The City of Collinsville municipal landfill off Lebanon Road, just past Arnotti Lane, was closed for business in 1986, yet 28 years later, post-closure care continues.
The Collinsville Municipal Landfill. Closed for business in 1986, it is remains in a state of post-closure monitoring according to the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency / Photo by Roger Starkey
The landfill site was the last of many in Collinsville since it was founded in the early 1800’s as Unionville. Some of the more recent landfill sites were at the end of California Avenue, off Clinton Street and at the site of present day Woodland Park, said Mike Tognarelli, city councilman and former director of streets.
The Lebanon Road landfill was opened in the 1960s, Tognarelli estimated, and was operated by the Collinsville as part of the city’s garbage contract at the time. Only approved garbage disposal companies and Collinsville residents who bought a special sticker could use the landfill.
The garbage disposal landscape had changed by the early 1980’s. The city put the garbage collection services out to bid and found it could save money by not operating the landfill, Tognarelli said.
Laws and Illinois Environmental Protection Agency rules were also different in the 1980s. The process was simpler and testing requirements less stringent, Tognarelli said. At one time, the water on the site was tested for the presence of 10-12 chemicals, Tognarelli said. He estimated tests are now conducted for about 200 chemicals.
Complicating the effort to close the landfill was that IEPA regulations changed as time went on.
“Every time we applied for permanent closure, there were different laws,” Tognarelli said.
IEPA spokesperson Karen Biggs said that, at the time the Collinsville Municipal Landfill completed closure in 1986, the minimum post-closure care period was five years. It is currently 30 years.
After the post-closure care period, the landfill operator must demonstrate that the landfill is not contaminating groundwater or causing gas migration problems, Biggs said. The final step is for the IEPA to approve the certification of post-closure care.
Over the years since the last Collinsville municipal landfill was closed to the public, the groundwater has been continuously tested both as it enters and exits the site. Four feet of dirt was added to the entire 22-acre site, trees were removed, leachate collectors for decomposing garbage were installed and wells and pumps were built. The City had a new water collection system built about two years ago, Director of Streets Rod Cheatham said.
Cheatham estimates the City spends on average about $100,000 annualy to haul water from the site, test groundwater, cut the grass, remain in compliance with the IEPA and to petition the environmental agency for permanent closure.
Even after approval for permanent closure is finally granted, work will continue at the site. Groundwater at the base of the tallest ridge will be pumped to maintain the integrity of the bank. Groundwater monitoring will continue, but hopefully less frequently, Cheatham said. Tognarelli estimates the city will save about $50,000 per year when the IEPA allows the site to be considered permanently closed.
The final step to achieving IEPA approval is to have the groundwater in the area reclassified, Cheatham and Tognarelli said. Because every home in the area receives its drinking water from the City, the groundwater does not have to be considered potable.
About five years ago, Tognarelli said, testing proved that the groundwater entering the site had the same chemical composition as the groundwater leaving the site. That is not to say the water was free of contaminates. Leachate from gob piles at old mines in the area are part of the groundwater, but the water is not hazardous, the IEPA has found.
Speaking at the Aug. 25 City Council Meeting, Cheatham sounded optimistic that the process would draw to a close in late 2014 or early 2015. The City’s landfill attorney has submitted the final petition to the IEPA. After a reviewer is assigned, the issue could be closed in a matter of months, Cheatham said.
In March of 2012, Cheatham was similarly optimistic.
“I see light at the end of the tunnel,” Cheatham said when asked at the time by City Councilmen if he thought the closure process would continue much longer.
Issues with a nearby creek in 2013 caused further delays in the process. With seemingly all issues addressed, Cheatham again sees a light at the end of a long tunnel.
