Johnson County Commission Updated on Landfill Expansion

The Johnson County Solid Waste District Board is looking into expanding the county landfill, and is expected to implement the expansion sooner than later.

Bob Fox, Solid Waste Supervisor at the county landfill, updated the commission at a recent meeting, saying there has been an increase in materials taken to the landfill, and the current pit is filling faster than originally anticipated.

Fox said the expansion for the new pit has been approved by the State Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) and that the district has $4.1 to $4.2 million in reserves for expansion projects.

He said if the board approves the expansion, requests for bids could go out in February, with construction of the new pit starting in June and completed in the fall of 2022.

The pit is expected to cost roughly $500,000 and last from 12 to 15 years before it would need to be replaced.

A larger pit, good for 25 years is estimated to cost roughly $1 million to build.

Commissioner Bob Perry, who is the commission liaison to the board, praised their efforts in planning for and financing the expansion projects.

Fox told the commission that “it’s busy out there.”