Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

How will the Satilla River be protected from landfill materials?

Six years of planning and extensive science and technical studies have shown the site to be suitable for Coastal Terrace Green Energy Park’s waste storage operation. This will include a modern, lined landfill with an extensive monitoring system. The landfill is constructed to prevent the release or leaching of any materials once they are deposited. The Georgia Environmental Protection Division (EPD) recently found the site meets requirements for a lined and regulated landfill and issued its approval through a site suitability letter. This is a required and necessary step toward the approval of a permit. 

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Because it will be located on a ridge more than two miles from the river, there is no clear pathway for any site surface water runoff to migrate directly to the river. 

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Could trash from the landfill seep into the groundwater below, impacting our drinking water?

No. The landfill will be built above the ground. It will use a two-foot thick clay sub-liner, a high-density polyethylene plastic liner, and a system of rocks and pipes that collect moisture. Pipes and additional soil will be placed over the area before the liner system is constructed. Any liquid reaching these pipes will be monitored and tested.  Groundwater will be continually tested using monitoring wells surrounding the site.

 

How long does a landfill liner last?

More than 100 years. [1] Both the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Georgia Environmental Protection Division allow high-density polyethylene geomembrane liners for municipal solid waste containment as part of a composite liner system that includes two feet of compacted clay liner. Other approved and accepted design features are incorporated into the design of a modern municipal solid waste landfill to complement the containment of waste, leachate, and landfill gas to protect human health and the environment.

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[1] G. Hsuan et al., “Long-term performance and lifetime prediction of geosynthetics.” EuroGeo4 Keynote Paper. (2008).; H. Greenwood et al., “Durability of Geosynthetics.” CUR. (2012); R. Koerner et al., “Geomembrane Lifetime Prediction: Unexposed and Exposed Conditions.” GRI White Paper # 6 (2011).

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What environmental monitoring controls will be in place to make sure the landfill is working as intended?

Environmental monitoring is required for all municipal solid waste (MSW) landfills before the facility ever receives any waste and continues until at least 30 years after the facility is closed.  During this time groundwater underneath the site is monitored at least twice a year and methane gas monitoring is conducted in the soil surrounding the landfill at least four times a year. Surface water discharge locations are inspected frequently and sampled at least twice a year and as necessary after significant rain events. Other areas and control devices of the landfill require daily inspections, recordkeeping, and reporting, which may include, but are not limited to, the following: sediment ponds, landfill slopes, drainage ditches, roads, manholes, leachate storage tanks and other supporting infrastructure.  The detailed design of the facility’s environmental monitoring program is currently underway and will be subject to review and approval by Georgia EPD.

 

How will odor be controlled?

To ensure fresh air quality, a minimum of six inches of soil will be applied every day. With strong protective measures in place, the landfill will not affect nearby homes, businesses, or schools. The facility will be required by state and federal authorities to implement air quality control measures and conduct monitoring on a routine basis.

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Will coal ash be deposited at the landfill?

No. We will not accept coal ash, fly ash, untreated medical waste, or hazardous materials.

 

Why hasn’t it been built yet?

After encouraging the Brantley County Development Partners to purchase property in East Brantley County and promising they would work in partnership on the planned landfill, the Brantley County Board of Commissioners later “changed its mind”– after the partners had invested significant private funds to purchase the property and conduct extensive engineering studies.

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Before back-tracking, the Commission voted twice to approve the project, confirming the landfill meets the county’s requirements.

 

Why did the investors file a lawsuit?

Brantley County’s failure to honor its obligations to the project that it initiated and confirmed through two letters to the EPD left the investors (Brantley County Development Partners {BCDP}) with no option other than to pursue legal relief for the costs it has incurred.

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BCDP filed a lawsuit against Brantley County asking for repayment of the substantial funds it has already spent on the county-approved project and just compensation and damages for the violation of BDCP’s constitutional right to develop a solid waste facility. The Commission responded by hiring an Atlanta law firm to help it back out of its own deal.

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In 2021, a court order granted the Brantley County Development Partners motion against Brantley County.

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Who are the investors?

We are a small group of investors and friends who come from south Georgia, the Macon area, and the northern part of our state. Our backgrounds, education, and skills are different while complementary and make us, as a whole, qualified to manage Coastal Terrace Green Energy Park responsibly and professionally.

                 

Our group’s experience includes:

• landfill development and operation

• commercial development

• industrial/commercial transportation

• manufacturing

• legal services

 

We take our commitments to family, community, and church very seriously. This philosophy will extend to our pledge to manage the Coastal Terrace Green Energy Park operations in a way that will benefit people in Brantley County. We will be good stewards of our property and earn your trust.

 

How will the waste be converted into green energy?

The process is called “thermal conversion.” During the past six years, Coastal Terrace has invested substantial time and money in research and development, third-party testing, lab analysis, and due diligence—all for the purpose of designing a modern landfill with the capacity to recycle a large percentage of its municipal solid waste stream.

 

All incoming materials will be sorted into waste, recyclable solids, and materials that can be converted to fuels and other specialty outputs, such as ethanol, diesel, heating oils, fuels for cargo ships, methane, and char, or “carbon,” that can be used as filters in wastewater treatment plants, soil treatment for farming, filaments for 3D printers and many other purposes. Some of these fuels will be used on-site to produce electricity for the local grid. This energy park’s multi-functionality will bring over 100 much-needed jobs to our community.

 

What are the next steps in building the industrial park?

On May 9, 2022, EPD issued a permit that will allow the construction of the landfill to begin.  The next step will be to accept taking bids from contractors.  Construction is expected to begin in 2022.

 

Will the public have a chance to ask questions or comment on the permit?

A public hearing was held on March 3, 2022 to take public comments on the permit, and public comments were recorded. 

 

Prior to that, in 2020, the Brantley County Development Partners participated in the EPD-required Facility Issues Negotiation Process, attending five meetings with a citizens committee and the Brantley County Board of Commissioners.  This process was an opportunity for the public to offer feedback.  A written agreement was not reached.  However, the Partners committed to voluntary, substantive measures that are now part of the facility's EPD-approved design and operation plan.

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On January 16, 2021, the Brantley County Board of Commissioners held a public hearing for anyone who was not a member of the Facility Issues Negotiation Process.  Public comments were recorded.

 

Where will the entrance be? How will you make sure the traffic to and from the site from Highway 82 is as safe as possible?

Coastal Terrace will work with Georgia DOT to coordinate a safe means of ingress and egress along Highway 82 such as new acceleration lanes, deceleration lanes, turn lanes, signage, and lighting as necessary.

 

Will truck traffic go past the school? How many trucks will come and go every day?

The majority of truck traffic will be along Highway 82. Truck traffic in front of Waynesville Elementary School is anticipated to have no increase because of the current garbage collection routes in this neighborhood.

 

What kinds of skills will new jobs require?

We will be hiring people to fill a number of jobs that require different skills during the construction and operational phases. New employees will be trained. Examples of the types of jobs that will be filled are: machinist, welder, truck driver, electrician, administrative, scale house operator, landfill manager, landfill operator, spotters, laborer, mechanic, bookkeeper, maintenance worker, etc.

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Would a hurricane pose a danger to a landfill built above-ground?

No. The site is outside of the storm surge area of a Category 5 hurricane and at an elevation of  68-to-73 ft. mean sea level. The landfill will be designed to withstand hurricane-force winds. Ponds that will be constructed on-site will capture any stormwater from significant storm events. The facility will be required to restrict the unloading of waste to only a small portion of the landfill (typically 100 ft. X 100 ft.), and then to cover any exposed waste with soil daily. Once that soil-covered area has been undisturbed for more than 14 days (which usually means that particular area of the landfill has been filled), it will be grassed over. This stabilizes the landfill and prevents erosion and sedimentation. A 200-ft. green buffer will surround the facility. Within that vegetated perimeter, tall trash fences will be built as necessary around the part of the landfill where waste is being deposited. Routine policing of scattered debris will control blown litter at the site. Whenever the threat of severe weather is forecasted in the area, facility staff will implement a site storm protocol. If a hurricane or tropical storm is expected:

• the waste will be covered with soil to keep all litter on-site;

• the facility will be closed to customers and all work will cease until the storm threat is over;

• while the facility is closed, trained employees will check the site for storm damage.

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How will the landfill help the coastal area deal with debris caused by severe storms?

Because the site is outside of the hurricane surge area, it will be able to provide an essential service in the aftermath of hurricanes and severe storms, when storm-caused debris piles up. Photos of rotting debris taken after the last hurricane illustrate the need for more storm debris capacity in the coastal region outside of the hurricane surge area. The additional storm debris capacity that will be provided by the landfill at Coastal Terrace will reduce the strain on other landfills in the region. The construction of a modern, regulated landfill will not only increase needed capacity in the region, it will make waste disposal a more competitive business, driving down costs charged by the industry.