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Fergus Falls Landfill Facility Permitting and Design

Houston Engineering Project
Fergus Falls Landfill Facility Permitting and Design

Location:  Fergus Falls, Minnesota
Client:  City of Fergus Falls

Background

The City of Fergus Falls owns and operates a mixed municipal solid waste (MMSW) facility on a 183-acre parcel of land. HEI has been providing consistent professional engineering services for this site for more than 10 years.

The site was operated as a MMSW facility under solid waste permit SW-184 and included a municipal solid waste (MSW) landfill that was closed in the mid-1990s. Before closing the MSW landfill, the City permitted and constructed an ash monofill for their mass burn facility and constructed a transfer station at the MMSW facility. The ash monofill operated from the mid-1990s until the fall of 2006. The City’s construction and demolition landfill operated until August 2010, when final closure activities commenced. Other wastes accepted at the City’s MMSW facility include municipal solid waste (transfer station operation), yard waste (compost operation), brush and tree stumps, white goods, electronics, metal/ferrous, and tires.

With the final closure of the construction and demolition landfill, the waste management activities are being phased out, and the facility permitted under SW-184 will be transitioned to the post-closure status in accordance with the Final Closure Document.

The City’s current waste management operations are being transitioned to the southern portion of the facility and permitted under solid waste permit SW-572. A new construction and demolition landfill has been designed and Phase 1 constructed. A new landfill office was constructed in 2011, as well as a new facility entrance. In addition, a MSW transfer station and yard waste compost area was developed at the new facility as well as a citizen drop-off area for recyclables located adjacent to the landfill office.

The Project

The scope of services under this agreement included:
  • site planning and transitioning under the new permit;
  • permit application assistance at the county and state levels;
  • preparation of design drawings and specifications for the waste storage areas and the construction and demolition debris landfill; and
  • assistance to City staff with compliance issues as specified in the current permit.

Client Benefits

  • Consistent professional engineering services provided to the City of Fergus Falls for permitting, design, and construction administration at the landfill facility for over 10 years.
  • A permit for the expansion area that will provide the City with at least 75 additional years of disposal capacity.
  • Assistance with the administration of financial assurance funds for closure and long-term care at the closed landfill site (facility permitted under SW-184).