This Lexington landfill ran out of room, wants to expand. Alternatives are scarce.
Fayette County’s only operating landfill wants to expand upwards to extend the life of the now-closed construction and demolition debris dump by eight years.
Thoroughbred landfill, on Hedger Lane near Haley Pike, has temporarily closed because it is currently out of capacity, state environmental officials said in late December.
It’s not clear how much the public will be able to weigh in on the proposed expansion.
Thoroughbred Disposal, which is operated by Waste Services of the Bluegrass, filed an application to expand with the state’s Energy and Environment Cabinet’s Department of Environmental Protection on Oct. 2. The permit is for a vertical expansion — increasing upwards by more than 25 percent, according to cabinet records. Thoroughbred Disposal is also sometimes referred to as the Thoroughbred landfill.
Because Thoroughbred is not expanding horizontally — it is not increasing its current 60-acre footprint — Lexington planning staff members are trying to determine if the landfill must come back to the planning commission or planners for further sign-offs, said Jim Duncan, city director of planning.
The construction landfill is adjacent to the now-closed Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government’s Haley Pike landfill on Hedger Lane near the Clark County line. Thoroughbred has operated as a construction and debris landfill since 1995 and is largely surrounded by farmland. Located near Interstate 64, it is the only operating landfill in Fayette County, Duncan said.
Officials and a lawyer for Waste Services of the Bluegrass did not immediately return phone calls asking for comment.
John Mura, a Kentucky Energy and Environment Cabinet spokesman, said the application was flagged for deficiencies. Thoroughbred Disposal has until April to address the issues cited by state regulators in its permit application.
“There will be a draft permit and fact sheet issued once and if we deem the application complete,” Mura said. “The draft permit and fact sheet will be public noticed with a 30-day public comment period.”
A public hearing will not be held unless it is requested in writing, Mura said.
The city’s solid waste coordinator has signed off on the need for an expanded construction landfill because Thoroughbred has no more space, officials confirmed.
“We have sent a letter of support as part of Thoroughbred’s application to the state,” said Nancy Albright, the city’s commissioner for Environmental Quality and Public Works.
The Nov. 27 letter from the state Department for Environmental Protection cites 15 issues that need to be addressed in Thoroughbred’s application, including providing more documentation for a stability analysis report; additional mapping of the new height and contours; and more information on a storm run-off plan.
Thoroughbred is one of seven construction and demolition debris landfills in the state, according to state records. Haley Pike landfill closed in 2011. The closest construction and debris landfill — which accepts bricks, concrete, metal, drywall and demolition waste — is Rumpke’s Montgomery County landfill.
There is at least one large and complex Fayette County demolition project slated to begin, likely in the first part of 2020.
In early December, the University of Kentucky announced it will spend $15 million to take down 11 buildings that make up the Kirwan-Blanding dormitory complex on the south side of campus. That demolition includes two, 23-story dormitory towers. UK has said it will not blast but will likely dismantle the dorms, which were originally opened in 1967-1968.
Waste Services of the Bluegrass also operates the Central Kentucky Landfill in Scott County. Fayette County started sending its non-recyclable solid waste there in 2015 and recently renewed its contract for another five years.
But a proposed expansion of that landfill has been controversial, prompting three lawsuits, including a May class-action lawsuit filed by Scott County residents over foul and excessive odors. Waste Services of the Bluegrass has asked that lawsuit be transferred to a different county, arguing that it could not get a fair and impartial jury in Scott County. The motion is pending. The other two lawsuits center on zoning cases involving the proposed expansion.
In addition, an Energy and Environment Cabinet administrative law judge is expected to rule soon on a challenge by neighbors over a 2012 draft state permit for the expansion of the Central Kentucky Landfill.
