A lack of manpower at the state level is costing the city of Bowling Green thousands of dollars each year.

The Kentucky Energy and Environmental Cabinet is responsible for giving the final OK when it comes to closing landfills. After closure, landfills usually generate little to no cost because the state feels there is no longer a need for vigilant monitoring or capital improvements.

In 2002, the state had an additional 628 dumps thrust onto its rolls for closure inspection, a result of Kentucky House Bill 174, which made the EEC responsible for overseeing historic landfills.

The bill imposes a $1.75 per ton surcharge on solid waste to help clean up older landfills, but the process is slow going.

“We’ve been able to identify in the ballpark of 600 of these historic landfills across the state. We’ve only had the funds to address on the order of 40 to 50,” said Ron Gruzesky, manager of the Kentucky Division of Waste Management, which is run by the EEC. “It’s going to be awhile.”

The news is even worse for cities that properly closed their old landfills. Gruzesky said because of the size of his division, he’s had to create a priority list, starting with the landfills that have the biggest problems.

“If you are a landfill that’s done a pretty good job and has a pretty good cover in place and just a few little problems, it is probably going to be decades,” Gruzesky said.

Enter Bowling Green.

Bowling Green is responsible for two historic landfills waiting for the final word from the state – one on Glen Lily Road and one in Butler County, which is a vestige of when the city operated its own trash removal system.

Glen Lily stopped receiving garbage in 1981 under the Kentucky’s Superfund program – a program intended to clean up toxic sites around the state. The Superfund program then handed the landfill back to the city in 1997.

Since then, there have been two inspections performed by the state, both of which had no major findings. The city has applied for a closure application but hasn’t heard back from the state. Once the state grants approval, the city still has to maintain the landfill for a two-year closure period.

Butler County has gotten farther along in the process, despite it being closed 11 years after Glen Lily. Prior to closing, the city submitted a closure plan, which was approved by the state in 1996. After filing for and being awarded extensions on the closure, the city completed a three-year care period in 2005.

However, the state has still not granted the final closure permit because of the backlog of work, so the city must continue to monitor and make improvement to the sites.

“We could conceivably have closed the (two) landfills,” said Bowling Green Public Works Director Emmett Wood. He added that the city has to spend money every year on maintenance, but “once they’re closed, the city expense won’t go to zero, but will be substantially less.”

To pay for upkeep of the closed landfills, the city borrowed almost $3 million in 1991 to create the Landfill Closure Special Revenue Fund. After 18 years, the city has just more than $1.36 million remaining in the fund. And it expects to be responsible for the landfills for at least 24 more years, creating a substantial deficit, according to past city audits.

Over the past three fiscal years, the city has spent $122,360 from the fund, and the amount spent each year has decreased.

However, this year could see a reversal in that trend.

For the foreseeable future, the city will be responsible for upkeep of the landfills, including capital improvements to ensure they meet state and federal guidelines.

The most recent action the city has taken is a request for engineering firms to design ways to ensure Glen Lily and Butler County landfills meet their mandates. In the city’s most recent review of the sites, several issues were found that could development into major problems.

Leachate – the liquid formed when water drains through the garbage – is a concern for all landfills. If leachate enters groundwater, it can make it unsafe for use. Both Glen Lily and Butler County have leachate collection systems that appear to be filling the collection tanks at a faster-than-normal rate, according to Tim Slatter, a hydrologist at the public works department.

Bid proposals are coming in and are slated to be opened later this month. Once a design is accepted, the city will then solicit bids for the physical work of the accepted plans.

Having sites ready for closure but lacking any solid date can be frustrating, but Wood said he understands the state is doing the most with the resources it has.

“The state relies on us to continue to take care of business until they get around to closing the landfills. They’re allocating their resources where they have to,” Wood said.

With the Kentucky General Assembly looking to fill an almost $800 million dollar difference to maintain the same level of resources over the next two years, the likelihood of more landfill inspectors is remote.