundred (500) feet of the property being reviewed. All persons in any manner interested are requested to attend and may give testimony pertaining to the uses occurring on the approved site. For additional information write or telephone, Chuck Cunliffe. t'if mEmORAnDUI'fl Wilk FILE March 10, 1993 N` TO Dote tid COLORADO Trevor Jiricek, solid and Hazardous Waste Specialist Rem Central Weld Sanitary LY, complaint aub)eot On Harch 9, 1993, this Division received a complaint concerning the Central Weld Sanitary Landfill pumping water from its on site retention pond to a alfalfa field east of the landfill, this property is owned by Art Garcia. Upon arriving at the landfill I inspected the area which was reported in the complaint. From the county road, I observed a pump in place on the retention pond and a "irrigation type" line running through a culvert under the county road and onto Mr. Garcia's property. This line extended approximately 1000 feet. This was documented with 9 photographs (attached). I then contacted Bill Hedberg at the landfill office in regard to the complaint. Mr. Hedberg stated that a discharge of this nature would not require a discharge permit from the Water Quality Control Division, but that their attorneys were reviewing the situation to insure that. Mr. Hedberg stated the pump was only engaged to "prime" the system. He stated it ran for less than five minutes. The flow of water if pumped would run across Mr. Garcias field then under a county road and across another field also owned by Mr. Garcia, any surplus water would ultimately flow into the Big Thompson River. t will attempt to obtain an interpretation from C.D.H. in regard to this discharge. ti/ EXHIBIT RFR 1 '93 14'53 FROM WELD CO TREASURER Tu _c.Jc�- -`�'_•---. i#' MEMORAnDUM liii V Chuck Cunliffe, Planning March 30. 1993 To • COLORADO John Pickle. Hea Rem Central Weld San Lary Landfill subject On March 2, 1993, Trevor Jiricek of our staff inspected the Central Weld Sanitary Landfill. The purpose of the inspection wag to ARRAAt the facility's compliance with the "Regulations Pertaining to Solid Waste Disposal Site's and Facilities", as promulgated by the Solid Waste Disposal Sites and Facilities Act, Title 30, Article 20, Part 1. C.R.S. The facility continues in a state of non-compliance ae previously cited in my memo to yrm of 2-21-92! 1. The operators have not submitted a complete Design and Operations Plan_ 2. The Central Weld Sanitary Landfill continues to operate without required Discharge Permits. 3. The Central Weld Sanitary Landfill continues to contaminate the groundwater. 4. The Central Weld Sanitary LancFill has allowed solid waste to come into contact with groundwater on this site. I met with Bill Hedberg, Site Manager on March 23, 1993. Although we primarily discussed tither matters, no mention was made of any change in these areas of non- compliance. In addition, I have received nothing to date with regard to same. If you have further questions, please contact Trevor Jiricek or me. EXHIBIT A < D . - 3C ** TOTAL PAGE.017 ** O ' 4,•,_:064 April 3, 1993 Glenn Billings 2720 19 TH St. Drive#1 Greeley, CO 80631 Board of County Commissioners: Due to a business commitment I am unable to attend the public hearing on the Central Weld Sanitary Landfill. As one of the three County Commissioners, I voted against this landfill during the original public hearings in 1971. I've listed my reasons for voting against this landfill in 1971 as: 1. All requirements for approval were not met. 2. A high water table (such as the one around the Milliken Landfill) is not conducive to any landfill operations. 3. The location of the Milliken Landfill was poor. It is in a direct drainage that flows down hill into the Big Thompson River. 4. The landfill would have adverse effect on the intense agricultural operations in the area. 5. The landfill was too close to a large residential area (Dos Rios). These same issues negatively impact any present or future use of this facility. Sincerely, Glenn K. Billings Former Chairman of the Weld County Commissioners EXHIBIT I A . o. - �t ► STATEMENT OF ALBION CARLSON 1. I am over the age of 21 and own land in Weld County not far from Central Weld Landfill. 2 I am a trained geologist currently employed as an environmental scientist by State of New Mexico Environment Department. 3. I believe I would qualify as an expert in the fields of geology, hydrology and environmental regulatory issues in a court of law. 4. Because I am unable to attend a hearing regarding this landfill to be held on Monday, April 5, 1993 due to a schedule conflict I am submitting this statement to counsel for landfill opponents to be read aloud and to be submitted on my behalf as part of the written public record. 5. I have made independent studies of geology and water flows in slough and wetland areas east of Central Weld Landfill and have lifelong familiarity with the landfill site, its characteristics and localized conditions and have had opportunity to review public record documentation. Central Weld Landfill as currently sited and operated does not meet applicable county, state and federal regulations as set forth below: Central Weld Landfill as currently sited does not meet current Subtitle D siting criteria as set forth below: 6. The footprint of Central Weld Landfill is located in historic year-round wetlands and slough area, draining into the Big Thompson River and into historic Spomer Lake, adjacent wetlands, man-made ponds and ditches which function as areas of significant ground water recharge as may be seen in aerial photos of the site prior to landfill designation. 7. Central Weld Landfill is located in high water table area where water flow is encountered a few feet below the surface of the ground. S. Inspection of the perimeter of Central Weld Landfill reveals deep,wide, steep-slope trenches constructed in 1991 as part of a french drain and perimeter ditch system to intercept year-round water flow percolating through the biomass and to "maintain groundwater levels at elevations below the base of refuse [waste]." 9. Natural year-round springs were located on the landfill site and can be identified on aerial photos of the landfill site taken prior to excavation and dumping operations on the site. 10. Central Weld Landfill is underlain by weathered shales,clays and clayey-silty soils. 11. Wetting and drying of clayey soils in the area expands and contracts them creating a phenomenon known as piping or conduit formation which transfers water laterally and vertically as fast as water can flow eventually to the depth of formations that contains clay. 12. The soils of the Central Weld Landfill area do not resemble typical dryland soils but are mature indicating area of high moisture due in significant part to intensive irrigation activity in area. 13. Characterization of the site as semiarid with mean annual rainfall of about 11 inches per year for the landfill site is deceiving and inapplicable. Relative humidity is more than 50%due to intensive irrigation practices and year-round subsurface water flow in the area belies the semiarid characterization. EXHIBIT 0 • - ()110g 14. High rates of water flow onto landfill site from Knister Farms on the north side of the landfill during growing season(early water to harvest)impacts the landfill during four months of the year in amounts equivalent to rates for tropical rainfall or wet climates. 15. The base of the refuse and biomass is currently below the water level in Central Weld Landfill. 16. Waste in groundwater is sufficient for closure of a landfill in New Mexico and it was drafted the same in Colorado prior to February 4, 1993,when officers of Western Region of Waste Management of North America wrote to Glenn Mallory of the Colorado Department of Health requesting that he oversee approval process to reword the second sentence of Section 3.1.10 to state that"The operation of sites and facilities that place waste into groundwater after the effective date of these regulations is prohibited." 17. By way of analogy, corresponding New Mexico solid waste and landfill regulations are unaltered and state that waste shall not be introduced into the water table in landfills, prohibit burying trash below the groundwater table and prohibit landfill operators from burying waste within 100 feet of an identified water table. These regulations apply to all landfills without regard to age or date of commencement. 18 In the letter of February 4, 1993, Waste Management personnel also submit a proposal requesting Glenn Mallory of CDH to oversee approval process to reword final Colorado solid waste regulations to permit field filtering prior to laboratory analysis of groundwater samples taken from monitoring points or discharge points. 19. It is unreasonable to conclude based on a"relatively dry zone identified during site drilling within the weathered bedrock,"that"communication between the uppermost saturated zone and deeper zone" and deep aquifers such as the northern reaches of the Laramie-Fox Hills is "minimal." Relative to what? Significant contamination of groundwater and aquifers cannot be ruled out to a scientific degree of certainty. 20. Excavation of massive trenches along the north boundary of the landfill seeking to intercept massive seasonal water flow and year-round springs impacting this site, distant tectonic events,unstable areas, shifting pressures, movement and settlement within the biomass itself may contribute to additional fracture of upper and lower weathered bedrock units and create new pathways for significant flow of leachate-contaminated plumes extending under and past current legal boundaries of the landfill. 21. Central Weld Landfill has no buffer zones on any side. 22. Central Weld Landfill has no liners. 23. Saturated upper groundwater zones and saturated waste forming leachate is carried into pipes and localized fracture zones within weathered shales and bedrocks in the area. 24. Increased height proposals to achieve optimal slopes for final elevations and cover of the of biomass and proposed French drains will cause off-site contaminated water flow to move in new directions including downgradient via gravity flow onto Knister Farms land which will become a total reversal of historic flow. 25. Berms created by the landfill operators in conjunction with construction of the trench and french drain system of perimeter water control currently backup water onto Knister land creating new seep areas which have become unusable and unfarmable. 26. The Environmental Protection Agency delegated implementation of the mandatory NPDES program to the state of Colorado in 1975. On information and belief and pursuant to review of public files and 3 3106.1. notes from meetings of the Ashton Community Action Group, I was unable to find any application by Reines during landfill operations in the 1980's or Waste Services during its operation of the site during the past two years for required Colorado or federal point source discharge permits until an application for 9 sample points was finally submitted to CDH by the operators of Central Weld Landfill on November 25, 1992, including a discharge permit for the point source discharge of the landfill underdrain emptying into Spomer Lake, until after this oversight was brought to the attention of the Weld County Health Department and Colorado State Health Department by David Hayes and Jon Stephens raising questions on behalf of his wife and sister-in-law(resident and property owners immediately adjacent to the landfill on the South and west)since they observed Spomer Lake become unable to support fish species and the crops planted on their sidehill wither and die when irrigated by water contaminated from Central Weld County Landfill discharge point LF-UD. 27. Monitoring and sampling of test wells and discharge points as submitted to Colorado Department of Health as recently as March 9, 1993,by Waste Management in-house testing methods and results reveal numerous "SU" characterization of test results, i.e., "The analysis of the surrogate with this sample did not meet the acceptance criteria of the method." 28. As of March 19, 1993, I was unable to locate an approved Design and Operations Plan for Central Weld Landfill although one was required to be submitted by the operator for approval in 1971 as a condition of the Certificate of Designation. 29. Based upon years of analyzing practical economic and technologic feasibility of measures called for in site-specific closure and remediation orders from the point of view of operators cited for regulatory violations, regulators, and others such as plan proponents as well as opponents, I want to bring the attention of Weld County Commissioners to the following: 30. A purchaser of a landfill acquires no vested rights to derive economic gain from, or to continue or expand, any kind of waste disposal operation at a site. Any proposals for change of use or proposed expansion of waste disposal use or related activities at any site are separate issues. 31. Under applicable laws and regulations regarding solid waste landfills, purchasers of existing landfill sites assume all risks, including loss of projected revenue or costs of landscaping, remediation, monitoring and post-closure site work as a result of a closure order for cause at any time. A purchaser of a landfill has ample(a)opportunity, (b)duty of due diligence, and(c)incentive under present laws,to do adequate site investigation of a landfill administrative and operating history to make a reasoned purchase decision, weighing and balancing their assumption of risks which are known, discoverable by due diligence, or should have been known. Routine environmental audit of this property by sophisticated purchaser Waste Management would have revealed numerous areas of concern due to activities of potentially responsible parties("PRPs")as well as lack of adequate governmental file review and oversight based upon county, state and federal laws in effect on all dates relevant to this landfill. Dated: April 3, 1993 ALBION CARLSON .4.C Xio&'t SENT EY: 4- 3-93 ; 12:48 ; KINKO'S SANTA FE 3033524074;# 4 notes from meetings of the Ashton Community Action Group, I was unable to find any application by Keirtues during landfill operations in the 1980's or Waste Services during its operation of the site dating the past two years for required Colorado or federal point source discharge permits until an application for 9 sample points was finally submitted to CDII by the operators of Central Weld Landfill on November 25, 1992,including a discharge permit for the point source discharge of the landfill anderdrain emptying into Spomer Lake,until after this oversight was brought to the attention of the Weld County Health Department and Colorado State Health Department by David Hayes and Ion Stephens raising questions on'behalf of his wife and sister-in-law(resident and property owners immediately adjacent to the landfill on the South and west)since they observed Spomer hake become unable to suppon fish species and the crops planted on their eldehlll wither and die when irrigated by water contaminated from Central Weld County Landfill discharge point LF-UD 27. Monitoring and sampling of teat wells and discharge points as submitted to Colorado Department of Health es tecently as March 9, 1993,by Waste Management in-house testing methods and results reveal numerous"SU" eharacteriation of test results, i.e., "The analysis of the surrogate with this sample did not meet the acceptance criteria of the method." 28. As of March 19, 1993, f was unable to locate an approved Design and Operations Plan for Central Weld Landfill although one was required to be submitted by the operator for approval in 1971 as a condition of the Cettificate of Designation. 29. Based upon years of analyzing practical econonuc and technologic feasibility of measures called for in site-specific closure and remediation orders from the point of view of operators cited for regulatory violations,regulators, and others such as plan proponents as well as opponents,I want to bring the attention of Weld County Commissioners to the following 30. A purchaser of a landfill acquires no vested rights to derive economic gain from,or to continue or expand, any kind of waste disposal operation at a site Any proposals for change of use or proposed expansion of waste disposal use or related activities at any site are separate issues. 31. Under applicable laws and regulations regarding solid*WC landfills, purchasers of bxiating landfill sites assume all risks, including loss of projected revenue or costs of landscaping, remediation, monitoring and post elosuxe site work as a result of a.closure order for cause at any time. A purchaser of a landfill has ample(a)opportunity, (h)duty of due diligence, and(c)incentive under present laws, to do adequate site investigation of a landfill administrative and operating history to make a reasoned purchase decision,weighing and balancing their assumption of rises which arc known,discoverable by due diligence,or should have been known. Routine environmental audit of this property by sophisticated purchaser Waste Management would have revealed ntuerous areas of concern due to activities of potentially responsible panics("PRPt")as well as leek of adequate govcmmental file review and oversight based upon county,state and federal laws in effect on all dates relevant to this landfill. Dated: April 3, 1993 / / �'�n` �—�t ALBION CARLSON EVALUATION OF EXISTING SANITARY LANDFILLS IN WELD COUNTY AS HAZARDOUS WASTE DISPOSAL, SITES SEPTEMBER 1975 Prepared by: Orville F. Stoddard, P. E. Thomas M. Tistinic Engineering Section Colorado Department of Health Approved by: George A. Prince, P. E. Chief, Engineering Section Colorado Department of Health EXHIBIT . 0 ; Lf 3 TABLE OF CONTENTS Page I. Purpose 1 II. Conclusions 1-2 III. Recommendations 2-3 IV. Discussion 3-6 V. Hydrological Evaluation of Existing Sites A. Proximity to Flood Plains 7 B. Proximity to Aquifer Recharge Area 8-9 Including Surface Water and Streams C. Depth to Water Table Including Nearest 9-10 Use or Subsurface Discharge D. Precipitation and Discharge 10-11 E. Wind Erosion and Natural Barriers 11 F. Seismic Activity and Faults 11-12 G. Proximity to Growth Areas 12-13 H. Transportation Routes, Accessibility, 13 and Security I. Existing Land Use 13-14 J. Map Explanation 14-21 VI. A. Geological Map of Weld County B. County Powers and Functions - "Solid Waste Disposal Sites and Facilities" C. Department Regulations snio*1_ I, Purpose and Scope This report was requested by Dr. Yoder, Director of the Weld County Health Department to designate a disposal site in Weld County as a hazardous waste site. The purposes of this report are to evaluate the suitability of existing sites and facilities and to make recommendations for the location and operation of an approvable hazardous waste site and facility. II. Conclusions 1. Pesticide containers from applicators and residues from pesticide formulators are sources of hazardous wastes in Weld County. 2. All existing landfill sites are located in aquifer re- charge areas, flood plains or irrigated farmlands or near population centers. Surface and ground water pollution or air pollution can result from improper disposal of pesticide containers at any of these sites. A report and plan for receiving and disposal at a selected site has not been developed. 3. Liquids and residues from pesticide use, formulation and container washing operations are hazardous waste requiring special storage processing and disposal. 4. Hazardous waste, not acceptable for disposal at a specially designated landfill site, is a responsibility of the generator. 1 nn 5. A feasibility study for locating, designing and operating a hazardous waste site and facility has not been made. The acceptable method of financing has not been determined. III. Recommendations 1. Disposal site operators should be instructed not to receive hazardous waste materials, at existing disposal sites, unless the site has appropriate authorization from the Weld County Commissioners. The amounts receivable should be minimized by advising the generator to use these wastes for the intended purpose or neutralizing at the source. 2. An engineering report and operation plan should be developed and approved by the Department for a disposal site designated to receive empty pesticide containers. It should consider hydro-geological conditions; sources, types and condition of containers; method of disposal, records and monitoring procedures. 3. Left over pesticides, residues from pesticide formulations or container washing operations must be excluded from disposal sites unless authorized by the County Commissioners. A prerequisite for authorization is an engineering report and operation plan approved by the Department. k. The generator of hazardous waste not received at designated landfills should provide for on site storage facilities and transportation to appropriate sites in another State. 2 5. It is recommended that a consulting engineering firm with competence in chemical engineering be retained by the Weld County Commissioners to determine the feasibility of providing a hazardous waste processing facility and disposal site in Weld County and inves- tigate financing alternatives. IV. Discussion Hazardous waste is any waste or combination of wastes that poses a substantial danger to human, plant or animal life. Special precautions must be taken in handling, processing and disposal of these materials. They may be toxic chemicals; acids or caustics; explosives; or flammables. A review of sources of hazardous waste generated in Weld County indicates there is a need to dispose of hazardous material including pesticide residues and containers from formulators and applicators. Initially, an engineering report and plan for disposal should be developed which considers sources, quantities and types of hazardous waste. After review by the commissioners, recommended approval by this Department, comments of the Weld County Health Department and public hearing, a proposed site and facility may be designated. The existing landfill sites were designated prior to the requirement for engineering reports and operation plans. Therefore geological, hydrological and operational data on specific sites are lacking. Available data are inadequate for this Department to approve any of the existing sites as suitable for hazardous waste processing and/or disposal. 3 The problems associated with improper land disposal of hazardous wastes have not been recognized by the public, although damages may be severe and difficult to remedy. Air and water control programs have diverted many of these materials to the land for disposal. The problem is manifested in groundwater contamination by leachate, air pollution by open burning, evaporation, and wind erosion; poisonings by direct contact and through the food chain; fires and explosions at land disposal sites. Nationally, it is estimated that hazardous wastes comprise only 5 percent of the total solid waste generated. However, the environmental impact is much greater. Approximately 40 percent by weight of these wastes are inorganic, 6o percent organic. It is also estimated 90 percent exists in liquid or semi-liquid form. There are damage reports of arsenic poisoning in Minnesota from landfilling grasshopper bait contamination of soil, surface and groundwater on farmland in Illinois from disposal of metal finishing wastes on land; a fatality at a New Jersey landfill caused by exploding chemicals, to name a few, Some are a result of disposal practices 30 years ago and others a result of current disposal practices. General categories of hazardous wastes are toxic chemical, 4 flammable, explosive, and biological. These can be in form of solids, liquids or gases. Technology for the proper treatment and disposal of hazardous waste is generally available. However, the lack of regulation and economic incentive discourage the use of acceptable treatment and land disposal methods. Treatment processes include volume reduction, component separation, detoxification, disposal and storage. Methods of disposal on land include mixing with soil for bio-degradation, aerobic or anaerobic ponds, filtration through natural or imposed media, encapsulation and permanent disposal. The use of a deep well injection method for disposal is an alternative which requires considerable study and investigation prior to approval. The sources, amounts and types of hazardous waste generated in the "front range corridor" have not been surveyed. Presently, the requirement is to transport hazardous and toxic wastes to appropriate disposal sites in other States. However, some questionable materials are being currently received at the Lowry Bombing Range site in Arapahoe County. Several chemical fires have occurreyn the chemical disposal pits recently. It is estimated that.million gallons of industrial sludges are disposed of annilsi1y at this site. The portion considered hazardous or toxic is not known. Should a hazardous waste processing and disposal site be designated 5 in Weld County, it may receive much of these materials presently being received at Lowry and other sites. These increased quantities may improve the feasibility for recovery of materials. The procedures for designating a hazardous waste processing and disposal site by the Board of County Commissioners are the same as for a sanitary landfill. However, the required engineering report and operation plan must include sufficient data to ensure compliance with stringent criteria for hazardous waste processing and disposal. The following is an evaluation of existing designated landfill sites in Weld County, as to the suitability of these sites for disposal of hazardous materials. Many of these waste materials can be extremely toxic, water soluble, persistent after disposal, and dangerous to operating personnel, persons using the disposal site or in vicinity of the site. V. Hydrological Evaluations of misting Sites This phase of the screening and selection process will include a map and literature survey and a preliminary analysis of existing landfill facilities in Weld County. This study will try to determine the feasibility of designating an existing landfill as a hazardous waste disposal site. The screening process is not as a detailed engineering report. 6 Criteria to be used in evaluating existing sanitary landfills: A. Proximity to flood plains. B. Proximity to aquifer recharge areas, including surface waters and streams. C. Depth to water table, including nearest use or subsurface discharge of underground water. D. Precipitation and drainage. E. Wind erosion potential and natural barriers. F. Seismic activity and faults. G. Proximity to growth areas. H. Transportation routes, accessibility, and security. I. Existing land use. A. Proximity to flood plains The overall drainage pattern in Weld County is dendritic resulting in a high degree of interrelationship between stresmv and rivers. Pollution of any part may result in pollution of the whole, especially during periods of flooding. Information on flood plains was provided by the Weld County Planning Office6 Their map is based upon soil association data. Therefore, a detailed engineering study is necessary in selection of a hazardous waste disposal site and facility to insure adequate protection from flooding. 7 B. Proximity to aquifer recharge area, including surface waters • and streams. All aquifer recharge areas must be protected from the possibilities of pollution. Pollution of a recharge area may affect a user miles away. Care must be taken not to diminish the capacity or water quality of the aquifer, for in many areas in Weld County underground water is the major source of water for agricultural and domestic purposes. Inorganic solutions pass readily through soil and, once introduced, may not be removable. Because natural dilution is slow, induced flushing is expensive, and treatment is impractical. The effects of pollution may continue for a long period of time. In Weld County the major aquifers are situated in alluvial valleys, comprised of mostly sand and gravel underlying the major streams. Since these areas are locally recharged and form a hydraulic link with the streams flowing over them, careful investigation must be made before disposing of any hazardous waste material to insure underground water storage is not irreparably demaged. Information for our preliminary investigation was provided through a generalized map of aquifer recharge areas supplied by the Colorado Land Use Commission, recharge areas to include major reservoirs and streams. We feel that not only should these areas be avoided, but also a buffer zone to extend beyond 8 the zone of recharge should be considered. Prior to selecting a site a thorough study of surface water hydrology must be under- taken. Such a study should include rates and directions of surface runoff, historical flow on surface streams, ditches, drains, and canals, and all other pertinent hydrological data on other surface waters. C. Death to water table, including nearest use or subsurface discharge. Acceptable conditions for the location of a hazardous waste disposal site include an area with essentially no water table. A geological investigation of a hazardous waste site will be necessary to determine the depth to water table, including nearest use or subsurface discharge, and effective porosity and permeability of the surrounding media. Naturally, the greater the distance any possible leachate from the landfill has to travel, the less chance of any possible pollution of any water source. However, in dealing with hazardous materials, great care will have to be taken to assure that any materials not readily removed by the major mechanisms of decreasing concentrations in the subsurface, be contained. For our purposes, the major mechanisms involved in decreasing concentrations of dissolved solids in an effluent are sorption and bacterial action. Sorption is the attachment of dissolved ions to rock minerals, generally by electro-bonding forces. Bacteria use any organic material in the effluent for food. Earth materials with a high percentage of clay sized particles • are the most efficient in attenuating dissolved solids from wastes. 9 It would be desirable to contain this leachate in the most efficient and economical way. A natural subsurface high in clay materials will greatly reduce the chances of any pollutant reaching surface or groundwater. Therefore, the acceptable location of hazardous waste site will be located in an area far removed from any wells or springs and with a sufficient depth and quality of underlying material capable of containing any leachate escaping from the site. A thorough study of geological and hydrological conditions will be necessary in evaluating a possible hazardous waste site. This study should include but not be limited to: soil down to the bedrock formation, depth and thickness of all formations underlying the possible site, dip and strike of all subsurface formations, data on all possible water tables, annual fluctuations in these water tables, piezometric surface and gradients, and permeability and porosity of all major shale between ground surface and bedrock. D. Precipitation and discharge. The acceptable areas for hazardous waste locations will be those with low permeability materials in composition. Requiring that the landfill be located in these areas will not be sufficient if the effects of precipitation and drainage are not considered. The county has less than 15 inches of precipitation a year, mainly in the form of thunderstorms. Locally, severe weather can result 10 2:1081. in large amounts of precipitation in short periods of time. Natural drainage must be diverted around the perimeter of the landfill. Naturally, the less water to enter the fill area, the less leachate produced. It may be necessary to provide facilities for the collection and treatment of leachate in an area of low permeability. E. Wind erosion potential and natural barriers. As stated in the regulations for solid waste disposal sites and facilities "the design shall contemplate the location and construction of the disposal site and facility in such a manner as will eliminate the scattering of windblown debris. All solid wastes discharged at the site shall be confined to the site and any material escaping from the active discharge area shall be promptly retrieved and placed in the active discharge area." Not only will the potential site have to be adequately fenced, but also a survey will be needed to determine potential wind erosion, frequency, and velocity of wind. Natural land barriers can minimize or accentuate the effects of wind. Land formations may either help block out the force of the wind or create natural wind tunnels thus increasing its detrimental effects. Hazardous waste may be • in a form that can become airborne. F. Seismic activity and faults. Observations reveal that earthquakes have a variety of effects 11 . r - on groundwater. Most spectacular are sudden rises or falls of water levels in wells, changes in discharge of springs, appearance of new springs, and eruptions of water and mud out of the ground. Fractured rocks and faults are relatively inefficient in removing dissolved solids because the surface area provided for sorption is so small. Faults in underground formations have the undesirable capability of extending them- selves to the surface, thus allowing for the possibility of leachates being transmitted into the subsurface at a relatively high concentration. For these reasons, it will be necessary to compile a report of the seismic activities in the area under study over a long period of time and to investigate subsurface geology for the possibility of large faults. If we consider the Pierre shale as a possible location, major faults could probably be recognized by any large displacements or offsets between the contact of the shale and overlying or surrounding formations. Minor faults could probably not be recognized because the weathering may obscure any evidence of fault. Also, clay may seal the fault to any movement of water along the fault. G. Proximity to growth areas. Weld County has shown a great potential growth, especially in the urbanized areas. The Weld County Planning Office has compiled a map indicating existing urban areas and future town 12 growth areas. It would be desirable and necessary to locate a possible hazardous waste site well beyond those areas of potential --AN growth. Although strict guidelines as to the disposal of these waste materials will be followed, one must not over look the possibility of spills, leachates, and the mixing of potentially incompatible waste materials. Due to the hazard of the possible release of toxic substances, however small, it is imperative these sites be located where the possibility of these toxic materials coming in contact with humans is minimal . H. Transportation routes, accessibility , and security. The location of a hazardous waste site should provide for convenient and safe access from the major generators of the hazardous material. Access routes should provide orderly and efficient traffic flow to and from the site and within the site. The site should be located far enough from a major thoroughfare to ensure the safety of the people and yet be close enough to allow easy access to the site without danger to the cargo and driver. The site should be located in such an area as to provide for that security necessary to prevent trespassing and vandalism. I. Existing land use. As stated in the Weld County Comprehensive Plan "The land of Weld County has always been bounteous to its farmers and to the people of Colorado and the nation. Weld County ranks first in agricultural / productivity of all counties in Colorado and second of all counties in the nation. 13 Q414ng The 1969 U. S. Census of Agriculture shows that the value of all farm products sold in Weld County totaled $317,410,295 and accounted for 30% of all farm products sold in Colorado. Weld County has long been known as a breadbasket for the people of Colorado and the United States." This rich agricultural land must be considered a major asset to the State of Colorado and the United States as well. All care must be taken to insure that none of this rich farmland is harmed or destroyed through inadequate planning. For our preliminary survey we are using a general soil map of Weld County provided by the Weld County Planning Office. This is a generalized map compiled from detailed and reconnaissance soil surveys and in part from interpretations. For these reasons, when selecting a possible site for the disposal of hazardous wastes, a detailed soil map need be used along with on—site descriptions for more detailed decisions. We will limit our survey to those areas not used for irrigated agricultural purposes. J. Map Explanation There was no complete map of Weld County taking into consideration all the factors previously discussed. Information had to be gathered from many sources, and most of that was at best in- complete. Maps and U. S. Geological Survey Water Supply Papers 14 n were provided by Stephen D. Schwochow and David C. Shelton of the Colorado Geological Survey and John C. Romero of the Division of Water Resources. All existing landfills are located in undesirable areas for the disposal of hazardous waste materials. The area most desirable would be that area in the Pierre shale in the Southeast corner of the Weld County panhandle. Preliminary investigations indicate this area: (1) Is not located on a major flood plain. (2) Is not an aquifer recharge area, drainage would be to the NW. (3) Has essentially no water table, except those areas in which wells are drilled into the overlying sandstone. (4) Has no unusual problems with precipitation or drainage. (5) Has no unusual problems with wind erosion. (6) Shows no evidence of it being an area of seismic activity or severe faulting. (7) Is not located near any large cities or major growth areas. (8) Is fairly accessible by the Burlington Northern Railroad to the NW and by Highway 14 to the East and West and by Highway 71 to the North and South. (9) The physiographic region to be one of shallow to deep rolling hardlands and nearly level hardlands. Land Resource Areas of Colorado describe the area as follows: 15 (1) Elevations range from 3,500 to 5,500 feet (2) Relief nearly level to gently undulating with slopes from 1 to 5%. Numerous small areas of rolling topography with slopes up to 8%. (3) Precipitation: 15 to 17 inches annually. May be problems with torrential downpours. (4) Land Use: Primarily dry farming, more rolling land used for grazing. (5) Wind erosion the dominant type on nearly level dry lands. (6) Native vegetation consists mainly of blue grama with moderate amounts of buffalo grass. Any one factor making the area undesirable is reason for elimination, however most were eliminated by two or more factors. YELLOW AREA - not a specific geological formation, however, with the aid of maps supplied by Weld County Planning Office, this area was eliminated for possible hazardous waste site. The criteria for elimination was the following: (1) Proximity to flood plains. (2) Proximity to aquifer recharge areas. (3) Proximity to growth areas. (L) Land use, eliminating those areas of irrigated farmland. -' Through maps supplied by the State Geologists Office and descriptions from U. S. Geological urvey Water Supply Paper 1367, these areas were eliminated due to undesirable geologic conditions. • KF (Black) - Fox Hills Sandstone - medium yellowish-brown calcareous 16 marine sandstone interbedded with dark-grey to black sandy shale and some massive white sandstone. The sandstone is loosely to moderately cemented and contains concretions. The maximum thick- ness in this area is about 400 feet. Although the Fox Hills generally yields less than 15 gpm to wells and springs, yields as much as 350 gpm from wells have been reported. Except in the out- crop, the water is under artesian pressure. Q (RID) - Dune sand, valley fill, and terrace deposits - Data from ground water, South Platte River Basin. The pediment deposits are of arkosic sand and ravel with minor amounts of red clay, with a yield of 2 to 5 gpm to wells. Although yield very small, sand and gravel have a high degree of permeabiliit, thus possible pollution of nearby water sources may result. The dune sand deposits and all alluvium are mainly comprised of sand, silts, gravel, and clay. These deposits yield moderate to large quantities of water to irrigation, municipal, industrial, domestic, and stock wells. For convenience, all quaternary deposits of unconsolidated material were mapped as one unit. KI (BLUE) - Laramie formation - Upper 400 feet consists of olive gray silty shale; contains lenticular beds of sandstone and numerous carbonaceous beds of clay and seams of lignite. Lower 200 feet con- sists of blue-gray silty shale, several relatively thin beds of sandstone and fairly thick beds of subbituminous coal. At the base 17 • .°42.11.0g1. JtOR1. is a thick persistent sandstone, immediately above are two thinner sandstone beds that locally coalesce with the thick sandstone. Some of the upper beds of sandstone and the basal beds of sandstone yield small to moderate supplies of water to industrial, public- supply, domestic, and stock wells. For this reason, this area would be undesirable. TA (ORANGE)-- The Arikaree Formation consists of gray to brown fine to medium sandstone that contains hard calcareous lenses and pipings. The sandstone is massive to poorly bedded and loosely to moderately cemented. It probably does not exceed 80 feet in thickness. The Arikaree yields small amounts of water to wells in adjacent areas. TO (PURPLE)- The Ogallala formation consists of beds and lenses of stream deposited gravel, silt, sand, and clay, and contains caliche. The material is loose to well cemented with calcium carbonate; the well cemented beds are termed "mortar beds" from their resemblance to concrete. Because the Ogallala was deposited on an eroded surface, it differs widely in thickness from place to place. The Ogallala yields small to moderate quantities of hard water to domestic and stock wells and springs and as much as 50 gpm to wells supplying the town of Peetz. TW (GRFI) The White River group consists predominantly of blocky • variegated clay and siltstone, which contain beds of loose to moderately cemented fine to coarse sand. In places, the formation 18 contains hard siliceous channel sandstone and conglomerate. Joints and fissures may penetrate the beds locally, increasing the water bearing capacity. "Porous zones" in the upper part of the White River that extend under saturated unconsolidated deposits may greatly increase the water-bearing capacity of the beds. The White River differs widely from place to place. The White River Group generally yields as much as 30 gpm to stock and domestic wells and springs. In places where it is either extremely sandy or highly fractured, it yields as much as 1,400 gpm to irrigation wells. Acceptable formation: KP (BROWN) - Pierre shale consists of bluish- black marine shale and silt and interbedded tan to yellowish-brown sand and sandy shale in the upper part or transition zone. Many beds of bentonite and large blush-gray limestone concretions are present throughout the formation. The thickness of the Pierre shale ranges from an estimated 6,500 feet near Hardin, Colorado to 2,500 feet near Paxton, Nebraska. Pierre shale is usually considered to be a poor source of water. In some areas, however, artesian water may be obtained from lenses of sand within the shale. Recharge by infiltration of surface water is negligible, because pore spaces between the grains of clay, silt, and very fine sand in the Pierre shale are very minute. Water in quantities sufficient for irrigation, public supply, or industrial use is not available from the Pierre shale. Except for the localized sand lenses and the deep-lying Hygiene.. 19 sandstone member, the Pierre shale is relatively impermeable and little or no water can be obtained from it. Many stock wells are drilled into the Pierre shale where it is overlain by permeable dune sand. For this reason, it would be desirable to avoid areas of thick dune sand. Supplemental information: Reports on proposed waste disposal site near Limon, Colorado — Prepared for Chem—Nuclear Services, Inc. Prosser, Washington by Charles S. Robinson, Ph. D. , Consulting Geologist and Engineer, Denver, Colorado, October 1969. Conclusions and recommendations summarized from this report: (1) A complete detailed engineering and geological study must be undertaken, to include a careful examination of geology and ground water conditions at the proposed site. (2) Proof must be supplied that the underground waters will not be polluted or contaminated. (3) Excavation and recompaction of the shale will form an almost completely impermeable barrier or seal around the disposal trenches. Engineering tests show a rate of water movement in recompacted Pierre shale to be only .2 feet per year. (4) Below a weathered zone of shale, the Pierre bedrock becomes quite impervious to the movement of water. Near Limon the shale extended to a depth of 3,000 feet. (5) Normal underground aquifers or water-bearing zones are not normally present in this shale formation. 20 r"21() ir (6) Analytic tests submitted by Mr. C. S. Robinson indicate a favorable ion exchange ratio by the weathered shale. This feature is a tremendous safety factor for waste disposal facilities. (7) Must insure minimum runoff enters the site. (8) The weathered shale has some permeability. (9) Should have test wells to monitor any movement of leachate from the site. (10) Samples of water, soil, and plants should be collected prior to disposing of wastes to furnish background data prior to operation. (11) Recommend determing the prevaling wind direction and average wind speed over the past year as background information. TAaLE 1.—Generalized section of the geologic units Thickness Physical character Water-bearing properties .. System Series Geologic unit (Icet). Dune sand o-so* Very fine to medium sand and silt. ' Not known to yield dater to wells. Serves as an infiltration area for recharge. er to Recent and Lneonsoli- Gravel,sand,silt,and clay;mixed and inter- Yield maequateteb in most uantities oft be tars. stock places d Quaternarc - h Iari ti on wells. Pleistocene dated Valley-fill deposits 0-1001 -bedded. - _ yield as much as 1.500 gpm P deposits pace Gravel,sand,silt,and clay; mired and inter- Yield as much as 1,200 gpm to irrigation wells. > de posits depoosits 0-120± bedded. Identified only in a small area near < H.reford. - Clay, silt, sand, and gravel: contains some Yields small to moderate quantities of water to Pliocene Ogallala Formation 0-IS0t caliche; poorly to well cemented. In places domestic and stock wells and springs. has a coarse conglomerate at the base. Fine- to medium-pained, loose to moderately >tay yield small quantities of water to stock and Tertiary Miocene Arikaree Formation 0-Sot cemented sandstone;contains hard calcareous uumatic wells. lenses and pipings. Blocky=Seemed clay and siltstone;contains Yields adequate quantities of water to stock and White Ricer Group O CW± loose to moderately cemented sand. In places domestic wells and springs in most (reported) ms Oligocene contains bard channel sandstone. In places yields as much as 1,400 gpm to irrigation wells. Silty to sandy,yellow-brown and gray to olive- Yields small to moderate quantities of water to 0-GOOt lumina,carbonaceous shale: lumte stained: stock and domestic wells and springs. Laramie Formation interbedded with stilly sandstone; contains 'limnlle,and coal. — i Fine-.to medium-grained, yellow-brown sand- Do. Cretaceous Cretata ns pacer 0-4GAt stone. contains neds of dark-gray to black ceous Fox MI5 Sandstone sandy shale and white massive sandstone. Dark-gray to black shale:in places has weather- Do. • Pierre Shale 0-7,000P ed zone cf yellow-brows clay at top:contains lenses and beds of yell w•brow n clayey sand- stone. Spates limestone,and sandstone. Some units yield small quantities of water to domestic and stock welts and springs in the ]Ieso u and Pteoted roes, 2,000-± extreme western part of the area. ndidermtmtd I 21 . :.Doll ,c1 Y,Py. 'il--(2 — .,. ie_ypee or vege!auo.I_1U.cou.e. ,:e grown in these areas would be dependent on the degree of the salinity, but even without any salinity problems, many types of vegetation could not grow in these areas. SELECTED REFERENCES 4. Unstable soil structure, which often limits the use of land, could exist. Colton, R. B., 1978, Geologic map of the Boulder—Fort C 5. Construction of structural or building foundations could be hampered area, Colorado: U.S. Geological Survey Miscellaneous Ink by the flow of ground water into the construction excavations. I-855-6. 6. Basements could be subject to collapse from water pressure and Jenkins, E. D., 1961, Records and logs of selected wells and 2 flooding. chemical and radiometric analyses of groundwater in tht The situations described in items 4,5,and 6 also could occur in areas Colorado:Colorado Water Conservation Board Basic-Data where the depth to the water table is not more than 10 feet either seasonally or Major, T. J., Kerbs, Lynda, and Penley, R D., 1975, Selec annually. records for Colorado, 1971-75: Colorado Water Cons XB. Depth to the water table related to depth of installation: Basic-Data Release 37, 356 p. 1. Liquid wastes or leachates from solid waste could be introduced Schneider, P. A.,Jr., 1962, Records and logs of selected weE directly into the ground-water system by water moving through landfills and and chemical analyses of ground water in the South Platt, related types of facilities, resulting in degradation or pollution of the ground western Adams and southwestern Weld Counties, Colo water.The possibility of degradation or pollution would be dependent on the Water Conservation Board Basic-Data Report 9, 84 p. type and amount of waste,the depth of burial of the waste,and the seasonal or Schneider, P. A.,Jr.,and Hershey,L. A., 1961, Records and annual depth of the water table in the area of the landfill or related type of. wells and test holes, and chemical analyses of ground wa r facility. Cache la Poudre River basin, Colorado: Colorado Wate 2. Ground water could enter leaky sanitary sewers, resulting in a Board Basic-Data Report 8, 60 p. significant increase in the volume of waste to be processed by waste-treatment Schneider,P. A.,Jr.,and Hillier,D. E., 1978, Hydrologic data facilities. The volume of water entering a leaky sanitary sewer would be aquifers in the Boulder—Fort Collins—Greeley area, Fror dependent on the depth of burial of sewer and the seasonal or annual depth to Corridor, Colorado: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File F the water table. 55 p. 3.The placement of electric and telephone utility lines below ground and the type of insulation and conduits required for below-ground installation would be, in part, dependent on the depth to the water table. DEPTH TO THE WATER TABLE Measured depths to the water table during 1976-77 in the unconsolidated alluvial deposits ranged from 0 to 45.6 feet. Generally the depth to the water table in the flood plains of present streams was less than 10 feet and,in many localities, it was less than 5 feet. The depth to the water table in ancestral stream valleys, such as Beebe Draw, and in the terraces ranged from 0.5 to 45.6 feet. Water levels in wells completed in windblown deposits, METRIC CONVERSIONS consolidated sedimentary rocks, and fractured crystalline rocks were MULTIPLY BY T( measured only in Boulder County. In the county,the depth to the water table Foot 0.3048 in the windblown deposits ranged from 3 to 12 feet, in the consolidated Mile 1.609 t sedimentary rocks,it ranged from 1 to 29 feet; and in the fractured crystalline Acre 0.4047 h rocks, it ranged from 9 to 193 feet. , • on of J tiu ne..0%" off. `Y.T EXHIBIT For sale by Branch of Disfibution,U.S.GoalI . • `� u j Box 25286,Federal Center.Denver,CO 8022 r` .11- 11 O O t\ ' ( I.-..... \� ... 'I I i li �-�./ I .a '•� :$6(6 i+ • \\, I �� -.q�0 1 • ` 1 O 20.9 •'40 Vow s. r.��. O I •r s Hitl -.1.44„:v.://` � ,'��. 27.0 O 7.3 I:• r 11.6 M� .. •,,i , 77t7,3t-.. X1:1 , 111 Luke. 8M 475e ( • si,•iii t� .1 1 i •ill —.—,� - Qom\ , . - • a '• (14481, Inds.�E•r.-.■■ 5.6 �• ( • I 4� • 1 • • . W 1462) 04 .. p ..� 1„ Y�r I O 'lin: N + I r Sewage ..m•r-�.;_' I '� ....•11'n r .1.. 0 1,.....,7�� L' P ' •.12.1 I `o... I 14.0 _ "" !.441,4 -J 1 Jf • I # HM 47 Plan O o .. 7 t.ilk � D1rrF' 1. ,1 I Brarewoli_ � arm r 1 1.155 11 �° ,s15.4C�� Y`�--I I I ii- -....._...: 2.... ''...;1., Li•.i-.'"ss .../A beHj14 ., ..,.... ;;„ ,;II ill 1 I ill 171---''.1 r.j O..v i,...-i.1;" --'.."7)I I I I I Ai.'.-.--- -''-..-P4%-. 14."). - --'\''-46‘141i illiN. ' IMM '''Ir'4'‘'Llgi"-'7:..:-.' \:.... K 6.7: ../.46i..'" -..1 ytc.. ...1i2)._ � 1 �.,:. '5 r-_.� ) r'797 ��lp�eII�� Iii_ 1:16::7 tli I..::4'i 1;-I i ��` 11aez1 ■■illitelki El I I ir I I 1174I-14.'"•• 't`7 f t I` 11...3\ • I I"WI ILIIM kV • � .. , rri rwi"i!,.°21...0 14.• U Iri 4991 —i' 11;01176T' Clul(�: .I� C�•�,R<]Is �iE Cove �� • (1521)Will �r03 ° ij't: x� t�■■■ �\ 4969 iii ��t ����I� t:J' .. ` 116 3, A gra / j 11&11"53 %Ai) 1.sr 3riUR_• s000 irOAdrs n ,iiiziaroillit c 11 §‘Iir III /l/�e9, ..u. --- magi ,v. /-1 •-s \I• - fi� \•` J'I cp r`J`fib Reseda e1•n' • JN.. 6 f ...^Bea•.n. BM 1. ./BM 4864 , w 'J-~'-" • i \,` ) `.. ') , (IS'51 (1483}' ilt �t zc - is9. ,� Q 1 1) }.soot s' sax. 6� I ,�W p 0 •0 's, \ :.7 l LOVFLANO • L �`+ _ \ I r ty R / ��r ��0 fL aryl T I `` N ! �j j,� -k—' Radio 70.:...y�.7.' virocitti- *46oi T 1 •r.,1�.`�,� i►r• ►1 I row 01 •� \\r• , 'IN11- 1011111 - • Ofrogir ; ‘..,,r ,,...,,,k. ._..„--, ,c, i ../ .4% /� /�i i f i2 1. t r f 1 6- ��00 G �■ a �.0�- � 070 )� .W/ 11. ff...... (..\_ --) ..<, likayaih... N. . 0.✓. ` `;0,11.,4 FP.- �' ��*F foI (� � 4ei �- itElwell ..:: ' do BM'a7 O-.. " as _ / „�-��a� �J ---- iilliTriapr, 4)1E _. Johnstown • .1 / _er••� WY Itsplem- - apppy As'' -:-1,;..14_,...AL01111.. ill7 WIri: Afirf,"Or pr 0 g23. 0 0 _!_jc • !....... ._ :a1 ii• y_ .w. a gar ' r • •r• 21.9 0 28.6 L o. 1 - ,p-r- 7� C� O •Q 414 —4 O O 0 • / "�"9i-/Rex v born li . '�b)" , •�� / 's3 O 0 3.3• B o ��'"� •prAut,x �� ,1 \frr‘in,,,,,zr�. 27.7 Jc��a 1.71 • ip i\ _ U 4846 4, fç1Lto � -- ,__ w c' eGX4 N 0• O 29.0 1 •• 114411 0 3:$ ti 1Nildcat n, • J poik., 188J; r / C Banyan �Y,.•tyC: « 27.'2/ •/ / ------•••• 1 ll Q 5.9® pr .• ; ,,..._......, -' / •O • c 30.91 • • �:� to. :11. 00 07.8 w 1 1\ Rums C (/ •-", tl 4 Li) ,..____. -- . ; .,l.., _ 20.®22.0 e • ® 7'8°. • „EIS¢ 1p 28 7 5.7`�o_ •• P' -' �- States United=PA Notification of Hazardous Waste Site U U Environmental Protection Agency Washington DC 20460 his initial notification information is Please type or print in ink. If you need eouired by Section 103(c) of the Compre- additional space, use separate sheets of eos- ma - 00/ - 009 ensive Environmental Response. Compen- paper. Indicate the letter of the item MAY 2 Z FiEC'O G ation, and Liability Act of 1980 and must which applies. , 0��z e mailed by June 9, 1981.'e son Required to Notify: Saloom Chemicals, Inc. J//Jll!yI!i!!iiu/q/iIlrater the name and address of the person Name 043386 r organization required to notify. street P.O. Box 1286 City Greeley State CO Zip code 80631 ;ite Location: Wel County Dump Name of Site -Hier the common name (if known) and 2 `4`-' d, / ct�al location of the 1 site. Street }U Soutil West of Greeley' IPG37 AV iii1)- -lit,- '7 r- t.1,.. • /��.O.r .e,...e4r._...�4}�l ., O City Greeley county Weld State CO Zip Code 80631 'erson to Contact: /1)b- 017- IL) )Name(La) - i-)-^-3 First and Title) Burchett, Dennis inter the name, title (if applicable), and ,usiness telephone number of the person Phone (303) 356-4400 o contact regarding information submitted on this form. Dates of Waste Handling: Enter the years that you estimate waste From(Year) 1973 To (Year) 1976 --reatment, storage, or disposal began and ended at the site. JVaste Type: Choose the option you prefer to complete available to ersons liar Option I: no the el waste types and s source r cas you ares. f Res urce Consertion 2: This vationn s and RecoverypAct (RCRA)(Sect Sect the ion enc u not know the general r waste types or sources,tio y encouraged to describe the site in Item I—Description of Site. regulations (40 CFR Part 261). General Type of Waste: Source of Waste: Specific Type of Waste: 'lace an X in the appropriate Place an X in the appropriate EPA has assigned a four-digit number to each hazardous waste listed in the regulations under Section 3001 of RCRA. Enter the avers. The ecch listed boxes. ? appropriate four-digit number in the boxes provided. A copy of overlap. Checkk ea each applilicable " the list of hazardous wastes and codes can be obtained by category. , i contacting the EPA Region serving the State in which the site is located. 1. 0 Organics 1. ❑ Mining 2. 0 Inorganics 2. 0 Construction -P048t:i--., 3. 0 Solvents 3. 0 Textiles P094 4. 0 Pesticides 4. 0 Fertilizer 5. ❑ Heavy metals 5. 0 Paper/Printing 6. 0 Acids 6. 0 Leather Tanning 7. 0 Bases 7. 0 Iron/Steel Foundry 8. 0 PCBs 8. 0 Chemical, General 9. ❑ Mixed Municipal Waste 9. 0 Plating/Polishing 10. ❑ Unknown 10. 0 Military/Ammunition 11. D Other (Specify) 11. 0 Electrical Conductors 12. 0 Transformers 13. ❑ Utility Companies Waste in this time frame consisted of dust 14. D Sanitary/Refuse from the formulation of disulfoton and Phorate 15. ❑ Photofinish 16. 0 Lab/Hospital (organic phosphate pesticides) . In Unkn own 0 Unknown addition there was floor sweepings, empty 18. ❑ Other (Specify) containers and bags EXHIBIT JUN 10 1981 Form Approved .q{i OMB No.2000-0138 CCCC prrot - (C Q''"''� .� r'4 Form 8900-1 , .J_..O Notification of Hazardous Waste Site Side Two Waste Quantity: Facility Type Total Facility Waste Amount ' Place an X in the appropriate box to 1. C Piles cubic feet aarrar.. S to 10,000 lbs. indicate the facility types found at ;.ie site. 2. C Land Treatment /t J1^ ,J'� In the ""total facility waste amount" space 3. E Landfill gasiins give the estimated combined quantity 4. ❑ Tanks Total Facility Area (volume) of hazardous wastes at the site using cubic feet or gallons. 5. O Impoundment square feet 6. O Underground Injection In the ""total facility area"' space, gi ve the estimated area size which the facilities 7. O Drums, Above Ground acres 100 Acres Approx. occupy using square feet or acres. 8. O Drums, Below Ground 9. C Other (Specify! --- - Known, Suspected or Likely Releases to the Envirenmer;,.: Place an X in the appropriate boxes to indicate any known, suspected, ❑ Known O Suspected O Likely Z None or likely releases of wastes to the environment. Note: Items and I are optional. Completing these items will assist EPA and State and local governments in locating and assessing hazardous w.•ste sites. Althougn completing the items is not required, you are encouraged to do so. Sketch Map of Site Location: (Optional) Sketch a map showing streets, hin: :lays. • " routes or other prominent landmar..:u near the site. Place an X on the map to indicate • the site location. Draw an arrow showing /-1 P Pr"o Y. I n\ t . the direction north. You may substitute a publishag map showing the site location. S Ur aPPreY • kh} nit c • M ^ j „\\ . I I'ktiri11'C -3 t~\\ --4,42"t ' 3 Li \ / 0-r 4, e \ E.LI N Description of Site: (Optional) Describe the history and present conditions of the site. Give directions to the site and describe any nearby wells, r springs, lakes, or housing. Include such information as how waste was disposed and where the waste came from. Provide any other information or comments which may help describe the site conditions. Signature and Title: The person or authorized representative Name Balcom Chemicals ❑ Owner, Present (such as plant managers, superintendents, C Owner, Pas: truateeY or attorneys) of persons required to nofif must sign sweet the form and provide a 419 18th St. C Transporter mailing address (if different than address C Operator, Present in item Al For other persons providing ci:t Greeley State CO Zit)code 80631 C Operator, Past notification, the signature is optional. — Chacethe boxes which best describe the ;` C Other relationship to the site of the person !.i— i ,,. '�-r.. cf1P 5__'0_01 en,' �.w required to notify. If you are nut required S1pnature t _ f - __._- .- _o_, 1 ASHTON-DANIELS NEIGHBORHOOD INFORMATION PACKET WITH EXHIBITS IN SUPPORT OF ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE WHY CENTRAL WELD LANDFILL CERTIFICATE OF DESIGNATION SHOULD NOT BE REVOKED APRIL 5, 1993 WELD COUNTY COMMISIONERS' PUBLIC HEARING WELD COUNTY CENTENNIAL BUILDING GREELEY,COLORADO EXHIBIT I A , D.- `f6 TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. US GEOLOGICAL SURVEY CHART (1969) 2. ASCS AERIAL PHOTOGRAPH OF LANDFILL (JULY 1992) 3. WELD COUNTY AERIAL PHOTOGRAPH (1971) 4. GREELEY TRIBUNE ARTICLE (OCTOBER 24, 1985) 5. AERIAL PHOTO 6. AERIAL PHOTO 7. AERIAL PHOTO 8. AERIAL PHOTO 9. WETLANDS PHOTO 10. MESA PHOTO 11. SPOMER LAKE PHOTO 12. WHITE MILKY DISCHARGE FROM BELOW SPOMER LAKES 13. DEEP TRENCHES AND LANDSLIDES PHOTOGRAPHS 14. BLOWING DUST PHOTOGRAPH 15. BLOWING TRASH PHOTOGRAPH 16. BLOWING TRASH PHOTOGRAPH 17. NUISANCE PHOTOGRAPHS 18. ASBESTOS PHOTOGRAPH 19. DEAD SHEEP CARCASSES 20. SEEP PROBLEMS FROM ILLEGAL POND • 40g, I .5 0 I KILOMETRE 1=1..__F H J CONTOUR INTERVAL 10 FEET NATIONAL GEODETIC VERTICAL DATUM OF 1929 5064 IV NE H E 6 W (BRACEWELL) sp 4]'30"O/.'EGLEvea MIS X2200000 FEET 519 . I u / v J � r � � AP9 / � gy0" [1' I 1 l %4906 / I O 29� 2.8 , \ r 'i5 . 860 0 I A' 55 �� ( gesJ •... - •. 4e z ' 'i f I s77e I I � 1 Rekrhe I'II ( I \ Lake x� �� of Ili � 0955 1N.1):3:1![1 ! ; ..-•'32 i4 ( i i o art jr , I � 3. 1 4750 �Im ,>_,,,---,,T,..,,,,,1' 1 \---''V' )i � I 3 4s00 I k6B } I I / AU 33 I akee a ' I ‘,-I.1 ti � �� � f 473J . . 1 a 1CY2e1l� P o �• �,1%_9B3d_ ake 1ERR r /4� r______ 4Tl Vje6 •'/ l�t .. \ [ , , ,, ,;� j '� .� r �D %� VIy RIVE R 1 t 5.J " o > �� j \‘‘ p. Adn. AT rJ I, 4 DR6 1 47/5 ?'Iz0m,ps0n / l\ J J A PACIFIC o P 'i lip/ I Well 1 .1 I - i 0^ Davie 4710 �� a 1VCE ,6v•. _ f SCh 4728 y- . —14715 N ye ,' DITCH, 0 00 ,P3o 7 _ ' /8 yaw 11 / USGS CHART DATED 1969 SHOWING ORIGINAL TOPOGRAPHICAL ELEVATIONS. CURRENT DUMP IS HIGHLIGHTED IN YELLOW. l I �I` IP,O�' - S7 PAGE1 L THIS MAP COMPLIES WITH NATIONAL MAP ACCURACY STANDARDS ::::`...;11‘. y , . •_o 14742 FOR SALE BY U.S.GEOLOGICAL SURVEY,DENVER.COLORADO 80225,OR RESTON,VIRGINIA 22092 e A v11‘.(iA" pp ;4 Y L y • (fJ f R 1985 C-6 GREELEY (Colo.) TRIBUNE Thursday,-October x 4 3 ' g g f � I fiy� v r� CU j - � ! � t Y N 6 ''" �3t ti S � .:. fr R y' mr d W. � � ss W t y iil � , SR°° a��.� ��Fr Z'� y,� � -` �z+'tv • t 4 r., 4 •:. "M.µy:a. �'� !A"'£,. ! TdbuM P�v4o by salnWvm .t-„ lilliken firefighters stand in a cloud of smoke to spray water on a dump fire southwest-of:Greeley Wednesday. Windblown fire destit s --10 acres of ,.corn into an adjacent '."We could ur'water Yon' that., thing A windblown-dump fire `Wednesdaj��'af, 1 cent corn field owned by�SamPo ternoon destroyed about 10.acres, of,core Telep - i. v. . forever and not put if out,"Tarrant sad. "It. outhwest of Greeley and burned ifor three smolder$np,There`;,wasn't:any adinger ours before bulldozers werecalled in toMut .' About 10 acres of tt,e atandmg COM,`valn�di x.,,;after we got:4 out-ofrthe cornfield, btt we:. it out. <.. ' ,; .w'e at':$6,000,'were destroygd.,,,The fire t was4*�d to get thebulldozersto get it out.".. ,er The fire started‘',Eit approximately'2:15 " contained to the gash dump'..§ Pm ;i,The fie,could have,been.caused byfbot m. at the Weld Landfill, 60.97 77th w` FireYighters from I1 thr g,departSnen ! ashes in la,,,load-fof.,trash nor tav mixt of•. we., owned by Colorado Landfill Inc.The 'T4donned oxygen rnas}cslandkbvded°inttidFth :,ewnicalsatnat caused spontaneous combis-y. Milliken Fire Department respondedi.Ctnef F:blowing smoke's to pourrswater onto 1*y tmpTarrant said.;The dump has a history'd -Lowell Tarrant.called,the Johnstown and "burning'trash.�It took bupdozerst f oni the* ,'inires �the at'all,. he::said,;:.and.a meeting ,: ilestern 1iills departments=,for help when •.`'county 'and area'%ogtractors plowing the ro'tetween the county and the fire districts is... Ands blew flames from the burning trash piles undef to p4 thebtae out,though, 4 3e ,requested. NEWS CLIPPING FROM GREELEY TRIBUNE , OCTOBER 24, 1985. PAGE 4 _ L � NT r-, \N.= d � COLORADO DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH Richard D. Lamm 42Th S * Thomas M. Vernon, M.D. Governor /876 Executive Director April 1, 1986 Waste Services, Inc. 6037 77th Avenue Greeley, Colorado 80634 Attention: Lynn Keirnes, President Dear Mr. Keirnes: The Colorado Department of Health has reviewed your request to change the name of the Certificate of Designation for the Greeley, Milliken Sanitary Landfill from Colorado Landfill, Inc. to Waste Services, Inc. The Department approves your request provided, (1) you receive approval from the Weld County Commissioners, (2) you commit to operating the landfill in accordance with the approved operational plan, engineering design and the Certificateof Designation If you have any questions please contact me at (303) 320-8333 ext. 4364. Sincerely, Akey)14€44. 671741-1"---- Dennis C. Hotovec Geologist Solid Waste/Superfund Waste Management Division DCH:pb cc: Weld County Commissioners Weld County Health Dept. EXHIBIT 4210 EAST 11TH AVENUE DENVER. COLORADO 80220 PHONE (303) 320-8333 21,0 ` WO9E C. 6037 77th Avenue Greeley, Colorado 80634 (303) 330-2641 April 3 , 1986 Weld County Board of Commissioners 915 Tenth Street Greeley, Colorado 80631 Re: Certificate of Designation Greeley-Milliken Landfill in the SW1/4, Sec. 32, T5N, R66W of the 6th P.M. Weld County, Colorado Dear Commissioners: Waste Services, Inc. , requests transfer of ownership of Certificate of Designation No. 21 (Greeley-Milliken site ) from Colorado Landfill, Inc. , to Waste Services, Inc. My wife, Lela and I each own 50% of the stock of Waste Services, Inc. I will be directly responsible for the management of the Greeley-Milliken site. Waste Services, Inc. , plans to follow the existing operations plan for the Greeley-Milliken site. Because of the previous successful ownership and management of Colorado Landfill by my wife and me, we feel very qualified in financial and management responsibilities to operate this site and to meet the requirements of Federal, State and County health regulations. Weld County transferred the Industrial Revenue Bonds from Colorado Landfill , Inc. , to Waste Services, Inc. , in December of 1985. This re- flects the confidence of Weld County Board of Commissioners in our capability to manage and operate the landfill site. I would appreciate your early consideration of this request. If I can provide additional information to expidite this matter, please call me. Respectfully, WASTE SERVICES, INC. G. ; Yam_, C. Lynn Keirnes, President CLK/gc ROY ROMERair Teke usben: Main Building, Denver r• r Governor (303)322-9076 l ti tits Ptarmigan Place, Denver PATRICIA A. NOLAN, MD, MPH (303)320-1529 Executive Director First National Bank Building, Denver (303)3554559 Hazardous Materials and Waste Management Division Grand Junction Office • 4210 East 11th Avenue (303)248-7198 COLORADO Denver,Colorado 80220-3716 Pueblo Office (303) 331-4830/FAX (303) 331-4401 (719)543-8441 DEPARTMENT OFAHEALTH RECEIVED September 18, 1992 OCT 5 • 1992 Kent E. Hanson KEN I E.niuv �N Attorney at Law Clayton Center 1881 9th Street, Suite 216 Boulder, Colorado 80802 RE: Central Weld County Landfill Weld County Dear Mr. Hanson: The Hazardous Materials and Waste Management Division (the Division) of the Colorado Department of Health has received and reviewed your September 11, 1992 letter regarding the Central Weld County Landfill. The following is the Division's response to the issues set forth in your letter. 1. Weld County is has no obligation under the Solid Waste Disposal Sites and Facilities Act (the Statute) to hold a public hearing for substantial changes in operations, though Weld County may if they so choose. A Certificate of Designation is issued for a specific solid waste land use (i.e. incinerator, sanitaly landfill, or impoundment), and in this case the land use is a landfill. As long as the facility is a landfill and continues to operate as such, no public hearing is required. To date, the Division has no evidence to suggest that any other solid waste operation, beside landfilling, is occurring at the site. This same issue was the subject of a law suit between FSLIC vs the City and County of Denver, the Board of County Commissioners of Arapahoe County, Waste Management of Colorado and the Colorado Department of Health (1989). If you are interested in reviewing this document, please contact the Division to make an appointment for file access. The Division does, however, concur that any redesign or planned construction which would significantly change the planned design performance of a facility is subject to Division technical review. Following a recommendation for EXHIBIT KV (1-V ro - 8 `'ererecycledpre, Kent Hanson, Attorney at Law Central Weld County Landfill September 18, 1992 Page 2 of 3 approval of the plan, the application shall be amended. The regulation does not state that the Certificate of Designation shall be amended. The County must utilize its own discretion or regulation as to whether an amended Certificate of Designation is required for facilities which amend their application, but continue to perform the same type of solid waste disposal. 2. The Central Weld County Landfill received a Certificate of Designation on October 6, 1971. At that time, the state had not promulgated solid waste regulations pursuant to the Statute. Between 1968 (the date the Statute became effective) and 1972, solid waste disposal sites and facilities complied with the minimum standards set forth in the Statute. The minimum standards detailed operational standards, but did not specifically require a design and operations plan. In 1972 regulations were promulgated pursuant to the Statute. That 1972 regulation set forth the requirement that all landfills with an existing Certificate of Designation were 'grandfathered,' that is they were required to meet the minimum standards of section 3, but not the standards of section 4 (which applied to all solid waste disposal sites and facilities that were designated after the effective date of the regulation). In 1983, when the regulations were revised to their current form. The Division concurs, and certainly Subtitle D will require, that the Central Weld County Landfill must develop an enhanced design and operations plan to bring the facility up to current standards. To the Division's knowledge, no design or operations plan has ever been developed for the landfill, nor are any plans of this nature contained in the Division files. 3. It is true, that ground water contamination has been identified off-site. The County has wisely chosen to allow the facility to take over the ground water monitoring activities at the landfill. The Central Weld County Landfill has expanded the list of ground water analytes, and through this effort has revealed the presence of volatile organics in the ground water. Golder Associates has recently submitted a hyrogeologic and geotechnical characterization report detailing and summarizing recent investigations. The Division is in the process of reviewing the report, and will work with Weld County and Waste Services Corporation to obtain a satisfactory resolution to the ground water contamination issue. 4. Waste Services Corporation does intend to submit(and is currently in process amt ■0R° 4110 Kent Hanson, Attorney at Law Central Weld County Landfill September 18, 1992 Page 3 of 3 of developing) a comprehensive site development plan, and a design and operations plans. The Division has not been informed of any pending change in operations at the Central Weld County Landfill during this interim period. 5. The Division is not aware of any existing requirement or agreement that the final elevation of the landfill may not exceed the adjacent land surface. Hopefully, this letter responds to your issues. The Division is interested in pursuing, and will pursue the ground water contamination identified at the site, and in bringing the facility up to the State's standards. Thank-you for your letter and for the extension you were able to grant, so that an adequate response could be prepared. may be contacted at this office if you have any additional questions or concerns. St erely Aus in N. Buckingham Geologist Hazardous Materials and Waste Management Division cc: B. Hedberg, Central Weld County Landfill B. Keirnes, Waste Services Corporation G. Kennedy, Weld County Commissioners L. Morrison, Weld County Attorney D. O'Sadnick, Golder Associates J. Pickle, Weld County Health Department A. Scheere, Waste Management of North America K. Schuett, Weld County Department of Planning file: SW/WLD/CENTRAL cr?4 Oge Hello