Baldwin County commissioners in Alabama voted 3-1 on October 20 to authorise the use of county landfills to dispose of some Hurricane Isaias construction and demolition debris from Escambia County, Florida, the Fairhope Times reported from the commission meeting.
Source: Fairhope Times
Solid Waste Director Terri Graham told commissioners that Escambia representatives had asked to send up to 500,000 cubic yards of debris, but that Baldwin County's current landfill permits from the Alabama Department of Environmental Management do not allow out-of-state debris. An emergency declaration by the Waste Siting Board, together with the commission's approval, would still need final ADEM approval, and the Solid Waste Authority would then have to meet to make arrangements with Escambia County.
Why Florida needs the space
Graham said she was told Escambia's own landfills are nearly full already, while Baldwin County's landfills have many years of capacity left. Special handling fees would be charged to cover the cost of the additional work for her staff, she added. Commissioner McKenzie was the no vote, saying he still did not understand why Escambia could not find a way to dispose of the debris somewhere in Florida.
The scale of the cleanup explains the request. Escambia County has said its debris collection would take time due to the magnitude of the storm damage, with collection for storm-generated debris only, placed on the public right-of-way, according to the county's own notice on MyEscambia.com.
Source: Escambia County / MyEscambia.com
Escambia County released a preliminary estimate of about $64 million in public damage and recovery costs, with debris removal accounting for the vast majority — about $54.87 million — according to The Florida Press. Santa Rosa County estimated about 1.7 million cubic yards of vegetative debris, and WEAR-TV reported Escambia's cleanup is expected to take up to four months with multiple rounds of collection.
Source: The Florida Press
The 3-1 vote alone does not move any debris. The Waste Siting Board must make an emergency declaration, ADEM must give final approval, and the Baldwin County Solid Waste Authority must then agree arrangements directly with Escambia County.
Hurricane Isaias made landfall near Destin as a Category 2 storm, and recovery work across the western Florida Panhandle — power restoration, boil-water notices and debris removal — is still under way, with counties compiling damage figures that will feed Florida's case for further federal aid.