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HomeMy WebLinkAboutM1984-0990 - 07/03/1984.0 • MOTIONS - 7/3/84 25. Approving the staff's planning recommendations for solid waste disposal facilities. MIGRUCILMED M84 -0990 I--] SOLID WASTE DISPOSAL STUDY June 1984 BACKGROUND • Proposition 3 in the 1982 bond election was approved by the voters authorizing $800,000 in sanitation bonds. This was for the purpose of providing additional acreage for sanitary landfill use adjoining the existing landfill at 7002 Greenwood Drive. The bond proposition was initiated by the City Council for the purpose of extending the City's solid waste disposal capabilities for the next 20 years. This action was timely because of two other factors which combined to reduce the life expectancy of the present 160 acre site. First, the Navy became concerned about the conflict between birds attracted to the landfill and aircraft operating at Cabaniss Field, and expressed opposition to developing the portion of the existing tract nearest Chapman Ranch Road. Second, the plans for the Crosstown Expressway have evolved such that a significant part of the existing tract near Chapman Ranch Road will be unuseable for landfill purposes because of the future expressway construction. CONSULTANT'S REPORT On July 13, 1983, the City Council authorized a contract with a consulting engineering firm, Hunter Associates, to assist in implementing the bond election project. The consultants have completed a study of possible alternatives for acquiring property. The consultants point out that soil conditions and land use compatibility are important considerations for a sanitary landfill site. This leads to the recommendation that the City purchase the land between the existing landfill property and the Oso Creek. Their preliminary geotechnical investigation indicates that this property has soil with very low permeability which is ideal for a sanitary landfill. The surrounding land uses including the Chemical Waste Management Plant, the Westside Sewer Plant, and the existing landfill are compatible. The Oso Creek will serve as a natural buffer for uses which might develop in the future to the southwest. This portion of the proposed Oso Parkway could be planned in conjunction with the sanitary landfill to insure the availability of adequate and suitable stable ground for future construction of the parkway. The consultants determined that there are no significant problems with plans for drainage, sanitary sewer, water system, or flood - 1 - • • plain management, although some minor revisions in master plans will be required. The consultants estimate that this property will provide landfill capacity for about 15 years, which should provide for solid waste disposal beyond the year 2000. A significant advantage of this property is that when used in conjunction with the existing landfill property, the City would realize a 2 year bonus in solid waste disposal because of the improved efficiency made possible by combining the two properties. BIRD ACTIVITY For the past several years the City has had a bird activity advisory committee which meets semi - annually with representatives of the Navy to review bird activity at the landfill and how this affects flight operations at Cabaniss Field. As a result of this committee's work, and with the assistance of committee member Dr. Brian Chapman and one of his students at Corpus Christi State University, a great deal of information has been compiled about bird activity. Seagulls are the predominant bird at issue. They travel from the Cayo Del Oso and Laguna Madre to the sanitary landfill which puts them in the area of Cabaniss Field. The birds feed at the landfill and water at a nearby pond just south of Oso Creek off the end of runway 17 at Cabaniss Field. On cold winter days they also warm their feet on the pavements at Cabaniss Field. It has been reported that as many as 4,000 birds have been at the sanitary landfill. The Navy keeps records of incidents reported by pilots involving collisions between aircraft and birds. "Approach" magazine reported in March that Cabaniss Field had been the location of 38 bird strikes in the past three years. This placed Cabaniss Field third highest on a list of 25 Navy air strips with frequent bird problems. NAS Corpus Christi ranked sixth with 29. Two changes in Navy aircraft operations have heightened the concern. One is the introduction of a new aircraft, the T44, which may be less resistant to bird strikes than its predecessor aircraft. The other is a change in the approach pattern so that pilots approach at 800 feet elevation, which is 200 feet lower than in past years. The Navy's position is that it would be preferable if the sanitary landfill were moved to another location, but that any future development of the present sanitary landfill should not be in the direction of Chapman Ranch Road where it would be getting closer to Cabaniss Field. RESOURCE RECOVERY Any discussion of solid waste disposal must include resource recovery. There are several resource recovery plants now in operation in the United States. These are plants which process - 2 - • • garbage and recover recycleable materials or energy. These plants are not in widespread use because the net cost far exceeds the cost of sanitary landfill operations. Nevertheless, there is a lot of interest in developing these plants, and as time goes on the economics should improve. The City has been approached by several firms about developing such a plant in Corpus Christi. Whether or not such a plant can be developed successfully in Corpus Christi without putting the City at risk of greatly increasing garbage disposal charges is the question that must be answered. Jam - Tex -Mex Corporation has prepared a feasibility report for a plant to produce compost fertilizer from solid waste. This company, based in Houston, is also negotiating to build plants in Jamaica and Mexico. The process would handle most types of solid waste through hammermill grinders and composting to produce solid fertilizer. A similar plant operated in Mckeesport, Pennsylvania, for a few years before being moved to Jamaica where it also operated for a few years. The company is asking the City to enter into a contract which would provide for the following: - The City would guarantee a supply of solid waste to the company's plant. - The City would assist the company in obtaining tax relief, presumeably through the use of industrial revenue bonds and City owned property. - The City would purchase a portion of the fertilizer product of the plant. - The City would agree to pay a rate between $5 and $10 per ton to dump solid waste at the plant. We have had a number of meetings with representatives of this company in an effort to provide them with information they need to determine the feasibility of this proposal. We have also met with representatives of Solid Energy Corporation of San Antonio who have expressed an interest in building a plant in Corpus Christi. They propose a process which would handle most types of solid waste through high temperature burning producing steam, hot water, and a solid residual. The hot water could be used for an industrial process, and the steam could be used to produce electricity for sale to Central Power and Light Company. Some of the solid residual could be used in a slurry seal for street maintenance. The company would be asking both the City and Central Power and Light Company for 10 year contracts with 10 year options to renew. - 3 - L-71 0 RECOMMENDATION In consideration of the foregoing, the following recommendations to the City Council have been developed to implement the 1982 bond election project in a manner acceptable to the Navy and meeting the City's needs for solid waste disposal beyond the year 2000: - Authorize the staff to proceed towards acquisition of the property between the existing sanitary landfill property and the Oso Creek from Greenwood Drive and to near the approximate location of the proposed Crosstown Expressway extension. This property would be used for sanitary landfill purposes. Agree to a revision to the development plan for the sanitary landfill to indicate that sanitary landfill operations will terminate 2,000 feet from Chapman Ranch Road, and that the last trench will be used only during rainy weather when aircraft operations and bird activity are minimal; and to preparation of a development plan for the newly acquired property that will maintain a similar setback from Chapman Ranch Road. This would minimize the potential conflict between birds and aircraft. - Give priority to acquiring the property in the clear zone off the end of runway 17 at Cabaniss Field. This is the property which includes the pond that that is attractive to seagulls. The pond could then be drained, thereby lessening the bird problem. This property is in the acquisition plan for airfield protection, and this action would be to raise the priority so that it could be acquired in the near future. Authorize the staff to prepare a request for proposals to be considered by the City Council for development of a resource recovery operation with two basic guidelines: # - That the City's financial obligation to such a project should not increase the City's costs for solid waste disposal. - That the City retain the flexibility to use its sanitary landfills as necessary. Authorize the staff to begin to look for a tract of rural land to be acquired for long range planning for solid waste disposal. Acquiring such property before urban development encroaches on it will result in a lower purchase price and in a more orderly development of neighboring uses. The question of when the City would actually need to begin to use such a site may depend on resource recovery technology - 4 - � w and economics, population growth and other factors which are difficult to predict. But it is just a matter of time. Sell or trade two existing surplus parcels owned by the City which were acquired for sanitary landfill purposes. One of these is the old Carbon Plant site located north of the Westside sanitary landfill. This tract is not suitable for sanitary landfill purposes because of its low elevation and undesirable soil characteristics. The other property is located at the corner of Yorktown Road and Rodd Field Road. It is unuseable for sanitary landfill because of undesirable soil characteristics and high water table. The proceeds from the sale of these properties would be used to acquire additional property for solid waste disposal as outlined above. This report is the result of research, study, meetings and conferences with representatives of the Navy and the consulting engineer, and the work of the following staff: BH:nr Cefe Valenzuela, Sanitation Superintendent Lonnie Dearman, Disposal Supervisor Jerry Smith, City Engineer Carl Crull, Design Engineer Larry Wenger, Director of Planning Gary Dumas, former City Planner Bob Heil, Budget Office Administrative Assistant BWle eg �` Assistant City Mana - 5 - -ARM LAND PROPOSED --.<, �A v PRELIMIN R BORINGS (7 Each) CHEMICAL WASTE MANAGEMEN PF PF Ll INARY 8 INGS Each) MAINAGEMEN PROPERTY- OWNERS t WEST- LICHT EN ST EIN NORTH - NEM EC SOUTH - YOC U M PRORYSED 'RESIDENTIAL im CORPUS CHRISTI SbEl " LID WASTE E PARTMENT �&JL p— DISPATCH 7 A I C U Z ZONES A, FF CA 6 AN IS$ N4VAL AUXILI-A' L . No,.N G F Z-75- . 46 Al CUZ-__), 'f^ AI CC X. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS It appears that from all information gathered and reviewed, landfill expansion in the immediate area of the existing Elliott Land- fill is the most practical alternative for the City to take. Land availability will play a key role in this overall process, and the ac- quisition of options to purchase, pending issuance of a permit, should be kept in mind. It is the recommendation of this report that the three sites be pursued for acquisition in the following priority, noting the accompanying notes and justifications: PRIORITY ONE: "South" Site This site has the greatest potential to serve the City's needs for the two major reasons: 1) Soil Suitability and, (2) Adjacent Land Use. Ground water may pose a slightly more serious problem than the Elliott site, but soil conditions should lend themselves favorably toward solving this problem. The estimated size of this site is very near the 15 -year requirement shown on the Capacity Estimates chart and -_its common boundary with the Elliott site could possibly be used without buffer zones. NAS Corpus may have some concerns for this site, but the bird problem at this site should be smaller than at the "north" site. The bird problem should actually be smaller than at the pr.�sent Elliott site because of the orientation of runways at Cabaniss. Ultimate use of the Elliott site may be enhanced by the ultimate use of this "south" site after completion. Water system master planning will require revi- sion, as well as the urban transportation plan, and the drainage plan, but these revisions are obtainable and reasonable and should not negate the use of this site. Av- raov•, - '113 " 6KE7tPT F24r'7 evvxwd7wvTt1 feepole 19 `�unter c.Qeeociatee • PRIORITY TWO - "North" Site - This site has excellent soil suitability characteristics and a common boundary with the Elliott site makes it very attractive. However, the AICUZ zones proposed by the City and the Navy could severely restrict use of the eastern end of the site. The bird strike problem would be maximized at this location, however, when considering runway orientation. The proximity to development along Saratoga would also be a detriment in the future. A revision in the drainage masterplan and urban transportation plan would both be required, but these revisions are not anticipated to be unsurmountable obstacles. PRIORITY THREE - "West" Site - The west site provides the least amount of drainage con- cerns related to the drainage master plan., No revisions would be re- quired in that plan, but careful planning would be required along the 100 -year flood plain on Channel No. 16 which borders the Westside Sewage Treatment Plant. The- urban transportation plan would also require a revision, but no changes would be necessary to the Water and Sewerage Master Plans. Adjacent land uses are at present not in con- flict, but this site is near potential new residential development to the north. The site is bounded on the east by the Westside STP, on the south by farmland which extends to Oso Creek, on the west by farmland, and on the north by Saratoga Blvd. and the new residential development. This site could provide a suitable landfill development plan, given small opposition and issuance of a permit. Soil suitability is less than the other two sites because of permeable zones at shallower depths. 20 `�unter c�eeaciatee C ON S U L T I NO ! NO I N!! 5 The south site is recommended as the City's choice for expansion. The majority of the site is acceptable, pending site development and final soils testing. T M 21 `Ijwtter c4aaociatee CONSULTING ENGINEERS