Wilco Landfill: Will the County Do the Right Thing with its Landfill?

Contested Case Hearing Completed, Expansion Plan Moves to the State Environmental Agency Comissioners

The expansion application process has gone through a “contested case hearing” in which thirteen individuals and organizations legally protested the expansion plan. 

The two judges hearing the case will recommend that the state environmental agency grant the expansion permit. However, citizens and protestants did win several major changes and improvements to the expansion plan. The three Commissioners of the state environmental agency will make the final decision on the expansion.

To read more about the contested case hearing, click here.
To read the story in the Austin American-Statesman, click here.   

Williamson County Commissioners Reject Flawed Contract

In August 2007, three of the five members of the County Commissioner's Court (Long, Covey and Morrison) expressed concerns with the draft contract and voted not to approve it at this time. This was a huge success for the residents and organizations that have opposed the flawed contract. Our thanks go out to all those who contacted your County officials -- and to the Commissioners who stood up for their constituents. Please click here to express your thanks to your Commissioner if they took the right stand, or your disappointment if they did not (Judge Gattis and Commissioner Birkman supported the contract.)

Even with this victory, the bad expansion proposal still remains in the premitting process at the state environmental agency. We need to keep the pressure on the Commissioners to consider better alternatives and seek competitive bids for the landfill.

Visit www.huttocitizensgroup.org

Landfill Expansion a Controversial Issue 

Waste Management (WMI) and the Williamson County Commissioners Court are seeking to expand the size of the county-owned landfill near Hutto from 200 to a massive 525 acres, and doubling its height to 140 feet. This would increase the amount of space available for garbage five-fold. The expanded footprint would potentially allow WMI to build the landfill as high as 750 feet, according to the company!

Click here to view postcard sent to Williamson County residents
Hutto residents: Click here to contact the Mayor and City Council!
Click here to contact your County Officials!  

County officials have so far refused to consider alternative expansion plans or seek competitive bids to get the best possible deal for county taxpayers. The current expansion plan has no long-term solid waste plan, and no significant recycling, diversion or composting plans. The current recycling center has a diversion rate of less than 1%, according to County officials.

County officials have stated that this will not be a regional landfill.  However, the expansion application states that trash will be accepted from the Capital Area Council of Governments (CAPCOG) region, which consists of ten counties in Central Texas. Left unchanged, this expansion could turn the landfill into a major trash repository for the greater Central Texas area, which would be detrimental to Williamson County’s overall development and long term financial health.

Residents in the Hutto area are impacted the most, and there is strong community opposition to the expansion. Neighbors in the Hutto area have formed organizations such as the Hutto Citizens Group to work toward a solution. The Hutto Economic Development Corporation, Chamber of Commerce, and Independent School District are members of this group, yet the Commissioners have repeatedly refused to include them in the decision-making process.

Landfill Could Help – or Hurt – Taxpayers Throughout Williamson County

Expanding the landfill in the correct way could be very beneficial to county residents, creating new tax revenues and jobs for decades to come. However, a poor expansion plan that ignores community input could do much harm – ultimately, ALL Williamson County taxpayers will be responsible. Since the County owns the landfill, all residents have a stake in these issues! 

County officials need to step back and look at better alternatives to a huge trash mountain -- they should withdraw the expansion application and seek competing proposals. Under the current permit, there is already capacity for over 30 years of operation at this landfill, so there should be no hurry to rush through the current expansion plan. Better proposals have already been detailed to County officials by residents and organizations, and their input should be considered.

Additional Background

The expansion would be located at the edge of Mustang Creek, which has flooded local roads during heavy rains. Truck traffic on CR 1660 and on State Highways 29 and 79 could increase dramatically. Already, neighbors complain of awful odors from the landfill.

On October 11, 2004 the TCEQ held a public meeting on the proposed expansion. Many folks from the community came out to ask tough questions and voiced many concerns about the expansion plans.

TCE working with local neighbors won a public hearing on the expansion plans last year and forced Williamson County and Waste Management to stop using a two-step process to push through the expansion. Neighbors' complaints have also resulted in better litter pick-up along the routes to the landfill. Waste Management was supposed to do this but wasn't. In addition, the landfill has installed a flare to address some of the odor complaints.

On February 11, 2005, Texas Campaign for the Environment, the local neighbor group Mount Hutto Aware Citizens, landowners in the vicinity of the landfill, and sportsmen who enjoy the nearby San Gabriel River filed appeals at the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality in response to approval of the expansion by the agency's Executive Director. Click here to read the press release. This opposition led the County and Waste Management to abandon their original plan to use a two-step (bifurcated) permitting process.

A new permit application was submitted and a hearing on that application was held in August 2005. Again, the landfill operators, Williamson County and state environmental agency representatives were asked tough questions. Audience members became quite frustrated because very few straight answers were provided.

Campaign Press

Dueling press releases about Williamson County landfill   (Austin American Statesman)

In Williamson, Signs Point to a Greater Interest in Recycling   (Austin-American Statesman)

Williamson County changes position on landfill contract, seeks judge's ruling   (Austin American Statesman)

Take Action

Thank the Three County Commissioners who rejected the flawed draft landfill contract

Commissioners Valerie Covey, Cynthia Long and Ron Morrison voiced opposition to the draft landfill contract and stopped it from being approved.  Thank them for carefully considering the issue and listening to Williamson County taxpayers who want a better approach to handling this county asset.

Click here to take action

Get involved at the local level in Williamson County

Get in touch with Williamson County residents who are working to defend the County residents on this issue.

Click here to take action

Links

Local Organizers: Hutto Citizens Group

Founded by Lois Gibbs who fought toxic contamination in her Love Canal community in the 1970s, CHEJ works with local groups to win environmental justice is from the bottom up through community organizing and empowerment.Center for Health Environment and Justice

Blog of the Fort Bend and Brazoria County group opposing the expansion of the BFI landfill in their area.Citizens Against the Blue Ridge Landfill Expansion

Environmental engineer Dr. Fred Lee has been working since the 1960's on landfills and has written extensively on many topics.Dr. Fred Lee's Scientific Research on Landfills

This manual, written by experienced organizers, is designed to assist communities that live near polluters to pressure for improvements.Good Neighbor Campaign Handbook

Order this book to have a step-by-step practical guide about how to organize people for direct action to fight powerful interests.Guide to Organizing

Health Care Without Harm is a national group working to improve the public health and environmental impacts of the health care sector. They have worked on medical waste issues since their inception.Health Care Without Harm - medical waste webpage

This site has information on how landfills leak and links to photos of landfillsInformation about Leaking Landfills

A treasure trove of practical information on how to reduce waste and recycle.National Waste Prevention Coalition

Ohio citizen's site on landfill issuesOhio citizen's site on landfill issues

Informative analyses of how the North American trash system developed and how producer takeback and zero waste strategies are critical for the future. Good comparative studies of successful Canadian producer takeback programs.Product Policy Institute

Rachel's Democracy and Health NewsRachel's News

Twenty year plan backed by dozens of groups in New York City to move towards Zero Waste.Reaching for Zero - New York City Citizens Plan for Zero Waste

Good resources on landfills including why landfill gas is NOT green energyThe Basics of Landfills from EJnet.org

Waste to Wealth Project - Institute for Local Self-RelianceWaste to Wealth Project - Institute for Local Self-Reliance

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