Plans to create a 4-acre solar array in Portland are forcing city officials to address longstanding issues at its closed landfill off Ocean Avenue. The city is looking to install more than 2,800 solar panels on the closed landfill by the end of the year so it can take advantage of higher rates paid for electricity from solar projects. Changes to so-called net metering rules will begin ratcheting down rates for solar energy beginning next year.
But before it can install the solar panels, the city must fix the landfill cover, which has settled over the years and been compromised by recreational use, lack of maintenance and erosion. The city must also install vents to address methane gas that is collecting underneath the landfill cover.
Several landfill neighbors, including Copley Woods Circle residents Sara Scola and Kim Rich, have been showing up at City Council meetings to urge the city to fully address the issue. They have expressed concern that the city would rush the mitigation work because of the solar project.
Last Monday, they reiterated their concerns during a public comment period.
“This site has been neglected. The maintenance plan has not been implemented,” said Scola, who has been following the issue since 2008. She noted that the city hasn’t maintained fences to keep pets and people out of contaminated water.
“I would like to see a more mindful approach of taking care of this site,” Scola said.
Rich, who is running for City Council, said there are areas where burrowing animals have created deep holes in the ground. “The common perception is that the city is doing right by us – that the city is taking care of us,” Rich said during an interview at the landfill last week.
City Manager Jon Jennings responded during the meeting last Monday by acknowledging that the city has not been meeting its obligations at the landfill, but now planned to do so.
“We are taking this very seriously,” Jennings said. “In terms of timelines and so forth for the solar project, that’s obviously important, but making sure this landfill is fully capped for the foreseeable future is a priority of the city.”
To read the full story, visit http://www.pressherald.com/2017/08/28/solar-project-forces-city-to-tackle-longstanding-issues-at-closed-landfill/.