New Hanover County’s proposal to expand its landfill off U.S. 421 has passed muster with the county planning board.
Board members voted unanimously Thursday to recommend approval for the project, which would add two adjoining parcels totaling 277 acres—90 of which would be used for disposal—to the 400-plus-acre landfill site about seven miles north of the Battleship North Carolina.
Permitted 30 years ago as the first lined landfill in the state, the facility is also the last like it permissible in New Hanover under current state regulations. With existing capacity expected to max out within five years, board members agreed with Joe Suleyman, the county’s environmental management director, that expanding the landfill would ensure solid waste disposal options for the next two generations of county citizens.
“It’s good to see we’re planning for our waste treatment in a forward-thinking manner,” board member Anthony Prinz said. “It’s also good that we’re thinking about not just ‘how do we get rid of waste’ but ‘what do we do with that land’” afterward.
“I think it’s a win-win,” Prinz added before making a motion to recommend approval, with staff-suggested conditions that included working with the N.C. Natural Heritage Foundation to identify and protect endangered species on the site.
An analysis conducted in November confirmed the presence of Coachwhip, a rare snake, and Big Three-awn Grass, considered a threatened, or “significant,” species. Another analysis is scheduled for the spring, and a second condition advised working with the N.C. Plant Conservation Program to determine mitigation strategies for the plant.
One person spoke in a related public hearing. County resident Rob Zapple said he did not oppose the expansion but questioned the landfill’s height, which Suleyman confirmed to be 170 feet.
“We’re not proud of the fact that it’s the highest point in New Hanover County,” Suleyman said, noting that the number is the maximum height approved by the N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources.
Suleyman also concurred with Zapple’s comment that no landfill is immune to leaks over time. The manufacturer guarantees 20 years, he said, adding that the facility would feature a leak protection system, multiple protective layers and other health and safety precautions.
The recommendation is scheduled to go before commissioners, who would decide the requested special-use permit, at their regular meeting Jan. 7. That board has also been discussing a separate but related topic—a proposal to refurbish the county’s aging incinerator—but that discussion has essentially been shelved pending further direction from commissioners.
Jonathan Spiers can be reached at (910) 772-6313 or [email protected].
