Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Stink Raised Over Proposed Landfill Site Near Gurdon

Concerns about a proposed landfill have been voiced by a concerned citizen.

The concerns are primarily about the protection of Gurdon's water supply and damage to the land.

Tommy Potter said the proposed landfill is to be constructed in an area known as the Goodbye Bottoms north of Gurdon off Taylor Dairy Road.

The reason for the 640 acre dump site, he said, is based on money.

"I'm aware," he said, "studies have been done at the site and it has the best possible clay. I know three counties were looked at, but this site is above Gurdon's potential water source."

Potter said before the site is licensed for a class I landfill, more studies should be done to see its location in relation to the New Madrid Fault.

The fault line, he said, runs through this area and if an earthquake hit, it could crack the clay and all the garbage would be dumped into the aquifer.

Should this happen, Potter continued, Gurdon would then have to buy water for the residents.

"I don't think the people I've talked to are aware of the landfill site," he said.

Potter has discussed this issue with Clayton Franklin Sr., who mentioned Indian burial mounds may also be located in this region.

According to Potter, no one looked into the possibility of there being burial mounds at the proposed landfill site, and it would be desecration to destroy them.

He plans to contact Henderson State University and see if they have any maps of burial sites located around Gurdon.

"Gurdon is losing its tax base," Potter said, "but Clark County sees fit to put a dump here and not the second industrial park.

"If Gurdon has to pay $300,000 a year for a police department, where are we going to get the money to pay for it. When the Super Wal-Mart opens, Gurdon's tax base will dry up. We don't need to be a dump site."

While Potter's concerns are viable, Gurdon Mayor Rick Smith said, there is no need to worry at this time.

The Southwest Central Regional Solid Waste Management District, of which Gurdon and Clark County are members, has done feasibility studies as to the best location for a possible landfill in a three-county area. These counties are Clark, Hot Spring and Garland.

A public hearing on a proposed landfill near Gurdon was held at the Gurdon City Hall Nov. 24, 1998, with representatives from all three counties involved being on hand.

At this meeting, there was but one naysayer, and this a property owner whose land was near the proposed site.

Still, Smith said, there is no need to worry. The solid waste district isn't interested in getting into the landfill business at this time.

Getting the land permitted, he said, is a ploy to help the district when contract time comes around with BFI Landfill, the current provider of landfill services to the district.

Several years ago, when the district had a contract with Saline County, the landfill attempted to violate the agreement and raise the tipping fees.

The district sued successfully, forcing Saline County to continue following the contracted agreement.

From this situation, the solid waste district didn't want to be caught in such a position of weakness again, and decided to look at permitting a site for a class I landfill.

"I understand Potter's concerns," Smith said, "and told him to voice his complaints at the next public meeting (yet to be scheduled)."

"When our contract runs out," he continued, "we want to have a permitted site to use as leverage. I hope we never have to use it, but I don't know.

"A lot of people want a landfill in the area, but not in their back yard."

While Potter called the area a dump site, Smith explained there are major differences between a landfill and a dump.

First, he said, dumps are illegal, while landfills are strictly regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Arkansas Department of Pollution Control and Ecology (PC&E).

Gurdon, he said, used to have a city dump on Kansas Road. It was nothing more than a hole in the ground filled with trash. Such a thing isn't allowed with landfills.

There are strict guidelines landfills must follow, along with volumes of federal regulations.

The engineering firm the district contracted was told to find a suitable site in the three county area, and it was learned southern Clark County has the best midway clay base for one.

Three sites were proposed by the firm, one east of Curtis, another in the Moon Valley region, and the third in the Goodbye Bottoms. There were problems in acquiring options on the Curtis and Moon Valley sites, but not with the third one.

Smith pointed out the district's board of directors will be responsible for all decision concerning the landfill, not Clark County or Gurdon, though both Smith and Clark County Judge Floyd "Buddy" Manning, along with the Arkadelphia mayor being on the board.

The mayors, county judges and city managers of the other two counties are also on the panel.

Smith said the permitting process takes about two years to complete. If the district gets the land and a permit for a landfill, it would still have to find a way to finance it.

At this time, it costs between $5 and $8 million to construct a landfill to EPA and PC&E guidelines.

Such an effort would require the three counties involved to pass a historic three-county bond issue with the sole purpose being to fund the construction and operation of a landfill.

At this time, he said, the solid waste district board has no intention of building a landfill.

All involved, though, are working to keep the garbage rates as low as possible for their customers.

SPIRITED SENIOR - Doris Haddock, better known as Granny D, continues on her quest to walk from California to Washington, D.C. to bring attention to the need for campaign finance reform. Granny D has been joined by fellow walkers along the way, and is shown here with Tommy Bensberg of Camden. Granny walks an average of 10 miles a day on her journey and prefers to stay off the interstates as much as possible. She is flanked, most of the time, by her son, Jim, who drives a van to make sure there are no problems.