BOGGS TOWNSHIP – Following the receipt of its permit earlier this week, PA Waste LLC has released details concerning the plans for and expected impact of the construction and operation of the Camp Hope Run Landfill in Boggs Township, Clearfield County.
The application was filed July 3, 2017 and was granted by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) in accordance with the Pennsylvania Solid Waste Management Act and the Municipal Waste Management Regulations.
The proposed landfill will be located approximately seven miles southeast of Clearfield, in Boggs Township, along the west side of state Route 153.
The landfill operations will utilize 845 acres of the 2,071 acres owned by PA Waste, where only 217 lined acres will be for the actual disposal of solid waste with buffer areas designated, according to a company press release.
The site will also utilize advanced “state-of-the-art” artificial liners to protect the environment. The landfill site is considered a brownfield site due to extensive strip-mining operations, which occurred prior to PA Waste acquiring the property, according to the release.
“Brownfield sites are properties that are difficult to redevelop because of pollutants and contaminants, which are already on a property,” the release explained.
“The disposal area will be partially situated within a reclaimed, previously surface coal-mined area. These previously-mined areas are polluting surface water by creating hazardous acid mine drainage and acid rock drainage situations.”
The Camp Hope Run Landfill has been designed to collect, treat, mitigate and eliminate existing acid drainage discharges, according to the release.
Once construction begins for the Camp Hope Run Landfill, the company has projected that over the operating life expectancy of the Camp Hope Run Landfill, there will be a positive economic impact to Boggs Township and surrounding municipalities in the amount of $369,605,000.
The company is expecting to employ approximately 20 full-time landfill employees with an estimated annual payroll of at least $712,000.
Over the operation life expectancy, it’s expecting the gross income of landfill employees to exceed $15,000,000 with appropriate wage taxes flowing to Boggs Township, the Philipsburg-Osceola Area School District and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
Between 15 and 30 full-time and seasonal, tax-paying, employment opportunities are expected to be available for work related to the construction of the landfill, support facilities, closure and post-closure periods, according to the release.
Over the life of the facility, the company is expecting these activities to inject approximately $31,500,000 payroll dollars into the local communities and regional economy of the area.
With the landfill becoming operational, annual property taxes for the PA Waste property are estimated to increase to $255,000, and are broken down as follows: $187,000 for the Philipsburg-Osceola Area School District, $54,000 for Clearfield County and $14,000 for Boggs Township. Over the operating life of the landfill this would be $5,355,000 of tax revenue, according to the release.
Pursuant to the Host Agreement made with Boggs Township, PA Waste will pay a host fee to Boggs Township of $2 per ton for all tonnage delivered to the landfill.
“Based on the estimated 27,000,000-ton capacity of the landfill, host fees to Boggs Township will total approximately $54,000,000 over the operating life of the facility,” the release stated.
“These funds are for the sole and exclusive use of Boggs Township and can be used for any purpose, including public works projects, reducing existing tax burdens on residents, parks and recreation facilities, etc.”