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3 to 1 slopes <br />In Minnesota, landfill construction is typically done with 5 to 1 finished slopes (one foot <br />of vertical fall in five feet horizontally). To increase their capacity, the landfill is <br />proposing 3 to 1 slopes. Approval of the 3 to 1 slopes allows the Landfill to gain <br />approximately 1,500,000 cubic yards of disposal area on the same footprint that is <br />approved by the city's current permits. <br /> <br />The concerns with these steeper slopes are erosion control and maintenance. MPCA will <br />allow the Landfill to go to 3 to 1 slopes, if they meet the following criteria: <br /> Waste Management (the parent company) has to accept responsibility for long <br /> term maintenance at the landfill, not just Elk River Landfill, Inc. <br /> · An escrow account, not a letter of credit as is the current situation, has to be set up <br /> for post closure and contingency action. <br /> · Certain design criteria have to be met such as a minimum factor of safety <br /> regarding slope failure, using Geo-net to secure the slopes, and a maximum of 40 <br /> feet vertical tiers. <br /> <br />So far the Landfill has not met MPCA's criteria regarding 3 to 1 slopes. Again staff feels <br />comfortable with MPCA making the final decision on this issue. <br /> <br /> Screening <br />A 200 foot buffer strip exists around the Landfill, except to the north where the Landfill <br />extends out of the City Elk River into Livonia Township. The site map included with this <br />memo shows the proposed finished contours of the landfill. The 200 foot buffer strip is <br />denoted by a dashed line on the site map. <br /> <br />You will note that the proposed finished contours extend into the 200 foot buffer strip in <br />several locations. This is necessary because of elevation changes. Staff is satisfied that <br />the Landfill has done their best to minimize the disruption of the buffer strip. Language <br />dealing with the protection of the trees remaining in the buffer strip is included in the <br />attached permits. The permits also reference a screening plan for the Landfill that was <br />developed by Tim Edgeton, Sherburne County Forester. <br /> <br /> End-use <br />Staff is recommending that the Landfill develop an end-use plan for their facility that is <br />required to be approved by the city. Is the Landfill to be a grassy vacant hill forever or is <br />there some practical use for this property in future? The proposed permits requires that <br />the Landfill submits an end-use plan as part of their next renewal process in four years. <br /> <br /> Traffic <br />Waste Management has greatly increased the rate of waste delivery to the Landfill over <br />previous owners. Access to the site is via U.S. Trunk Highway 169. This access has <br /> <br /> <br />