Rubble Landfill Would Add Nearly 30 Trucks An Hour to Route 3

An average of about 28 trucks per hour would flow onto Route 3 as a result of a proposed rubble landfill operation at the end of Capitol Raceway Road, with about 120 trucks overall operating each weekday, the Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) reports.

The proposed landfill from Tolson & Associates would operate between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m. on weekdays, and Route 3 will likely be the main traffic route for trucks. About 100 of the trucks are classified as “heavy” with another 20 described as “light.”

MDE reported that the trucks would represent a 0.7 percent increase over current traffic conditions, and are thus “not expected to significantly affect the stability of [Route] 3 and connecting arterials.”

The MDE has granted Tolson & Associates preliminary approval to build the rubble landfill in Crofton next to the site of the closed landfill once operated by Cunningham Excavating Company. The operation would occupy 184.25 acres, with a 72.38-acre fill area.

MDE previously rejected plans by Cunningham to expand the footprint of its existing site in 1995, citing concerns over the company’s environmental record. The Tolson landfill would operate on the footprint of that proposed expansion.

An on Tolson’s application for the site will be held on Aug. 18 at 6 p.m. at Crofton Elementary School.

MDE released a draft of the permit for the landfill, as well as a series of fact sheets about the proposed operation. The documents show that the landfill would be bordered on the northeast by the Four Seasons Community, to the Little Patuxent River on the west, to the southeast by Capitol Raceway Park and Evergreen Road, and to the north by the closed Cunningham landfill.

The type of waste that would be accepted at the landfill includes structural steel, cement, bricks, lumber and other construction materials. It would also accept debris from land-clearing operations, including clays, sand, gravel, tree limbs and rock.

A copy of the draft permit also shows that asbestos could be dumped there, provided that it is contained and labeled properly and buried in a dedicated area.

According to MDE, the landfill would operate for between 18 and 19 years, accepting an estimated 5.7 million cubic yards at a rate of 306,000 cubic yards per year.

The documents also show how Tolson plans to address concerns over pollution and noise.

 Pollution

• Rubble landfills can create leachate, or rainwater that collects potentially harmful materials as it permeates into the ground. Tolson said the leachate will be collected in the bottom of the landfill, then pumped into two, double-walled storage tanks above ground. It will then be trucked to a wastewater treatment plant.
• Groundwater on the site has already been monitored for 15 years, MDE said. With Tolson, there will be 29 sampling wells, and results will be sent to MDE for review.
• The landfill will manage stormwater by placing 6 inches of soil on top of the rubble every third day. A two-foot layer of soil would be added after the landfill is filled and before it is capped. The top of waste lifts would be graded to ensure against ponding of rainwater.
• The MDE performed an inspection of the site in 2008 and determined that there were no regulated wetlands areas affected.

Noise

• Maryland law requires that the sound level at the boundary of the site be less than 90 decibels, or the equivalent of a train whistle at 500 feet. MDE said it expects construction equipment will emit noise of about 85 decibels 50 feet from the source, but that the landfill area will be more than 150 feet from the site boundary.