COMMITTEE CLOSE TO PICKING SITES FOR AREA LANDFILL

PERRYVILLE -- A committee of landfill researchers expects to have several potential sites in the area picked out by the middle of this week.

Tim Morgan, planner for the Southeast Missouri Solid Waste Management District, said the district's Siting Advisory Committee would meet in closed session Wednesday to talk about property -- probably land that would be purchased if found suitable for a regional landfill.

The solid waste district takes in Cape Girardeau, Bollinger, Perry, Madison, St. Francois, Ste. Genevieve and Iron counties.

Morgan said information about the sites may be released a few days after Wednesday's meeting. So far, there hasn't been much public interest in the whole issue, but Morgan expects that to change once potential sites are chosen.

The committee is looking for an centrally located area with the right geology. The solid-waste district's center is near where St. Francois, Madison and Perry counties meet.

Committee members also considered public acceptance, facility costs and surrounding land uses in their selection.

R.W. Beck and Associates of Minneapolis helped shape the committees findings. A solid-waste consulting firm, Beck is charging the district $54,500 to help it develop a landfill the Missouri Department of Natural Resources will approve.

The committee eventually will narrow its choices to one site and then check the water tables and geology, and put the findings in a report for the DNR.

Larry Hughes, chairman of the solid waste district, said the committee was far from picking a site but may have one by the end of the year. It meets only once a month, and Hughes wants to see the schedule accelerated.

Investors in the Ste. Genevieve Development Co. know how difficult constructing a landfill can be. The company purchased land, and nearby residents said they thought it was for a subdivision until the company applied for a landfill permit.

Operation Sadie, named for the woman who sold her land to the Ste. Genevieve Development Co., went into action in 1992. Gary LaRose, the group's president, said he and others have spoken with politicians, the DNR and other landowners about the potential solid waste disposal facility.

Because of sinkholes and other geologic features, LaRose doesn't want a facility at the proposed 112-acre site, which adjoins his farmland. It's also four miles west of the city of Ste. Genevieve, and LaRose said trash would be visible from Interstate 55 if piled too high.

Operation Sadie is in limbo since the development company's landfill permit expired.

But, while active, the group did much for Ste. Genevieve County. Its members spearheaded a drive to get planning and zoning passed in 1992. The zoning may end up helping residents near the proposed site.

Morgan, the solid waste district planner, said chances of putting the regional landfill in Ste. Genevieve County were slim because of the county's geographic features and location.

However, the district doesn't want another Operation Sadie anywhere else. Siting committee members wrote in a press release they intend to have a well-publicized and documented siting process to alleviate any of the public's fears.

Regional landfill

Siting criteria chosen by the Southeast Missouri Solid Waste Management District are:

Community acceptance. There should be broad-based support from impacted residents, gained by minimizing litter, compensating for additional road use and enhancing recycling opportunities.

-Traffic impacts. The district will try to minimize traffic noise in rural areas unaccustomed to it and will use an access road to cut traffic.

-Aesthetics. Pride of ownership should be reflected in the facility, with a large buffer zone and landscaping to put neighbors at ease.

-Public health. Karst geology, prevalent in the eastern part of the district, invites seepage, so the landfill can't be sited on it.

-Site size. The landfill should meet the needs of the region for at least 20 years and be large enough to include generous buffer zones between it and nearby residents.

-Geology-topography. The site shouldn't require much engineering to ensure adequate management of water runoff or much excavation to get it ready.

-Facility costs. The land should have limited alternative uses and thus be inexpensive.

-Materials hauling. Major highways should lead to the site, ensuring accessibility for all users.

-Surrounding land uses. It would be better if land around the landfill isn't residential or near a federal forest or state park.

-Site ownership complexity. There is a preference for land without multiple owners or unclear title.