Minnesota Pollution Control Agency

Contact: Dan Olson, 218-846-8108 Hawley, Minn. -- The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) is inviting public comment on an Environmental Assessment Worksheet prepared for a proposed expansion of the Clay County landfill near Hawley. The 30-day public comment period on the EAW ends June 3. The proposed expansion would add 10-years of disposal capacity to the landfill. The project also includes expanding the landfill's active gas collection system and adding a leachate recirculation system. These systems help control greenhouse gas emissions and enhance landfill gas generation for beneficial use, such as burning it to generate electricity. The proposed expansion is part of the county's long-term planning process which calls for continuing disposal at the site for the next 50 years without enlarging the landfill's existing boundaries. The additional capacity will come in large part through series of vertical expansions. The proposed work would begin in summer 2009 with construction of a leachate recirculation system. The expansion of vertical disposal areas would start in 2010. The EAW is a preliminary environmental review of how a proposed project could potentially affect the environment. The EAW also helps the MPCA determine if an Environmental Impact Statement, a more in-depth environmental review, is needed. The MPCA may make changes to the permit based on input it receives during the public comment period and/or on new information gathered as part of its own review of the project. Comments on the Clay County landfill EAW should be submitted in writing by June 3, 2009, to William Lynott, MPCA Project Manager, 520 Lafayette Road N., St. Paul, MN 55155-4194 or by fax to 651-297-2343. Copies of the EAW are available for review at the:
-- MPCA Web site at www.pca.state.mn.us/news/eaw/index.html;
-- Moorhead Public Library, 118 S. 5th St.;
-- Hawley Public Library, 421 Hartford St.;
-- MPCA Detroit Lakes office, 714 Lake Avenue, Suite 220; and,
-- MPCA St. Paul office, 520 Lafayette Road North. To request a copy of the EAW from the MPCA, call 651-297-8510. Other telephone inquiries related to this project should be directed to William Lynott at 651-296-7794, or toll-free at 1-800-657-3864. Additional information on the environmental review process is available on the Web at www.pca.state.mn.us/programs/envr_p.html.