The Portage County Solid Waste Management Board closed the door on the possibility of opening a new landfill in Portage County when it decided not to purchase the Burling property in the town of Stockton Wednesday, Oct. 4.
"This has basically killed it (the landfill)," said Jim Krems, board chairman.
Instead, the county will begin research into building a transfer station to take the county's refuse to a public landfill in the Fox Valley. The board came to the conclusion that a transfer station would be more viable than a new landfill after weighing such factors as liability, change in DNR regulations, nuisance issues and environmental concerns.
No sight has been chosen for the transfer station yet, but Krems said he thought the board would be moving on the issue "very, very quickly."
"The only option we have left is the transfer station," he said.
Krems added that the board would like to have the transfer station operating soon so that they could cap the county's current landfill, which is scheduled to close in 2005, early and save some of the space as insurance against future waste problems.
Some town of Stockton residents were glad to hear the county will build a transfer station instead of building a new landfill. "I don't believe a transfer station will have nearly as much impact on the area as a landfill," said Jeanne Dodge, town of Stockton board supervisor.
"It's a big victory (the decision not to buy the land). I think the board was misguided in the past into believing that another landfill was their only option," said Bruce Dahms, town of Stockton resident.
Krems said the board would likely form a subcommittee at their next meeting to explore options involving location, construction and haulers.