Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, February 9, 1992 TAG: 9202070043
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-2 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE:
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
WASTE INCINERATOR AT ARSENAL: PRO
Congratulations to Cathryn McCue for her excellent, informative feature article, "A Burning Issue" on Feb. 1. At long last solid-waste topics have warranted the front page.It is urgent that "waste-to-energy" incineration has public discussion immediately. If [Montgomery] county decides to join Roanoke County in the Smith Gap Landfill (deadline for that decision is March 23), the "waste-to-energy" alternative is dead until 2062, when Roanoke County anticipates Smith Gap will be full.
In response to the solid-waste question on my annual public opinion poll, the League of Women Voters asked five excellent questions regarding "waste-to-energy" incineration. I have asked Lt. Col. Dennis Duplantier, plant commander of the arsenal, to respond to the questions. With his permission, his answers follow:
\ Can airborne incinerator emissions be controlled cost effectively?:
Yes. Based on the best available data, and discussions with experts in the field of incineration, airborne emissions can be controlled cost-effectively using existing technology. When comparing life-cycle costs over a 20- to 30-year time frame, the Incinerator 2000 tipping fee can be locked in at the $65-$85-per-ton range for bond repayment, while lined landfill costs are projected to gradually climb to upward of $180 per ton by the year 2020.
\ Will the incinerator ash be toxic? If so, how will it be handled?:
Whether or not the incinerator ash would be toxic would have to be determined by studies and testing.
It should be noted that Radford Army Ammunition Plant's contribution to the waste stream in the New River Valley would be only about 5 percent of the total and only a portion of that would be classified as propellant scrap.
If the ash from Incinerator 2000 were to be declared hazardous, it would be landfilled in strict accordance with Resource Conservation and Recovery Act rules in effect at that time. If non-hazardous, the ash would be placed in a landfill in accordance with present standard practices for existing municipal solid waste incinerators.
\ Can the New River Valley alone consistently generate a large enough stream of waste to fuel a power generating plant?:
Yes. The best estimate of the New River Valley waste stream (including the arsenal) is 400 tons per day, which is a projected amount accounting for waste reduction, recycling and area growth. This amount is in the range for a "waste-to-energy" incinerator to be cost-effective. In general, the larger an incinerator, the more cost-effective it becomes.
\ Is incineration consistent with source reduction and resource recovery goals?:
Yes. It is anticipated that the proposed Incinerator 2000 would have front-end recycling capability, with possible follow-on projects to recycle the ash into usable building materials such as blocks or roadbed materials. In regard to front-end recycling, this would provide a central recycling point for the New River Valley in helping meet the 25 percent state-mandated reduction requirement.
\ Is regional cooperation a realistic expectation?:
Yes. If properly presented in a public awareness effort, the general populace would see the logic in incineration versus landfilling. Refer to the response to question one regarding tipping fees: $65 to $85 per ton versus $180 per ton.
It is our opinion that the majority of New River Valley voters would like to see regional cooperation regarding this project or any waste management plan. Therefore, it appears that it is really up to the New River Valley governing bodies.\ James Moore, County supervisor, District A Blacksburg
Editor's note: Duplantier's estimate of a $65 to $85 per ton fee for the proposed incinerator depends on the year of construction. Last week's Current reported a $66 fee for localities if the incinerator is built in 1994. But arsenal officials acknowledge the project likely wouldn't be built until at least 2000, pushing the fee toward $85.
Also in his replies to Moore, Duplantier says the cost of burying garbage in landfills will rise to $180 per ton by the year 2020. His information is based on a specific study for a waste-to-energy incinerator in Gaston County, N.
Jeff Crate, with the Blacksburg engineering firm of Draper Aden Associates, has compared tipping fees in Virginia, North Carolina and Tennessee. He said fees in Virginia will range from $35 to $60 in the next few years. With an annual inflation rate of 4.5 percent, the cost could rise to between $131 and $225 per ton.
Montgomery County now charges $26 per ton and the New River Resource Authority - covering Pulaski County and Radford - charges $45 per ton. Floyd and Giles counties have no tipping fee, but absorb the cost of solid-waste disposal in their operation budgets at an annual cost of $350,000 and $450,000, respectively.