By Pat Jenkins The Dispatch Landfill Recovery Inc.'s permit for a landfill near Graham is now good for as long as the site is used. Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department announced last week that it has extended the solid-waste permit from the previous duration of 10 years to a period equaling the remaining operational phase of the landfill's life, which is projected by officials to be another 25 to 35 years. The number of years depends on factors affecting the landfill such as the county's population growth, economic factors and the success of recycling and diversion programs. Health Department officials said the change, which was requested by Landfill Recovery (LRI), meets new state regulations and will save money spent on monitoring the landfill while ensuring environmental safeguards through yearly reviews. "We looked at the compliance history of the facility and evaluated (citizens') commentsGÇ¥ during a review of the permit, said Andy Comstock, manager of the department's environmental health program. "We determined that an annual review of the facility's solid-waste permit is an effective strategy to ensure compliance with environmental health and safety practices.GÇ¥ The previous permit was granted in 2006 and was scheduled to expire this year on Feb. 6. Comstock said discontinuing the 10-year permit-reissue process, which Health Department officials call time-consuming, will save the department an estimated $35,000 in man-hours and materials. In addition, the state Department of Ecology estimates it will save approximately $10,000 in personnel costs that have been part of the 10-year review process. According to the Health Department, ratepayers whose garbage is trucked to the landfill will also save money. LRI spends an estimated $75,000 in preparing for and documenting 10-year permit requests. The company has passed that expense to customers. The new, longer permit period is the result of changes in state solid-waste regulations, which the Tacoma-Pierce County Board of Health adopted in July 2014. The new permit doesn't affect how the landfill operates, environmental monitoring or other conditions of the permit, officials said. During a 30-day comment period last June, members of the public expressed concerns and opinions about the proposal for a lifetime permit. Most were in opposition and can be read online at www.tpchd.org/lri. "Several commenters expressed concern that changing the permit renewal process would take away the public's ability to voice concerns about landfill operations,GÇ¥ said Comstock. "As we do with any public health concern, the Health Department will continue to respond to inquiries and will investigate any complaints about landfill conditions or operations.GÇ¥ The landfill, located near the intersection of State Route 161 and 304th Street, has been a regional repository for solid waste since it opened in December 1999. Through 2011, about 10.7 million tons of waste were hauled to the 320-acre site. That left the landfill's remaining capacity at 20 million tons, according to the Health Department. In LRI's written request to the Health Department last March for a longer-lasting permit, John Rodgers, the company's vice president, said there would be no changes to the landfill's design, uses or the way it's operated. LRI owns and operates the landfill, which is used by commercial haulers. The site is closed to the general public. LRI was formed in 1977 after the county privatized its solid-waste disposal system. Until 1977, the county operated the Hidden Valley Landfill, located on SR-161 (Meridian Avenue) between Graham and South Hill. The site was leased by the county from a private developer until it was taken over by LRI. It now is a recycling center owned by LRI. Waste Connections Inc., a solid-waste services company based in Folsom, Calif., is the parent company of LRI.
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