The City of Albany landfill is running out of space, and a proposal by city officials could feature an expansion of the landfill into unprotected land of the Pine Bush Preserve.
The project calls for the expansion of the existing landfill on Rapp Road in Guilderland into city-owned lands to the east, according to the Department of Environmental Conservation, the organization overseeing the potential expansion.
A public hearing on the issue is slated for Wednesday, Nov. 5, at 7 p.m. at the Polish Community Center on the Washington Avenue Extension in Albany, according to the DEC.
Nicholas J. D’Antonio, commissioner of the Albany City Department of General Services said the city is looking at several different options. He said the DEC has mandated that the city study several different alternatives, including a pay-as-you-throw alternative, although D’Antonio called that the least preferable option.
We have been strong in saying that we will look at [all the alternatives], but we are not interested in [pay-as-you go], he said.
D’Antonio said he is not sure which of the several alternatives will work best for all parties involved.
`It’s too early in the process to speculate; it’s been an ongoing process. We’ve been working with the DEC,` he said.
He added that the landfill generates close to $11 million of revenue for the Albany City.
Christopher Hawver, executive director of the Albany Pine Bush Preserve Commission, said the expansion plan is a modified version of a previous proposal that did not go over well with the public.
Albany originally proposed expanding into protected land more than a year ago. After opposition from the public and the preserve commission, the city modified its proposal, Hawver said.
The new proposal involves the possibility of developing land in the Pine Bush habitat, although it is not part of the protected preserve lands, Hawver said.
`The materials just came out, and we’re going through the documents. We’ll be at the public hearing,` he said.
According to the DEC environmental notice bulletin, filed Wednesday, Oct. 8, the `eastern expansion,` is designed to serve residents and businesses that make up the Albany New York Solid Waste Energy Recovery System, also known as ANSWERS and the Solid Waste Management Planning Unit.
`The main components of the landfill expansion include a landfill liner system, leachate collection and removal system and a landfill gas control system,` the bulletin states.
The planned expansion deals with an overfill of close to 23 acres of existing landfill, a lateral expansion of close to 15 acres, with two of those acres falling in the `existing landfill operations area,` and 13 undeveloped, city-owned, acres to the northeast of the landfill, according to the DEC notice.
It also states that the city is proposing to relocate infrastructure, such as recycling buildings, offices and other privately owned parcels to the east of the entrance road.
The expansion could extend the life of the landfill for more than six years, the notice states.
`The expansion would require the direct filling of 5.05 acres of wetlands and an additional 4.06 acres of wetlands would be re-graded as part of the overall wetland mitigation and restoration plan,` the DEC review states. `The mitigation plan for the wetland impacts will involve the creation of 22.14 acres of new wetlands in areas that are currently uplands. An additional 27.45 acres of existing wetlands would be enhanced in quality and function.`
Hawver said that restoration of the wetlands aspect of the proposal is the most beneficial item in it.
The City of Albany would be responsible for the removal of `invasive species,` which are not naturally part of the wetlands, if its proposal is accepted, he said.
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