Waste facility hearing continues tonight

RBC I The Rio Blanco County planning commission continued a public hearing until today at 7 p.m. regarding an application for a Special Use Permit (SUP) and Certificate of Designation (CD) for the operation of a solid waste disposal facility by Western Gravel LLC.
Western Gravel LLC, has had a SUP since 2009 to operate a gravel pit approximately 20 miles west of Meeker, just south of the White River and south of Rio Blanco Lake. The site has an existing access off RBC Road 5 (Piceance Creek Road) with an address of 41138 RBC Road 5.
Jeff Madison, RBC planning director and natural resource specialists reviewed the application with the planning commission with Western Gravel LLC representative Benny Jensen and Gary Webber of Northwest Colorado Consultants, Inc., a geotechnical/environmental engineering and materials testing consultants, working for Western Gravel LLC and Bob Peterson of the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE), among others in attendance last Thursday.
According to Madison’s staff report, Western Gravel LLC’s principal owner Don Valentine approached him in the fall of 2010 with the idea of using the open gravel pits for disposal of gas and oil exploration and production wastes. As individual gravel cells are exhausted of their gravel potential, solid waste from the area’s gas and oil exploration activity would be used to back-fill the open cells.
“This is not your typical landfill,” Webber said. “This is a state-of-the-art system.” According to Webber the cells would have a liner of clay on top of the bedrock, then a double liner (not required), a leak detection system and a leachate collection system on top of the primary liner as another measure of protection.
The application was made in January 2011 but not considered complete until December 2011. If approved, the site could begin accepting waste products in the summer of 2012, with an expected timespan of eight and a half years at an estimated rate of 47,000 cubic yards of waste per year. RBC, through the Board of County Commissioners, has the final control of this project. The state of Colorado, through the CDPHE reviews the project for compliance with regulatory standards, and makes a recommendation to the commissioners for approval, denial or approval with conditions.
According to the staff report, the applicant was required to do an environmental assessment for the SUP for the gravel pit so no additional environmental assessment for surface impacts was requested for the application.
Madison said normally the county would issue a SUP before referring it to the CDPHE but because of concerns of the proximity of the cells to the White River, the BOCC requested CDPHE review and approve the design and operations plan for the proposed waste disposal facility before the county process moved forward.
Clarifications and changes were made to the design and operations plan and completed in September 2011 when the CDPHE determined that site conditions and the proposed robust liner system exceed requirements.
The county received notice Dec. 22, 2011, that the CDPHE recommends approval of the CD application with several conditions they request be included if approved by the BOCC.
Several comments were received with the proximity of the cells to the White River, which is included in Rangely’s source water protection area, as the main concern.
“Rangely would have concerns about the proximity of this facility so close to our drinking water source,” wrote Rangely town manager Peter Brixius.
“The town of Rangely is not what you would consider ‘blessed’ with abundant options for a water supply,” wrote Alden Vanden Brink, public utilities supervisor for the town of Rangely. “Our only option is the White River and having a disposal facility located within the White River alluvium is of considerable concern even with the best preventive, protective and monitoring measures in place. All the good intentions in the world cannot provide certainty and this is one which should be closely scrutinized as a community’s only water supply could be jeopardized.”
The planning commission will meet today at 7 p.m.