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Friday, November 06, 2009

Concerns Halt Asphalt Plant


Journal Staff Report
      Startup of an asphalt plant at the Caja Del Rio Landfill run by Santa Fe city and county government has been stopped after residents raised concerns about the project.
       Santa Fe County Commissioner Virginia Vigil has asked the agency that runs the landfill to suspend progress on the hot-mix asphalt facility, which she said is nearly complete but has not started operations.
       Residents and a homeowners association raised concerns about the environmental impact of the asphalt plant at a community meeting Monday night, Vigil said.
       Vigil has asked that the issue be discussed at the Nov. 18 meeting of the city-county board that oversees the Santa Fe Solid Waste Management Agency, the landfill's operator. Vigil is a member of the board.
       According to a county government news release, the landfill management agency in 2006 entered into a construction contract with Del Hur Industries of Port Angeles, Wash., to blast and remove basalt rock to create more space for the landfill.
       Under the contact, Del Hur can sell crushed rock for various aggregate products.
       Last year, Del Hur made a side agreement with Fisher Sand and Gravel of Placitas to market aggregate products supplied by Del Hur. As part of that deal, Fisher was to operate the asphalt plant and use aggregate from the landfill expansion.
       Vigil said the landfill board knew about the plant, which was reviewed and given a permit by the state Environment Department.
       She said board members assumed any environmental concerns would be addressed in the state permitting process.
       But now, Vigil said, “I'm not sure this is a great location for something like that.”
       “The community was sort of caught by surprise,” she said.
       “We need to get some public input and address the residents concerns,” Vigil said. She said the plant's permit has some “pretty strong” restrictions, such as no operations on windy days.
       Randall Kippenbrock, executive director of the agency, said in the county news release: “The project was reviewed and given a permit by the state Environment Department. But if there is new information or the community feels threatened, we need to address those concerns immediately.”
       

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