Landfill worries Henrico residents

Living near the county line has insulated the residents of a western Henrico County neighborhood from the hustle and bustle of nearby Short Pump. But it may also bring them closer to an unwanted mountaintop view.

A proposed expansion of the 623 Landfill by Republic Services Inc. in Goochland County off Ashland Road could bring the construction, debris and demolition dump nearer the county line and just beyond the backyards of homes in Henrico.

Because few homes surround the landfill on the Goochland side, nearby residents in Henrico wonder if Goochland leaders will hear their concerns.

"The worry, frankly, is the Goochland County supervisors won't see beyond county borders to understand the implications it has for us and our children," said Elizabeth Woodward.

Woodward and her family moved into their home on Axe Handle Lane last year, aware that a construction landfill was about a mile to the west, "but an expanded dump is a completely different story," she said.

Andrew M. Condlin, an attorney representing Republic Services, said the company wants to rezone 125 acres adjacent to its dump for a landfill, a borrow area where soil would be removed and a possible quarry. He said the landfill is permitted to receive only waste generated from construction, land clearing and demolition operations, not municipal solid waste such as household garbage.

Condlin said the landfill's plans, which haven't yet been submitted to Goochland, are being reworked as a result of feedback heard at community meeting in October. Changes include not using Kain Road or Axe Handle Lane for landfill, borrow or timbering activities, and providing larger, more effective buffers and protected areas around the property, he said.

But the idea worries Henrico resident Stephen Matthews. When the trees are bare of leaves, he can see the trash mountain and hear equipment noise from his home on Sawdust Drive, where he has lived for 25 years. He and his neighbors are also concerned that a landfill expansion and possible quarry operations could hurt water in their private wells, the nearby Tuckahoe Creek and property values.

Bob Holmes, who lives on Eastbranch Drive, is also worried about fires spreading to the wooded neighborhood, which doesn't have fire hydrants.

"I find it amazing they would propose to put a debris landfill up close to people's homes like that," Holmes said.

The landfill is also near 205 acres off of Kain Road that Henrico recently purchased for $24.4 million. The site, which became controversial after questions were raised about its initial price, is proposed for a high school, park, fire station and fueling and water-storage facilities.

Henrico Board of Supervisors Chairman David A. Kaechele, who represents the area, said he and other county officials have met with their counterparts in Goochland about the landfill's plans.

"They know of our concerns, and we suggested some alternatives of how that land might be better used by Goochland and may be more compatible with our residents," Kaechele said. "We're just going to keep in touch and let them know of our further concerns."

Goochland Supervisor Malvern R. "Rudy" Butler, whose district includes the landfill, said he is interested in the concerns of Henrico officials and residents.

"We will work with the county of Henrico to try to do the best thing for everybody," Butler said. "It is a concern of mine that the people who live on Axe Handle Lane and Kain Road have been there a long time. If anything does happen, they've got to be protected."
Contact Melodie N. Martin at (804) 649-6290 or .