Adams County commissioners will review plans today for a landfill proposal that has drawn fire from the county planning commission.
Alpine Waste & Recycling wants to open a 165- acre landfill on Schumaker Road near Bennett..
The dump was permitted to receive coal ash. But in 2005, Adams County planners approved Alpine’s request to use the landfill for household waste instead.
That prompted a legal skirmish with neighboring landowners, who claim the landfill will be an environmental problem.
The county agreed to weigh the household waste plan through its planning commission and then the commissioners.
Earlier this month, the planning board urged commissioners to deny the application.
Several reasons were cited, including a belief that the site does not have adequate space, access and environmental safeguards.
“There is not a need for the facility in the county,” the planning board said in its formal, written ruling.
“It’s great that the planning commission listened to the neighbors whose homes and lives would be affected by 2 4/7 garbage truck traffic, blowing trash and odors from the dump,” said Leslie Gerbracht, head of a neighborhood group opposing the facility.
Alpine, however, says the dump site will be well-managed and barely noticeable.
Its plan to deal with birds attracted to the waste has drawn support from nearby Front Range Airport, as well as a U.S. Department of Agriculture airport wildlife biologist.
Neighbors had claimed the birds would put aircraft flying from Denver International Airport at risk for “bird strikes,” which could cause a plane to crash.
A much larger landfill — nearly eight times the size of the Alpine facility — already operates only 10,000 feet from DIA on Tower Road, Alpine officials say. The contested Alpine landfill would be more than 6 miles from DIA and 3.8 miles from Front Range.
The county commissioners are slated to take up the Alpine proposal at a public hearing at 10 a.m.
Monte Whaley: 720-929-0907 or mwhaley@denverpost.com
