Preble County Landfill Expansion

Coldwater, as a subconsultant to T&M, assisted the Preble County Board of County Commissioners (Preble County) with the environmental permitting required for construction of the expansion at their municipal landfill, including the Clean Water Act Section 404 individual permit and associated Section 401 Water Quality Certification.  The purpose of the project is to affordably increase the capacity of the existing landfill to allow for the continued acceptance of local waste.  Surrounding counties lack landfills and operate waste transfer stations; waste is currently transported to landfills located in Hamilton, Brown, and Logan Counties.  Lateral expansion is required to extend the life of the landfill to operate at current waste receipt levels and to accommodate future additional waste.  The expansion of the Preble County Sanitary Landfill will allow Preble County to maintain a viable, cost-effective landfill operation.

Preble County was required to obtain authorization from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) and Ohio EPA for unavoidable impacts to wetlands and streams.  As part of the Section 404 permit process, Coldwater performed habitat assessments and prepared minimization plans to obtain threatened and endangered species clearances from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, coordinated a cultural resources survey, and assisted with an in-depth alternatives analysis.  Coldwater worked closely with T&M and Preble County during the design phase to minimize wetland and stream impacts to the maximum extent practicable, then evaluated mitigation options for unavoidable impacts, and assisted the County in securing  stream and wetland mitigation credits.

USACE and Ohio EPA issued the permit and water quality certification for the landfill expansion project, with no objections received during the public review process.  Work was able to commence on schedule, as there were no delays in the permitting process.