Expansion could add 50 years to landfill’s life

The current plans to expand the Saskatoon landfill represent the last expansion possible using land currently owned by the city.

City council heard that the end for the landfill is in sight — although the cell expansion being planned could last up to 50 years.

Council was informed about the landfill’s approaching end during a discussion of the project to expand it and transform the area into a waste-diversion facility called Recovery Park.

The cost of the Recovery Park project has increased from the $24.3 million that had been approved by council to $31.1 million, largely because the costs for expanding the landfill have risen.

“With the expansion onto the surrounding sites, it is something we’ve looked at,” Russ Munro, the city’s director of water and waste stream operations, told council.

“There’s a Transgas line under there. There’s some Saskpower infrastructure as well as a number of other things that make it difficult. And the setback both from the right-of-ways (roads) as well as the civic operations centre significantly limit the ability to expand around that site.”

Munro said in an interview that while the cell expansion would be the final one on the current site, the cell could last as long as 50 years.

Council heard that delaying landfill expansion beyond 2022 would put the project at risk.

Coun. Darren Hill asked for more information about the cost of expanding the landfill beyond the lands currently owned by the city. He said he would seek that information without deferring approval of the project after council heard delaying the project could mean losing one construction season.

Hill suggested the cost of further expansion could be lower than what has been cited, but Munro stuck by estimates that deemed expansion cost prohibitive.

Council moved forward with an option for landfill expansion and Recovery Park that would include most of the components originally proposed for the latter.

The administration will come up with a funding plan for the $31.1-million combined project.

Coun. Troy Davies and Hill voted against the proposal.

There’s a Transgas line under there. There’s some Saskpower infrastructure as well as a number of other things that make it difficult.