Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, December 17, 1993 TAG: 9312170195
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JOEL TURNER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
The Roanoke Valley's trash train won't begin operating until late January, two months after the previous target date.
The train can't run because construction on the new landfill at Smith Gap in western Roanoke County is not finished.
Work has slowed on the landfill liner because of recent rain. Drainage facilities and protective layers above the liner are being installed.
"Weather is a major concern at this time," said John Hubbard, chief executive officer of the Roanoke Valley Resource Authority.
The Waste Line Express made its inaugural run this month, using passenger cars to take 300 government officials and other guests on a tour of the landfill and to see how the train will operate.
Hubbard had hoped the train could have begun running by early December, but the projected starting date has been pushed back. No firm date has been set.
Hubbard said Thursday that the pump station and leachate tank to collect runoff at the landfill are under construction. The transfer station on Hollins Road in Roanoke is almost finished.
The rail spur to the landfill is virtually complete, with only a few minor items unfinished. Most of the equipment is ready for delivery at the authority's request.
Meanwhile, consultants are preparing to close the old landfill off the Blue Ridge Parkway in southeast Roanoke County.
The cost to close the landfill according to state regulations might be less than the earlier estimate of $5 million to $7 million.
The state has guidelines for closing landfills to make sure they don't pollute.
Hubbard said the earlier estimate was based on closing all 70 acres in the old landfill. But only 34 acres will have to comply with the new regulations, he said, because the areas closed before 1988 will not have to meet them.
When the landfill is closed, part of the property will be used for the Explore Park and the proposed Roanoke River Parkway.
Hubbard said an initial meeting to discuss the closing plan has been held with representatives from Explore, the Blue Ridge Parkway, the National Park Service and the Virginia Department of Transportation.
Also Thursday, the authority received $10,000 from the Junior League of Roanoke Valley to help pay for a household hazardous-waste collection day on May 7. The league sponsored the first such collection in the spring of 1992.
Hubbard said a private company will be hired to dispose of the hazardous materials. The resource authority also will help finance and sponsor the collection.
by CNB