Landfill site a step closer to approval - Armidale Express

Leachate management features strongly at a new and very environmentally sensitive landfill site in Australis at Armidale Dumaresq Council’s controversial landfill project. State Government approval has been received and the site plans will now be reviewed by the Federal Government, we are told.

The Planning Assessment Commission (PAC) approved the development of the $14 million project, which will be situated about 12 kilometres east of Armidale, on the condition that Council make further provisions to minimise possible environmental harm from leachate and stormwater run-off.

Ddue to the project’s proximity to “sensitive downstream ecosystems” the PAC required that Council design the landfill to be able to accommodate a one in 100 year rain event for three days.

The PAC Determination Report states: “The Commission notes that the measures for management of stormwater and leachate in this approval are considerably more stringent than those normally required for landfills of this type. This is solely due to the site-specific constraints of this site and its proximity to highly sensitive environments downstream”.

Finding landill site even in such a low popualtion country as Australia is clearly getting had to do. However, it points out that leachate treatment is really important to landfill operators even in dry countries, nowadays:

General manager Shane Burns said Council has been trying to find a new landfill site for approximately 20 years.

“It will enable our community to manage its waste in the future,” he said.

“Waste management in Australia is not at a state where a council does not need a landfill.”

Mr Burns said the current landfill site is close to capacity and described Armidale’s current landfill situation as “critical” without a new site.

Mr Burns and Mr Steller said they were optimistic the DSEWPC would approve it considering the rigour of the State Government’s approval process.

The facility is designed to service Armidale for 50 years and would have capacity for 750,000 tonnes of waste.

However the Department of Planning and Infrastructure determined the landfill “would not add to existing pollution loads within the catchment”.

While it is not known how long it will take for the DSEWPC to deliver a verdict on the landfill site, both Mr Burns and Mr Steller agreed construction would take about 12 months.

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