Bourbon County talks trash

FORT SCOTT, Kan. -- Bourbon County Commissioners talk trash with Kansas Department of Health and Environment representatives during the county commission meeting Friday morning.

Commissioners met with KDHE representatives, Ryan Weiser and Bob Jurgens, to discuss the maintenance of the old landfill located just south of the "Seven Mile Loop". Also in attendance were Bourbon County Attorney Terri Johnson, Bourbon County Public Works Supervisor Clyde Killion, and Landfill Operator Bill Keith.

Following completion of repairs on the landfill's cap in December 2008, a letter from KDHE was presented to the commission regarding the monitoring of the ground water. Bourbon County Commissioner Terry Graham said the county was not instructed to address the ground water monitoring wells when they were told about the repairs for the cap. Jurgens said KDHE decided to make sure the landfill cap was taken care of before discussing the monitoring wells.

Monitoring wells will need to be installed around the landfill to collect data which determines any contaminates in the water. At least three wells will need to be installed, one up grade and two down grade. Samples will be taken five time within the next 10 years. If contamination continues after 10 years, the monitoring will continue.

Jurgens said before wells can be installed the county needs to hire a geologist to determine how deep the wells need to be as well as determine the direction in which the ground water flows. He added at this stage KDHE is only asking the county to begin planning and to develop a timeline.

"We're asking for a plan," Jurgens said. "It costs money, we know that."

When the landfill was closed in the late '70s, closure compliance laws were not well known by the parties involved. Johnson asked Jurgens if the county was required to install monitoring wells when the landfill closed. Jurgens responded saying it was in the agreement but was not followed through on either end.

"If everybody would have known and applied the law back then, we wouldn't be having this discussion," Johnson said.