Landfill Presentation to Be Held Tonight

The first in-depth presentation of proposed "western expansion" plan will be made to Lower Saucon Township Council tonight at 7pm.

Although the public meeting is a regularly scheduled council meeting, it will be held in the  cafeteria in order to accommodate what is expected to be a larger-than-normal attendance.

who live within a one-mile radius of the Applebutter Road facility, as well as to some residents who live further away.

At the township planning commission's Jan. 19 meeting, the manager of the landfill, Sam Donato, revealed that the expansion could extend the operational capability of the facility by 12 to 16 years, although he said that figure is "not pinned down at this point."

As of Jan. 12, 2012, Donato said it would be approximately 4.1 years until the landfill would be at capacity.

The township's consultant to IESI, Jim Birdsall, noted at the planning meeting that a number of township residents are "concerned about truck traffic" to and from the landfill.

Donato said that a traffic study related to some of those concerns is ongoing, and that he would not have information to share until it was wrapped up.

Also at the meeting, a resident of Applebutter Road, Harry Gerstenberg, told representatives from IESI and members of the planning commission that he is concerned about how the landfill's expansion could affect drainage on his property.

"The one big concern that I'm after...is the ponds that (the landfill) is going to put right where the power lines run up, because I sit right under there," he said. "Connectiv had put the power plant in, put in a sediment pond, and it overexceeded. Flooded me out."

"I don't want to be flooded out again because of someone's expansion to wealth," he added. "I just want to make sure it's documented that I did speak my piece."

Since the meeting will be held in the cafeteria, attendees should park in the student parking lot off Polk Valley Road and enter the school through door #21.