Agenda - Council - 09/13/1982 - Special

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I I I ! ! I I I I I I ! I I I I I 17 COMMUNITY STIGMA ~t is difficult to gauge how much a community's image suffers if it has a landfill and, even more so what effect that impact has on the community. But the existence of either kind of facility may be viewed as a deterrent to resi- dential development. However, once a landfill has been closed and the land has been restored, a community may stand to benefit. Any stigma a community or neighborhood might acquire because of a solid waste disposal facility would probably be confined to the area immediately surround- ing the facility and along truck routes leading to the site. To alleviate this impact, landowners near the facility should be informed that the landfill is well run and operated safely. The experience of those landowners will provide a true test of how much a facility disrupts a community. VISUAL IMPACTS The visual impact of waste disposal facilities will depend on their size and location. Landfills are often located on the 'outer fringes of communities so that few people suffer the visual blight normally associated with them. On the other hand, once landfills are closed, and the land has been restored, they are less likely to constitute a visual blight. Local topography may be an advantage or disadvantage to the extent that natural formations conceal the landfill from view. Different methods of landfilling may also reduce visual impacts. The trench-fill method may have less aesthetic impact than the area-fill method. The trench method of landfilling involves placing the solid waste in trenches varying from 100 to 400 feet in length, _ three to six feet in depth and 15 to 25 feet in width. A portion of the trench is dug and the dirt that is stockpiled is used to cover the wastes. The area method of landfilling involves placing the wastes on the land, in a series of layers. Each layer is compacted during the course of the day. When the compacted wastes reach a certain height, a six- to 12-inch layer of cover material is placed over the wastes. The cover materials is taken from adjacent land or from borrow pit areas. The visual impact of a landfill can be reduced through several methods. These include establishing setbacks and buffer zones of sufficient size, constructing berms, and providing suitable screening with trees, shrubs and prairie grass. Depending on the actual site location, it may be impossible to alleviate the visual blight completely. These concerns should be negotiated between the facility developer and community during the permit review process. INCREASED BURDEN FOR LOCAL GOVERNMENTS Once a landfill begins operations, more public services may be required. These may include hookups for water and sewer service, additional training for fire and police personnel, more sanitation workers to handle cleanup around the facility, installation of traffic control signals, additional crossing guards and increased street repair.