Sweetwater
Sweetwater, TN · Events
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The Daily Times
Alcoa commissioners talk landfill, other infrastructure projects
Alcoa commissioners advanced several landfill expansion projects Tuesday aimed at improving efficiency and easing the strain on the more than 50-year-old facility. The Alcoa/Maryville/Blount County Landfill, located off Long Powers Road in Friendsville, accepts household garbage as well as bulkier waste, including old furniture and construction debris. Household garbage must be disposed of in more tightly regulated Class I cells designed to prevent groundwater contamination. Bulkier waste can be placed in less restrictive Class III and IV cells. Plans to expand the Class III and IV cells were delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, forcing Alcoa Public Works Department officials to use more expensive Class I space for bulky waste. Permits also began to expire or were voided because of changing conditions at the site, prompting the city to pursue multiple expansion projects simultaneously. “One of the issues we had with one of the original plans was that there have been some changes to (the site) that have forced us to go back through some very, very challenging regulatory work,” City Manager Bruce Applegate said. “That’s why, rather than starting over from scratch each time, we’re trying to get all these other pieces going at the same time so