DEL NORTE— Rio Grande County Commissioners opened their monthly manager’s meeting on the morning of May 17. The purpose of the meetings are to receive updates from department managers throughout the entire county, delegate tasks to specific departments and notify managers of upcoming events and trainings. During this meeting, commissioners listened to an update from the San Luis Valley landfill manager which included a brief history of the department.
Landfill Manager Jim Clare opened his presentation to fellow department managers and commissioners with a short history of the San Luis Valley Regional Solid Waste Authority (SLVRSWA). The organization was the result of an intergovernmental agreement (IGA) between Alamosa and Rio Grande County who funded the project and oversees the current facilities in both counties. The IGA was created in 1993 and prompted the closing of 32 solid waste sites throughout the Valley and became the main dumping site for all six counties within the Valley by 1995.
According to the report provided by Clare, it states that the facility is one of the cleanest and most efficient sites in the entire region, and during a recent state inspection, received a 100 percent score. The facility runs solely on fees collected at the gate and does not receive any funding from either Alamosa or Rio Grande County. The landfill runs on high state standards in order to maintain the operations under state regulations and compliance standards. “We do not receive any funding from any form of government, grants or any of the San Luis Valley counties,” said Clare.
The landfill itself was built and designed to run on a 59-year term, at which time it would be closed and another location would be opened. According to Clare, the facility is using state of the art technology to cover waste under state regulated techniques. One of the main requirements for the facility is to manage air pollution from dust caused by wind and traffic in the actual waste area. Clare and his crew are using a combination of spraying techniques and organic cover to keep this from happening.
Rio Grande County Administrator Roni Wisdom spoke up at the end of the presentation and commended Clare on the work he has been doing. “We appreciate the forward thinking you have implemented and appreciate you for a job well done,” said Wisdom.
Clare continued his presentation by reading through a brief overview of coming projects for the landfill which include recycling efforts and waste tire collection. The facility works with several outside outlets to ensure that as much of the recyclable material brought to the landfill is reused or transported to a recycling plant on the Front Range. One of their recycling efforts includes the collection and redistribution of twine that is brought to the landfill in the bucket loads.
“It finally got to a point that my crew couldn’t even move the trash without getting twine wrapped in our equipment and sometimes even breaking out loaders. Now we have people drop the twine off in a specific area and resell the material for additional funding,” explained Clare.
Clare also explained that this landfill is only one of very few in the state that are registered to collect tires and dispose of the material which consists of shredding, balling or hauling off the material to another location. According to the handout provided by Clare, the facility is only able to hold as many as 7,500 tires at any given time before some type of disposal procedure must take place.
Clare ended his presentation by inviting the commissioners and his fellow department managers to the landfill for a tour of the facility on any given day. He also reminded everyone of the Make a Difference Day that will take place in the fall where the facility accepts canned goods as payment for free waste disposal. The event is held in partnership with the Baer Family and Monte Vista Food Bank. For more information and specific dates for the Make a Difference Day, please visit www.slvlandfill.com.