The current 55 acre Waste Management's landfill will close on October 14th. This means they can no longer apply for an expansion since their dump will be closed.

They are likely to submit an application to the county for a 300 acre dump next spring. It will have to be for a new facility. There is no reason they cannot find a different site which is more hydro-
geologically suited for landfills and away from the river per the Illinois Geological Survey recommendation.

In discussing this with Mr. Addleman of Waste Management, he was less than enthused, because he said it is less costly for them to build a new landfill next to the closed landfill because they have to monitor the old landfill for 30 years in the post closure period. Being next to the old one would cost Waste Management less money. Who cares?

The long run cost to the residents of the county is being subordinated to the short run profits of Waste Management. We know the new landfill will leak and the toxic leachate will contaminate our water supply because all landfills leak.

Since Waste Management is unwilling to locate to a portion of the county where a garbage dump would be less threatening to our water supply, I urge the County Board to go out to bid and to stipulate in the request forbid that no bid for a new dump will be considered if it is not to be situated on property which is judged to be suitable for land filling by both the Illinois State Geological Survey and The Illinois State Water Survey. Both of these organizations say the safest place in the county is the south/west portion. This is for many reasons including a thick layer of clay protecting a deep aquifer and much farther away from the river.

It is time to put the county in the driver’s seat on landfill issues. If the county is going to site a landfill, they must locate it where the best possible natural barriers to leeks are and away from the immediate water shed of the river. This is the responsible thing to do. The county already has a very high cancer rate. Why risk making it even worst?

Please send letters to Bill Olthoff, Chairman of the County Planning and Zoning committee and to Karl Kruse, County Board Chairman. Their county address is 189 East Court Street, Kankakee, IL. 60901. Ask them to do the right thing for county residents by going to bid for any new landfill they are planning and requesting it to be located where the best possible natural barriers to leaks are per the Illinois Geological Survey and Illinois State Water Survey which is the south/west corner of the county.

Our form of government works best when citizens get involved and stand up to be counted.