ETCOG ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES

CLOSED LANDFILL INVENTORY

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Completion of the Closed Landfill Inventory by the East Texas Council of Governments

The East Texas Council of Government’s (ETCOG’s) Closed Landfill Inventory (CLI) is a compilation of closed municipal solid waste landfill units for the following counties: Anderson, Camp, Cherokee, Gregg, Harrison, Marion, Panola, Rains, Smith, Upshur, Van Zandt and Wood. This inventory is a result of §363.064(a) of the Texas Health & Safety Code, as amended by Senate Bill 1447 of the 76^th Texas legislature. Per statutory provisions, it requires that each of the 24 regional planning agencies (council of governments) in the state compile the following information:

1.      landfill units no longer in operation;

2.      the exact boundaries of each former landfill unit or, if the exact boundaries are not know, the best approximation of each unit’s boundaries;

3.      a map showing the approximate boundaries of each former landfill unit, if the exact boundaries are not known;

4.      the current landowners of the land on which the former landfill units are located; and

5.      the current use of the land.

The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) Municipal Solid Waste regulations (30 TAC §330.951) include the following definition of a “closed municipal solid waste landfill:”

A discrete area of land or an excavation that has received only municipal solid waste or municipal solid waste combined with other solid wastes, including but not limited to construction/demolition waste, commercialized solid waste, non-hazardous sludge, conditionally exempt small-quantity generator hazardous waste, and industrial solid waste, and that is not a land application unit, surface impoundment, injection well, or waste pit as those terms are defined by 40 CFR §257.2 (EPA Regulations).

Under this definition, both permitted and unpermitted landfills were included in this inventory.

• Permitted Landfill Facilities- this inventory includes those sites recognized as municipal solid waste landfill facilities and assigned a number by the state, including: landfills that operated under a state permit; landfills that were in grandfather provisions; and other closed or abandoned landfills that were identified and assigned a number by the state.

Subsequent to development of the statewide inventory, TCEQ has further defined the status of permitted landfill facilities, to more clearly identify when a facility can be considered closed, with no possibility of reopening. Under these definitions, the permit for a facility will be expired once all landfill units at the facility complete the required post-closure care. The expiration of a permit is subject to a request from the permit holder to retain the permit in an inactive status.  Permits may also be revoked by TCEQ, either voluntarily or for cause.  Based on policies established by TCEQ, it has been determined that is would be most appropriate for the inventories to include the entire permitted facility, rather than each individual landfill unit at the facility that may close during the life of the permit.  Permitted landfill facilities to be included on the regional inventories should be those for which the permit at the end of the post-closure care period (5 years or 30 years) for the last landfill unit closed at the facility.

• Unpermitted Sites- The inventory also included sites that were recognized by individuals, local officials, private companies, state inspectors, and/or others as landfills.  These sites may have been publicly or privately operated.  In addition, the inventory limited unpermitted sites to those grater than ¼ of an acre in size.

Along with the statutory requirements previously referenced, ETCOG attempted to include information regarding site location and current land use.

 ETCOG Mapping Procedure

     An agreement to complete work was entered into by and between the East Texas Council of Governments (ETCOG), and agency or political subdivision of the state of Texas, and the Gregg County Appraisal District (GCAD).  The agreement was entered into pursuant to the authority granted in compliance with applicable provisions of the Interagency Cooperation Act, Tex. Gov’t. Code Ch. 771 and the Intergovernmental Cooperation Act, Tex. Gov’t. Code Ch 791.  This contract began on June 13, 2000 and terminated on May 31, 2002.

The CLI was completed using electronic mapping format using ArcView.  Along with aerial photos, ETCOG also utilized an integrated digital camera and a global positioning system to obtain pictures and coordinates. The procedures used for mapping were as follows:

1. Verify sites with the location description in the database
2. Conduct field research and site visits for additional records and/or visual clues to location.
3. If a more accurate location is determined, make adjustments to map and database.
4. Assign a confidence code/ranking based on field verification and data collection.
5. Boundary lines will be drawn based on

a)      Metes and bounds (dark green color)- if exact location is known

b)      A red buffer- 500 feet landfill buffer

c)      A light green buffer- 1000 feet landfill buffer

d)      A light blue buffer- 1500 feet landfill buffer

e)      Unpermitted site- site colored pink

f)      Permitted site- site colored dark green

Confidence Codes established by ETCOG to be used for the closed landfill inventory project include:

4 =       Definite applies to any site that has an Affidavit to the Public or other document that confirms beyond doubt that a landfill existed at that location.

3 =       Probable applies to any site that has documentation and/or local knowledge providing good evidence as to the existence of the landfill site.

2 =       Possible applies to any site that has sketchy or conflicting information.

1 =       Doubtful applies to ant site that has no or little information, documentation, and/or local knowledge.

The confidence levels will be applied to two categories: a) location, b) was the site actually a landfill.

* Please note that on Site Summary and Data Sheet, the “Attachments” are documents that are located at the East Texas Council of Governments office in Kilgore, Texas.  Any member of the public wanting to view these documents should call Julie Burnfield at (903) 984-8641 to make an appointment.

             The Closed Landfill Inventory has been completed and is currently going through the approval process at the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) offices in Austin.  Once the Inventory is complete, it will be officially adopted and added to the East Texas Solid Waste Management Plan as an appendix. 

             After adoption, sections of the Inventory for each County will be delivered to their respective County Clerk Offices and County Appraisal Districts.

            Copies of the whole Inventory will be available for viewing at the ETCOG offices in Kilgore.  Cities and Counties, as well as other interested parties, will be notified by mail when the inventory is complete and ready to be distributed throughout the East Texas region. Watch this space for more information….

 

Details about the project, release information and disclaimers can be found by reviewing the Closed Inventory information posted by the TCEQ in Austin