(File photo/northeastNOW Staff)

By Cam Lee

Landfill decommissioning

Work to decommission Melfort landfill underway after project receives government approval

Oct 8, 2024 | 10:54 AM

The City of Melfort has received approval for the decommissioning of the landfill.

It was announced at Monday’s council meeting that Melfort received the official permit to construct from the Ministry of Environment.

City Manager Adam Homes told northeastNOW said getting approval was the final step they needed before construction could begin.

“We’re very happy, the contractor is on site, the work is beginning,” Homes said.

Many municipalities across the province have been forced to decommission their landfills as they do not meet provincial regulations that came into effect a few years back. Some communities were able to salvage part of their existing landfill, but Homes said the entire landfill in Melfort needs to be replaced.

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To start the process, Homes said they’re constructing an engineered landfill.

“That’s basically a compacted soil clay liner and also what we call a leachate collection system, so we make sure that nothing gets into the groundwater. We collect that and we treat it and release it.”

Like most communities, Melfort was forced to borrow money to pay for the decommissioning. The city passed a bylaw this summer that allows them to borrow up to $6 million to spend on the project.

Work on the landfill replacement is expected to continue through December and start back up in the spring.

The final meeting for the current council in Melfort will be held Nov. 4, with the municipal election Nov. 13.

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Cam.lee@pattisonmedia.com

On X: @northeastNOW_SK