2012-07-25 Minutes Environmental Management Commission

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and leachate management issues made design and permitting of a landfill expansion impractical and uneconomical. o Based on the updated and refined planning level cost estimates, long - hauling from SHSL to WHSL was a potentially feasible and more cost - effective disposal alternative. On January 27, 2012, the SWD initiated a long -haul pilot study between East Hawaii and the WHSL. • The purpose of the study was to field test the hauling assumptions and verify the planning -level cost estimates presented in the HLFS report. • The intent was to collect a sufficient amount of data on a short -term basis and it was determined that 3 months was an adequate amount of time to field test the hauling assumptions. • Annual cost -range comparisons of the 3 solid waste alternatives: • Waste -to- Energy: $80 to $210 /ton • New Hilo Landfill: $92 to $110 /ton • Hauling to WHSL: $52 to $71 /ton • Details of the study, including procedures, summary of data (to include performance data, estimated study cost and annual projected cost data), along with discussion and conclusions are available on line at the County of Hawai'i, DEM /SWD website: http: // records .co.hawaii.hi.us /weblink/Browse aspx ?startid= 61384 &dbid =l • Goodale explained the definition of "avoided cost" as it was used in the report. • Christine Dochin, a member of the last Solid Waste Advisory Committee (SWAG), clarified that the 2009 IRSWMP did not recommend that WTE proposals be set aside and the report will be revised to reflect this. • The money that will be paid by HELCO to purchase electricity from the WTE facility was part of the evaluation that was done as part of the Request for Proposal (RFP). • Overtime was factored in. • The cost for the physical closure of the SHSL has been estimated at between $18 and $20 million. The post closure monitoring costs have not been calculated. • The SWD is required to monitor and maintain the closed landfill site for at least 30 years according to Federal and State regulations. This includes groundwater monitoring, gas monitoring, monitoring and maintenance of liner systems, monitoring and maintenance of any stormwater runoff systems and general grounds maintenance. • The 2009 IRSWMP attempts to look at various management options for a specific period of time. Within this report, the recommendation was to further evaluate the option of landfill expansion and trucking. It recommended looking at WTE in the next planning period if it made sense for the County to do so. The County does not have a plan that looks beyond the IRSWMP at this time. • Goodale estimated that the life of the SHSL is approximately 8 years and the life of the WHSL is approximately 30 years. There is the potential for significantly greater lifespan if the supbgrade at WHSL was lowered and if the County chose to pursue sue of the land on the east side of the existing site. • This report will be presented to the County Council at its August 14, 2012 meeting. 7. NEW BUSINESS Presentation by Pacific Biodiesel relating to their facility and operations (attached to original minutes) - Jenna Long provided the following information: o Pacific Biodiesel was started in 1996 and was the first biodiesel station in the United States o Description of Biodiesel: what it is; what it is not