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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (May 7, 1980)
-ur- -f irjw 4 SBfS ? m Waste disposal THE BATTALION Page 7 WEDNESDAY, MAY 7, 1980 Landfills a problem in themselves by STARR MOORE Battalion Reporter Garbage is a problem for most societies, but in Brazos County, dis posing of it is particularly nasty. Politicians have a problem main taining sanitary landfills. Environ mentalists have a problem deciding whether a landfill is the best means of disposing of solid waste. And rural residents have a problem getting their garbage to a landfill. I A sanitary landfill is a piece of land where solid wastes are dumped, compacted and covered. Brazos County has four of these sites, one used by College Station, one by Bryan, one by the county and one by Texas A&M University. The College Station landfill, two miles south of the city limits, may only be used by residents of the city and those builders who have gener ated their waste in College Station. However, the builders must pay a fee of $2 for a truck load of solid waste and $5 for a load larger than truck size. Bryan’s landfill site on Sandy Point Road off of FM 2818 may be used free by residents of Bryan and for a fee by all other residents of Brazos County; $1 for a pickup truck load, $2 for a trailer that is 8 feet and under, $3.50 for a trailer 8 to 16 feet long and $6.25 for a trailer over 16 feet. The University’s landfill is off FM 2818 on the West Bypass beyond A sanitary landfill is a piece of land where solid wastes are dumped, compacted and co vered. Cooley said the real problem in establishing a landfill is getting a per mit from the Texas Department of Health to operate one. The people within the immediate area of the proposed site must be notified by the Department of Health and invited to attend a public hearing concerning the matter. He said the soil must be fairly im permeable, the site must not be too close to a river or underground water supply, the site must be out of the way to the flood plains and the site must be far enough from airport run ways so birds hovering over the site won’t create a traffic problem for air planes. Cooley said it’s possible to satisfy all these requirements and then find the land is too expensive for the county to purchase. Cooley said proper maintenance is almost as difficult as obtaining a permit. “I don’t care how well you run them, how well you police them, you’re going to have undesirable traffic. You’re going to have odors, rats, birds,’’ he said. Cooley said that like sewer plants, landfills are not glamorous, but are needed. He also said funds are needed to maintain landfills properly, but county government does not have the power to assess fees. “Landfill operation is a county function and should be a tax- supported function instead of a fee supported function,” Cooley said. He said the County Commission ers’ Court used to set aside a fund of $15,000 a year, which provided for an employee to work a 40-hour week to police the area. Now Cooley has to use money from his road and bridge fund to pay for the maintenance of the present landfill. There is often no one there and garbage cannot be properly sepa rated, he said. “Landfills are not a very popular thing in this courthouse,” he said, “I’m probably the only county com missioner that favors county in volvement in sanitary' landfills.” He said he pioneered the site at Millican, which is in his precinct and services the whole county. He said the south part of the coun ty where Millican is situated is the fastest growing part of the county, County Commissioner Bill J. Cooley said that like sewer plants, landfills are not glamor ous, but are needed. and the people he represents de mand an operating landfill. Sooner or later, the other four commission ers will have to face the fact more landfills are needed, he said. However, County Commissioner Walter W. Wilcox said it’s hard to help people in the rural areas if they won’t help themselves. He said they want a landfill, but not near their homes. Wilcox said the reason the landfill fund, which came out of the county commissioners’ expenditures, was withdrawn was because the landfill was not managed to its fullest. He said the equipment was neglected and torn up. Wilcox said Cooley can “keep it up however he can—it’s his problem ... he can close it, charge for it or make it pay for itself.” Dr. Kirk Brown, associate profes Easterwood Airport, and may be used only by the University and those builders working on the cam pus who have a contract with the University which allows them to dump their waste for a fee. The county landfill in Millican may be used by all residents and builders of Brazos County at no charge. ! However, Millican is 16 miles one way from the south end of Bryan. “Millican is very, very inconve nient,” former county commissioner Randy Sims said. He said if it were convenient it would be too close to those who live near the site. In other words, people need landfills and want them to be convenient, but don’t want them near their homes. Sims said a landfill site was to be opened west of town off Jones Road about five years ago, but was never approved because the local land owners objected. Donald S. Foster, who owned 780 acres near Jones Road at that time, said: “I’m glad we were able to block it. ... Very few people want that by their land.” But, Sims said, the proposed site was to have been leased from a man .who was getting no use out of the land at that time. He said it was gully land that could have been productive soil when the life of the landfill was over, which would have been in about five years. Landfills fill in gully land and cov er it with a new surface, allowing the land to be used for a variety of pur poses, often playgrounds, parks and golf courses. County Commissioner Bill J. D. R. CAIN PROPERTIES “YOU HAVE A CHOICE” Preleasing For Summer and Fall Semesters YELLOWHOGSE APARTMENTS AND 4-PLEXES Comer of Southwest Parkway and Welsh College Station One and Two Bedrooms-Furnished and Unfurnished Two Bedrooms Have Washer and Dryer Connections 4-plexes Have Fenced Back Yards Laundry Room Facilities SUMMER RATES: $205-$275 FALL RATES: $215- $315 iv .v/. t *('. mvivnipoo A v'.-'y; LONGMIRE HOUSE APARTMENTS 2300 Longmire Drive — Off FM 2818 in Southwood Valley College Station One and Two Bedrooms — Furnished and Unfurnished Pool-Laundry Room Facilities SUMMER RATES: $205-$270 FALL RATES: $215- $315 ON SHUTTLE BUS ROUTE FOR SUMMER AND FALL For appointment call, 693-8850 Evening and weekends call, 696-5437 D. R. Cain Company 3002 South Texas Avenue College Station sor of soil and crops sciences at Texas A&M, said the problem does not concern landfills — it is landfills. “Landfills are an abomination, ” he said. “We are building a time bomb for future generations.” He said all products of modern society will end in a landfill where they will slowly digest under anaero bic conditions (absence of oxygen) which produce the most mobile and toxic substances. Also, he said, no buildings should be constructed on top of these sites for fear of explosion if any harmful gases have seeped to the surface. Brown said two years ago in Niagara Falls, N.Y., groundwaters became polluted from a landfill and seeped into the basements of homes and the playgrounds of schools which had been built over the site. It cre ated a high level of disease, death and birth defects. “Sanitary landfills are not sanitary at all,” Brown said. Brown said that at the Millican site, drainage water leaks into a stream which eventually empties into the Brazos River. The two major alternatives to landfills are incineration and recycl ing of solid waste — both more ex pensive than the landfill system. When these landfills are full, new sites will have to be found and approved. WANTED THESE BOOKS!!! Loupot is buying all your used books right now, but some books we really NEED so we’ll buy them at a PREMIUM PRICE!! (over & above our reg. 20% in trade) WE’RE PAYING A PREMIUM PRICE FOR THESE TEXTBOOKS: CHEM 316 CHEM 323-324 CE 311 CE 365 I EN 412 MGMT 424 ME 327-328 ME 445- —446. PSY 306 PSY 401 STAY 211 STAY 303 (Mention this ad when you bring in your books) Trade your used books for the books you’ll need this fall, beat the book rush and if you need a different book later we’ll give you a full refund the first 2 weeks of the semester!!!! ^ WE WANT ALL ENGINEERING AND n swxiscvT'SNnc? , _ ,, BUSINESS TEXTS. BOOK ST ORE 1 wmwKet Across from the Post Office i&Louporsro Finals. A 26-page thesis. Speeches. More speeches. Now we bust loose with Cuervo & Schnapps. PRE-INVENTORY': BOOK SALE Choose from a large selection of paperback and hardback books. up to