Chemung Landfill Expansion - The Facts

Joint Workshop of the Budget and Multi-Services Committees

December 1, 2014

Summary of Expansion Permit

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Faced with a new set of financial and environmental constraints, our customers’ needs are changing, Old solutions need to be replaced with creative new solutions. We are working hard to innovate; to tie our Economic Model to the Environmental Model which leads to stronger overall Solutions. By creatively partnering with our customers, we can find and implement the right solutions for each unique situation.

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About Casella – our vision

About Casella – innovation & infrastructure

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Single Stream Recycling Facilities CNG-Fueled Refuse Fleets

Landfill Gas Power Plants Anaerobic Digesters for Food Waste

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Casella Resource Management Services

CASELLA RESOURCE SOLUTIONS ZERO-SORT RECYCLING • COLLECTION • ORGANICS • ENERGY • LANDFILLS

GHG Impact – Low Emission Landfills

As we implement our Low Emission Landfill model, capture efficiencies will continue to improve, particularly at Chemung with the installation of the Gas-to-Energy Plant installation.

Former 75% capture efficiency assumption is based on decades old modeling. Recent facility reporting and studies indicate that capture efficiencies are higher and fugitive methane emissions are lower than old models predicted.

Casella LFs Capture Efficiency - 2012

CASELLA RESOURCE SOLUTIONS ZERO-SORT RECYCLING • COLLECTION • ORGANICS • ENERGY • LANDFILLS 5

OMLA signed on Sept 23, 2005

• Contemplated with the signing… – Purchase of the adjoining property, (Nelsen) – Increase in annual capacity to 417,000 tons per

year, years before development of the Marcellus Shale.

• Included a schedule that would have had the 417K tpy permit in place in 2008

• Includes a Property Protection Plan to protect residential property owners for fair market value. 7 properties have been purchased


Chemung County Facility Overview

• Currently permitted to accept 200,500 TPY/ 655 TPD •MSW Permit for 180,000 tons per year • C&D Permit for 20,500 tons per year

• 16 years of contract life remaining • Currently employs 18 full time and 5 part time

employees • Currently operates 5 convenience stations , 1

transfer station and the landfill • Currently accept recycling at transfer station. • ZERO VIOLATIONS


Financial Benefit (since beginning of OMLA)

– County - $24,450,000 • $11M in OMLA lease payments • $9.6M in First Amendment Payments • $0.15M in recycling host fees • $0.1M in property taxes (School, Town, County) • $0.68M County Owned Nelson Property • $0.75M County Reimbursements • $0.42M Career Development and Scholarship • $0.39M Assumed Employee • $0.45M Small Project fund - • $0.41M Hoffman House / Friends of the Chemung River • $0.45 M for Household Hazardous Waste Days • $0.05 M assistance with SWMP

– Town of Chemung- $3,711,200 • $3.3M in solid waste host fees • $0.41M for Fire District Payment


Where Chemung’s waste went in 2013


ALLEGANY 48%

CHEMUNG 41%

STEUBEN 6%

ONTARIO 5%

2013 Chemung Waste Destination Total Generation - 78,019 tons

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Where the Tons came from in 2013


PA 34%

CHEMUNG 21%

TIOGA 16%

STEUBEN 8%

NJ 7%

CHENANGO 6%

TOMPKINS 3%

CT 1%

DUTCHESS BROOME

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Drill Cuttings at Chemung Landfill

Chemung Drill Cuttings through Aug. 2014 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 Total

Total Waste & BUD 174,638 201,390 230,690 223,177 148,459 978,354

Total Drill 58,477 73,518 82,184 67,975 52,216 334,370

% Drill Cuttings 33% 37% 36% 30% 35% 34%

Avg tons per Load 15.5 15.5 15.5 15.5 15.5

Est Truck Loads 3,773 4,743 5,302 4,385 3,369 21,572


Where does PA send Drill Cuttings


2014 Drilling Activity in PA


Why a permit increase does not mean more drill cuttings today

The rush of drilling activity was over in 2011


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Baker Hughes Land and Offshore Split by State Pennsylvania

# of

Rig

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Are we using the right detectors?

Some have claimed that the detectors we use are not the right ones.

• According to the EPA, Radium-226, the most common Radium isotope, is an alpha emitter, with accompanying gamma radiation, and has a half-life of about 1600 years. http://www.epa.gov/radiation/radionuclides/radium.html


Radioactivity in Leachate

The maximum level of Radium that can be accepted at a Sewer Treatment Plant is 600 pCi/l, blue line. The treatment plant can only discharge 60 pCi/l to a stream, green line. Our leachate is well below the discharge limit , red dots.


The Expansion stays on the original landfill property Includes relocation of power lines and construction of Cell 6 Significant upgrades to Stormwater control and leachate management Final elevation is the same as current landfill

The Chemung County Landfill Expansion Project:

Landfill Expansion: • Approximately 40 acre expansion of lined landfill area to the south and

east of the current landfill area.

• Includes Cells V(41 acres, 10 acres of overlay) and VI(22 acres, 7 acres of overlay).

• No change to height of landfill, 1152 feet above mean sea level.

• NO change to the existing, approved waste stream is proposed. Capacity Increase: • Increase of daily tonnage from 180,000 tons per year to 417,000 tons

per year. • Operating hour change from 7 am to 6 pm to 7 am to 7 pm.


Other Project Features:

• Soil Borrow Area: approximately 19 acres of soil borrow area on the Former Nelsen Property

• Support Infrastructure: – Three stormwater ponds, leachate storage lagoons and site access

roads to serve expansion – Landfill Gas to Energy Facility: – Construction of a building to house up to 2 landfill gas combustion

engines, – Installation of necessary equipment to generate and transport

electricity

• Education Center: environmental stewardship and education center: to be located at existing building on Casella-owned property.


SEQRA Process:

• Commenced in 2006 with preparation of Long EAF, Scoping Process

• Project Delayed due to OML Negotiations, Permit Modification • Project Reduced in Scope • New Scoping Process completed December 2012-February

2013 • DEIS Accepted by County January 2014 • Public Comment Period for DEIS: January 14-March 4, 2014 • Public Hearing: January 30, 2014 • FEIS Prepared & Submitted to County Fall, 2014


FEIS Contents:

• Introduction of Project & DEIS Public Hearing Process

• Overview of Comments Received

• DEIS Text Revisions

• Responses to DEIS Comments


FEIS Comments:

• Comments received from: • Residents of Town and County of Chemung • Two Citizen’s Groups

– RFPLC – Sierra Club

• Two Involved Agencies: – NYSDEC: Found EIS Sufficient, Noted Issues to

be Addressed During Permit Proceeding – Town: Found EIS Accurate


Environmental Comments:

• Stormwater & Surface Water: – Management of water infiltrating landfill &

leaving site – New stormwater storage areas – Junction Canal

• Health Impacts:

– Increased Cancer Incidence in Chemung County – Health Risks related to Marcellus Shale Wastes


Environmental Comments, Continued:

• Population: – Concerns that population will decrease due to Project

• Odor-Gas: – Concerns that odor will not be properly managed – Comments regarding calculation of methane emitted

• Liner System: – Concerns that liner will fail due to age, heavier

liquid/drill cuttings – Liner floating on groundwater

• Placement of waste over existing landfill cells • Leachate system cleaning, leachate leaks



• Aquifer/Groundwater: – Concerns regarding potential aquifer under expansion – Groundwater suppression system – Groundwater monitoring & Potential Contamination,

including Marcellus-related issues • Traffic:

– potential increase in traffic due to increased hours & tonnage

• Property Values: – potential decrease in values due to Project

• Noise: – potential increase in noise resulting from the Project



• Ecological Resources: – presence of endangered or threatened species

• Visual: – impact of project on recreational users, nearby

aesthetic resources, cemetary • Historic/Archeological:

– Chemung Battlefield & other historic features near project

– Impact on tourism from Project


Procedural & Operational Comments:

• Comment Period: – Requests for Additional Extension of Comment Period

• Alternate Disposal: – Recycling: need for additional recycling and alternative waste

management • Operations:

– Potential for fire – Past issues with non-permitted waste, scope of wastes accepted – Inspection process for wastes

• Community Need/Purpose: – Need for expansion and capacity increase – Reduced scope of project compared to 2006 project – Long term risk of contamination

• General – Comments related to Long EAF, SEQRA lead agency – General Support & Opposition for Landfill


Marcellus Shale Waste/Drill Cuttings

• Comments related to: – Acceptance of this Waste – Scope of Marcellus Shale Wastes Accepted – Proper Study of Impacts – Protocol for Waste Acceptance/Rejection – Radiation Detection


Marcellus Shale Waste/Drill Cuttings, Continued

• Comments related to: – Expansion of Landfill to Accommodate More

Drill Cuttings – Leachate Treatment & Radioactivity – Leachate Sampling & Radioactivity – Solid & Liquid Content of Waste – Radon Release – Pennsylvania’s Study of Marcellus Wastes &

Radioactivity


Conclusion:

• No New Significant Adverse Environmental Impacts Identified

• Vast Majority of Comments relate to Landfill Expansion & Capacity Increase and Marcellus Shale Waste/Drill Cuttings

• All comments addressed in the Response to Comments, Section III of the FEIS.

• Proposed expansion meets the intent and conditions of the original OMLA.


For more information, please visit:

casella.com

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