Cheyenne landfill intentions spark Colorado ire

By Cherry Sokoloski
North Forty News

State lines don't mean much where large aquifers are concerned. That's why some northern Colorado folks are keeping a close eye on Cheyenne's plans for a new landfill.

Cheyenne wants to build a new, lined landfill just 3 miles north of the Colorado border, and some are concerned that if leaks develop in the liner, the landfill could affect groundwater in a large area. People worry about contamination of private wells, springs used by grazing cattle and even the Ogallala Aquifer itself, a large underground water source that runs all the way from eastern Wyoming to Texas.

The proposed 600-acre landfill site is west of Interstate 25 on the Belvoir Ranch, which Cheyenne purchased for the dual purpose of building a new landfill and developing new water sources for the city.

JoAnn Jordan, manager of the Northern Colorado Water Association in Wellington, said her company sent a letter to the Cheyenne City Council last July with concerns about groundwater contamination at the proposed site. The association, which serves domestic water users in a large area around Wellington, has water wells about five miles south of the Wyoming border.

"It could ruin the groundwater," she said.

While Jordan is not sure that a landfill leak would affect NCWA's wells, she said the company doesn't want to have other people's water tainted, either.

Ranchers who pasture cattle in the area are also concerned. Bill Greenwood of Livermore, a partner in the Soapstone Grazing Association, said the association owns about 10,000 acres in southern Wyoming, close to the proposed landfill site. He's worried that landfill leaks would contaminate the wells and springs used by their cattle.

"The chances are pretty good you might have leaks," he commented. Furthermore, he said, it's a bigger issue than just the association's land since the Ogallala Aquifer is situated beneath the site.

New site needed

Cheyenne needs to build a new landfill because it cannot expand its existing one. The existing facility, which is only partially lined, is close to the city's water wells and has had problems with accumulation of leachate, the liquid that collects at the bottom of a landfill. The city has also been sued by the state for not following proper procedures in making improvements.

Jackie Smith, Cheyenne's director of public works, said the Belvoir Ranch was the only site for a new landfill that met two important criteria: It satisfied all the regulatory requirements for a landfill, and there was a willing seller. The city approached owners of other sites, he said, but none was willing to sell.

Some have expressed concern about the suitability of soil types and geology at the proposed landfill site. Jane Cramer of the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality said the soils in the area are mostly sand and gravel, which transmit liquid materials easily.

"It's much better to put a landfill where the soil is predominantly clay," she explained, since clay soils are more difficult to permeate and would tend to hold leachate if the landfill liner leaked.

In addition, Cramer said, fractures and caves are known to exist in the subsurface, meaning that groundwater - and contaminants - would move in an unpredictable manner. With fractures, the rate of movement can be very rapid, she said.

Cramer has been involved in the study of groundwater contamination caused by an old missile site near the Belvoir Ranch. "We don't need another groundwater problem out there," she said.

Smith acknowledged that the site is not perfect in terms of soil types. "There is no ideal place," he said, adding that the city may have to take extra precautions, such as doubling the liner, to protect against leaks. Nonetheless, he admitted, there is no guarantee against landfill leaks. Water wells drilled at the site would be monitored to detect any problems.

Test well planned

Last fall, the Cheyenne/Laramie County Planning Commission sent Smith and his staff back to the drawing board to find out more about the site's geology and hydrology. As a result, several test wells will be drilled at the site this spring to determine how deep the groundwater is, the amount and direction of flow and how porous and fractured the soil is.

When the study is complete, the city will take its proposal back to the planning commission. Another hearing could be scheduled as early as July, Smith said.

Wyoming residents close to the landfill site have worried that Cheyenne plans to haul in trash from other states to the new facility, but Smith said that is not the case. The landfill is termed "regional," he said, because two different jurisdictions, the city and Laramie County, will use it. There have also been rumors that Cheyenne will haul trash into the new site via railroad, but Smith said that option was found to be economically unfeasible. Instead, the city plans to bale trash in Cheyenne and haul it to the new landfill by truck.

Maggie Davison, who works in the solid waste division of the WDEQ, takes an historical view of the landfill issue. Part of the problem, she said, is an out-of-date perception that there's so much wide-open land in Wyoming that the state doesn't have to worry much about landfill management.

"We've had a steep learning curve," she said, "and we're determined not to continue the mistakes we've made in the past" in terms of landfill linings and leachate management. As recently as five or 10 years ago, she said, the state didn't understand that landfills could impact groundwater in the state.

Smith echoed the determination to do better with the new landfill. "We've learned a lot," he said. "We're designing this one to make sure we're more efficient and safer in taking care of leachate."

Smith said there will be at least six opportunities for public comment on the project. First, the city/county planning commission will take another look at the landfill plan this summer. If the commission gives its OK, the plan must next be approved by the Laramie County commissioners. Then, the commissioners must approve a final plat, and the project must go through a permitting process with the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality. At each step, the public may voice concerns about the project.