Comments on: Hundreds Cram Public Hearing To Oppose Conecuh Woods Landfill

By: art

art — Mon, 14 Mar 2011 21:47:03 +0000

yessir i see where you are coming from commonsence, more and more the country is going to be depending on southern farmers to feed our country. the more we can farm and grow, with or without assistance, locally, the better off we will be. all we need to do is look back at the severe “dustbowl” of the thirties to see things can change drastically over just a few short months. some say the huge ogalla aquifer in the plains states will be dry by 2025 at the current withdrawal rate due to irrigation. at any rate we have plenty of fresh clean water, if we can continue to protect it and our land. the independant small farmer is going to make a come back and what better place than this!

By: David Huie Green

David Huie Green — Sun, 13 Mar 2011 01:44:03 +0000

REGARDING:
“With the price of food, has anyone considered FARMING these acres? 1600 acres can produce a lots of food for people to eat. Why not developed the land for food? The Government can contribute equipment for this purpose.”

Do you really think there is a shortage of farmland and farm equipment for food crops? If there were, farmers wouldn’t be raising things other than food, like cotton for example.

You can get about 12 million calories per acre growing corn (45% more growing potatoes) so if you could get all the land into corn, you would produce enough corn to feed about 26,300 people for a year, feeding them nothing but corn (about 38,000 people on potatoes). (assuming 2000 calories per day per person, of course) I’m guessing that’s per crop so you might get quite a bit more from multi-crops in a year.

But you aren’t wanting to feed people, rather to drop the price of food by having THE GOVERNMENT do the farming for us. Yeah,like that’s gonna work. The government’s been paying people to NOT produce food for years. That drives the prices up and insures higher prices for farmers so they don’t go broke. They’ve also insisted on turning corn into auto fuel to buy votes from Iowa farmers.

Regardless, do you really want any government agency in charge of deciding if you have food or not?

Doubting David

By: commonsence

commonsence — Sat, 12 Mar 2011 11:12:11 +0000

With the price of food, has anyone considered FARMING these acres? 1600 acres can produce a lots of food for people to eat. Why not develope the land for food. The Government can contribute equiptment for this purpose. It can be sold to markets, create jobs, redeveloped year after year, cut cost for people in the area who has to eat. Everyone thinks of lining there pockets, instead of lining there stomachs with vegetables something that is life sustaning.
I rest my case.

By: Fred

Fred — Sat, 12 Mar 2011 01:49:55 +0000

Thanks Ian for taking the time to explain how these liners work.
My profession is rebuilding Automotive Transmissions and has been for 35 years.
To properly rebuild today’s Automatic Transmissions, you have to deal with 3 different divisions, precision mechanics, complicated hydraulics and a series of electronics
And also computer diagnostics with the vehicle.
When I explain to a customer what made their Automatic Transmission downfall, some understand, where others have to go to the tear down bench to see what caused the downfall.
A few understand, but after seeing the internal workings of a modern Automatic Transmission, the majority say, I’m glad you know what you’re doing, just fix it.
I have a better understanding of how the liners work after your professional explanation but the point I’m getting to is that many won’t.
Question: Is there a website that you know of, that has a detailed pictorial explanation of how the liners work so that everyone can get a better understanding?

The people of South Alabama and Northwest Florida take a lot of pride in their water streams, right down to a little 2 feet wide branch in a meadow or pasture.
I personally was born and raised about 1/2 mile from Little Escambia Creek near Flomaton, Alabama.
Some of my most cherished childhood memories relate to this cold and clean Creek.
It’s where the children learn to swim, It’s a place to cool off on a hot summer day,
It’s a breath of fresh air, It’s that smile on a 5 year old face when they catch their first fish.
It will be hard to convince the people that these traditions won’t be threatened by this huge Landfill, and they’ll fight it to the bitter end as long as their not convinced.

By: Jim W

Jim W — Fri, 11 Mar 2011 23:19:34 +0000

If the commisioners really want to create jobs and help the enviroment then why don’t they recruit a recycling plant? Something that helps the enviroment and creats real long lasting jobs. Recycling in a huge business and is a win win for all concerned.

By: PolythenePam

PolythenePam — Fri, 11 Mar 2011 21:55:39 +0000

Why don’t they build a trash burner, burn the waste and produce electricity ? I dont want that stuff in the ground. We will drink it later.

By: Jim W

Jim W — Fri, 11 Mar 2011 21:11:15 +0000

@Ian D Peggs all of what you have said may be correct. And, might I add a very good description by you. But the people does not want to have this dump in their back yards. The bottom line here is no the people are speaking and the investors and politicians need to listen. Pretty simple no means no what can I say.
I do appreciate your explanitation that is very good information.

By: Ian D. Peggs

Ian D. Peggs — Fri, 11 Mar 2011 19:26:40 +0000

A note to Fred, and others, about landfill liners, with which I have been involved for almost 30 years – quality assurance, leak location, durability, failure analysis, expert witness work. Well-designed lining systems consist of two high density polyethylene geomembranes (plastic liners) each typically 0.060 in. or 0.080 in. thick. They are impermeable, just as the much thinner liner in your above-ground swimming pool is. After construction, and before waste is placed, they are 100% checked electrically for leaks. When operating, the design is such that the head of leachate (dirty water – garbage juice and incident rain water that penetrates the waste) on the upper liner does not exceed 1 ft. Excess water is removed for treatment. However, should there be a small hole in the upper liner, yes, it will leak, due to the likely water head on top of the liner. However, the lower liner, separated from the upper liner by an in-plane drainage system (sand, gravel, plastic mesh), contains the leakage and drains it to a sump from which it is continuously pumped. Thus, unlike the upper liner, there is no constant hydraulic head on the lower liner. In other words, it does not leak. Leakage will only occur if the small dribble of leaking water coincidentally passes directly over the similar small leak somewhere else in the lower liner. The chances of that happening are miniscule – far less than being injured as you drive or walk to work tomorrow morning. Therefore, while a single upper liner (geomembrane) just might leak, the leachate removal system above the upper liner, the drainage system between the two liners, the lack of a hydraulic head on the lower liner, and the placement of the lower liner on a compacted soil (low permeability) subgrade – in. other words, the engineered lining SYSTEM – does not leak. If Fred wants a permeable liner or lining system, let him be my guest, but I would not want to drink his groundwater.

By: Just An Old Soldier

Just An Old Soldier — Fri, 11 Mar 2011 19:16:19 +0000

For those that think Washington DC is the answer, ask yourself, “How well have they done with the BP oil spill?”

DC has no vested interest in “saving” an area of the country that resoundingly voted against 0bama – and every opportunity to punish is to them a delight.

No hope, just change – for the worse.

By: Jim W

Jim W — Fri, 11 Mar 2011 19:03:28 +0000

@ Bert Hayes it’s good to see your comments here. Stay on as a regular reader and post your comments. It will be interesting to see what you share.
I think a lot of you have read some of my oppisition to this in previous postings. But, as I have said in the past the commisioners who did nothing or voted for it would be out of a job next election. Which is probably very true but in the mean time the harm has been done by allowing them to have their way and not ours. The commissioners will not have only sold out against the will of the majority but the future generations and all habitants in the future.
I truly understand there is a need for dumps to get rid of trash. I understand that gases can be extracted from the dumps. I understand that we have to take ownership and the responsibility of recycling. All these things I understand but I also understand that the dumps if needed that badly could be located else where like on goverment lands in the desrets where it is not a threat to lives. I also understand that the Conecuh County Commissioners had better be ready to take responsibility for their decissions. They need to remember thay have to live in these communities as well and this will not set very well no matter how much money is brought in to them or to the counties or state. Peple have spoken they simply do not want it. What part of “no” do they not understand!!!
Wake up and listen to your voters where you agree with your voters or not is irrelevent they are speaking. The very same people who put you where you are. Remember that!