Once again, landfill wants to expand 1,000 feet closer to Killona homes
Angry residents showed up by the dozens at a Parish Council meeting last July to protest the expansion of the landfill in Killona because it would place the site closer to their homes.
Last time, the council voted against the ordinance. This time around, the landfill has a new owner.
Transload America purchased the land from Killona Ventures last September and plans to get expansion approval from the council in August. If the council were to give the go-ahead, Transload America could expand by 70 additional acres.
One of the current council members, Marcus Lambert, works for Transload America. The vice president of landfill operations for the company, John Wynn, says that the state’s ethics board approved Lambert’s hire. Wynn went on to say that Lambert would not be able to vote for or against the expansion.
“We plan to hold some meetings with the residents first towards the end of this month to put aside some of their fears about the kind of debris we’ll be accepting, but we do want to expand,” Doug Wilson, site manager of the landfill, said. “We want to hear everyone’s concerns and reassure them about what type of debris material we will be accepting and how it is handled.”
Wilson says the company has been open and flexible with both the St. Charles Parish government and the Killona community.
“St. Charles Parish itself dumps construction debris here free of charge, but that doesn’t apply to the residents – just parish related work debris,” he said. “However, Killona residents only are allowed to dump construction debris here free of charge.”
Wilson says the site is a construction and demolition Type III landfill facility and they can accept residential asbestos material, but only the non-friable kind.
“There’s friable asbestos, that when airborne can cause health problems if breathed over time,” he said. “There’s also non-friable. We accept non-friable, which is wet and shrink wrapped and doesn’t float in the air.”
Wilson says some of the older homes in the area may already contain asbestos.
“The material was used a long time ago in homes,” he said. “It was later identified as a health hazard, so it’s not used anymore.”
Former Councilman Brian Fabre introduced a resolution at a November 2007 council meeting that asked the council to seek the help of New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin in removing Transload America from its list of eligible waste sites to accept ACWM (Asbestos Containing Waste Materials).
According to information obtained from the National Cancer Institute of America, asbestos has been classified as a known human carcinogen (a substance that causes cancer) by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the Environmental Protection Agency and the International Agency for Research on Cancer.
“All construction and demolition facilities can accept asbestos materials,” Wilson said. “They’re some negative connotations associated with the landfills and we just want people to come out and see for themselves what we’re about. We’d be happy to take anyone on a tour.”
Other materials accepted at the landfill include concrete, brick, wood, drywall, asphalt roofing shingles, metals, and some types of plastics generated during the construction and demolition of homes, commercial buildings and other structures.
“We are on the list to accept Katrina demolished houses,” Wilson said. “Although we haven’t accepted any yet, we are permitted to.”
According to the EPA, construction and demolition landfills are subject to less stringent standards than municipal solid waste landfills.
The site is located near the Nelson Coleman Correctional Center in Killona, but after the expansion the structure will hedge closer to the residential community.
“If we expand our facility on the 70 acres, we will be about 1,000 feet closer to residential property,” Wilson said. “We first have to go before the Planning and Zoning Commission, then to the Parish Council for approval.”
Councilman Billy Raymond is the District 1 representative, which includes the Killona area.
“I want the residents to do research and come out and make an informed decision about what they prefer in their neighborhood,” he said. “People need to do whatever they need to do to educate themselves so that they can make an informed decision.”
In July 2007, Killona Ventures was denied permission to expand its landfill site. The company was sold to Transload America in September of 2007.
Last year, Fabre stated that Killona Ventures was not permitted to dump asbestos material in Killona. Transload America says that because they are a Type III landfilll they are permitted to do so.
Be the first to comment