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Montezuma County Landfill May Receive Upgrades

Austin Cope
/
KSJD

Montezuma County Landfill manager Shak Powers talked trash at Monday’s county commission meeting, delivering potential good news on two fronts. Powers unveiled a plan to redesign the landfill with deeper cells and an improved drainage system that – if approved by  the state – could extend the landfill’s life by two decades and save an estimated $19 million. Commissioner Keenan Ertel, who made the successful motion to pursue the plan, said it sounded like a “no-brainer.” Powers also proposed an alternate system to cover each day’s accumulation of trash other than the state-required six-inch layer of soil. He said a spray mixture of water and clay called Posi-Shell would require less fuel, labor and material, and would extend the life of the cells. Ertel said he would like to see money for the necessary equipment in next year’s budget.

-- David Long contributed to this report.

Gail Binkly is a career journalist who has worked for the Colorado Springs Gazette and Cortez Journal, and was the editor of the Four Corners Free Press, based in Cortez.
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