8.1 SR 10-18-2021 - Laserfiche WebLink

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pot Landfill The Elk River Landfill, located at the northern border of the city (and crosses into Livonia Township), is a regional waste facility owned and operated by Waste Management of Minnesota, Inc. Historically, approximately half of the municipal solid waste (MSW) generated in Sherburne County has been directed for disposal at the Elk River Landfill. In addition to accepting MSW, the landfill site is permitted to accept yard waste and recyclable materials such as appliances, batteries, tires, and metal. A notable feature of the landfill facility is its gas manage- ment system. Methane and other gases occur naturally in a landfill. Multiple benefits are derived by collecting the gas and burning it in a gas -to -energy plant on site. In addition to creating electricity, the methane is converted to carbon dioxide, a less potent greenhouse gas. Up to 3.2 megawatts of electricity are generated at the plant, representing about 10% of the City of Elk River's current electricity needs. Based on current technology, the landfill is expected to provide a reliable source of electricity for at least another 20 to 30 years. The State of Minnesota has adopted a vision of reducing reliance on landfills for waste disposal. However, the trend toward landfilling of waste has not changed, in part due to events such as closure of the Great River Energy waste -to - energy power plant in Elk River. While other landfills in the Twin Cities metropolitan area have requested permission to expand, there are currently no plans to expand the Elk River landfill. Current plans project the Elk River Landfill to reach capacity in 2030. Any further expansion of the landfill will not occur within the Elk River city limits. The portion of the landfill that is within Livonia Township could potentially be expanded. Wastewater Collection As part of ongoing management activities, Elk River and Waste Management of Minnesota partnered in 2020 to construct a wastewater pipeline from the landfill into the municipal wastewater collection system byway of a new force main along the Great Northern Trail. This pipeline directs contaminated leachate from the landfill to the Elk River wastewater treatment plant. This is not a new source of wastewater to the plant. Previously, trucks were used to haul collected wastewater from the landfill to the treat- ment plant, and the daily flows were built into modeling for the new treatment facility when that was built in 2017. Work to Divert Stormwater from the Landfill Continue to work with the State of Minnesota to implement the vision to reduce reliance on landfills for water disposal in the City of Elk River. To do this the city should continue efforts to design and construct the planned wastewater pipeline. 104 191MITI ad9i7:1OWN l�ViVKi701WO Infrastructure • Elk River Comprehensive Plan