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Environmentalists Try To Stop Proposed Pasco Landfill

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By KEVIN WIATROWSKI | The Tampa Tribune

Published: January 9, 2009

DADE CITY - The potential approval of a household-waste landfill in southeastern Pasco County created a flurry of last-minute letter writing by environmental groups opposed to the proposal.

"This landfill represents an absolutely unacceptable risk to the region's water quality, not just in Pasco County, but throughout Tampa Bay and Florida's Nature Coast," Manley Fuller, president of the Florida Wildlife Federation said in a written statement.

Similar sentiments were included in letters to the Department of Environmental Protection from the Florida Audubon Society, Hernando Audubon Society and the Gulf Restoration Network.

The proposed landfill also has drawn opposition letters from cities in east Pasco and Hillsborough County as well as from state Sen. Victor Crist, who represents the area.

Largo-based Angelo's Aggregates Materials wants to build a 995-acre landfill on property it owns near Enterprise and Singletary roads south of Dade City. The first phase of the landfill would cover about 65 acres. The company owns a construction debris landfill nearby.

The county also owns a small, rarely used landfill it inherited from Dade City. That facility is likely to be closed and capped in the coming years, Bruce Kennedy, Pasco County's assistant superintendent for utility services, said Thursday.

After more than a year of review, DEP officials appear prepared to give Angelo's project a favorable recommendation. The agency will issue a Letter of Intent - a Dec. 5 draft of which suggests it will be for approval – on Monday.

The landfill site sits on the fringe of the Green Swamp about a mile west of the Withlacoochee River. Opponents worry the landfill could contaminate the Floridan Aquifer and the Hillsborough River, both of which provide drinking water for the region.

"Surely, the applicant and Pasco County officials can find alternatives to this location or other disposal alternatives that would have a lower contamination risk to the Florida Aquifer and the citizens of West Central Florida and the Nature Coast," Mary Dowdell, president of the Hernando Audubon Society wrote in her letter to the DEP.

The location of the landfill puts it in the watershed of the Withlacoochee River, which flows north and west, forming the eastern border of Hernando and Citrus counties. The river provides no public drinking water supplies.

The developers counter that their facility will be a modern landfill lined with dense clay and manmade materials. The polluted liquid draining from the landfill will be piped away to be cleaned, according to the facility's plans.

The Angelo's facility could accept waste from a variety of sources. The presence of railroad tracks on the property has opponents concerned the owners will bring large amounts of trash in from out of state.

Angelo's officials argue their facility could offer a cheaper alternative for waste disposal compared to the county's waste-fed incinerator. They said the landfill also could relieve pressure on the incinerator, which has been overwhelmed in recent years by trash. The county now ships the overflow to Osceola County.

County commissioners Tuesday discussed how best to address the proposed landfill. Commissioners agreed with County Attorney Jeffrey Steinsnyder, who advised against fighting any state permit directly. That fight could cost upward of $300,000 with little guarantee of success, Steinsnyder said.

Even if it receives a DEP permit, the landfill still must get a land-use change and a conditional-use permit from the county to operate. Both documents require several public hearings – opportunities for more public input and for the county to impose its own restrictions on the facility.

Reporter Kevin Wiatrowski can be reached at (813) 948-4201 or kwiatrowski@tampatrib.com.

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