Renton Landfill Closing

-- RENTON

Long tangled in disputes and litigation, the closure of the Mount Olivet landfill in Renton probably will begin this spring, said Jim Colt, president of American Memorial Services.

Closure will begin, he said, even if disputes remain between AMS, which owns the site, and Fiorillo Northwest, the landfill's former operator.

Fiorillo stopped operating the landfill last November. Vice President John McKenna said Fiorillo has no more obligations at Mount Olivet, but Colt said a recent court decision may require more action by Fiorillo.

City officials have been concerned about the construction and land-clearing-debris landfill, which sits on a bluff above the aquifer that provides Renton's drinking water.

Recent groundwater tests have shown low levels of bacterial contamination in a small aquifer above the city's main aquifer; more testing is under way to determine if the contamination is from the 10-acre landfill.

"It's kind of a first checkpoint," said Wallace Swofford, in charge of solid waste for King County technical support. "If some contamination were determined, there'd still be an opportunity to do some remediation."

There is not believed to be any contamination of the aquifer that supplies drinking water.

A final closure plan for the landfill has not yet been drafted, said Colt, but engineers have been working closely with King County on the plan.

Operation and closure of the landfill have been caught up in a long series of disputes between the county, the city, AMS and Fiorillo Northwest.

At the heart of the disputes is the fact that debris in the landfill was piled up to an elevation of 335 feet, although the city permit for the site specified it could reach only 310 feet. AMS and Fiorillo argued that modified plans filed with the county took precedence and allowed the added height, but Superior Court Judge James Noe ruled against them.

AMS and Fiorillo also have wrangled over responsibility for the site and its permits. In November, Fiorillo stopped operating the landfill, leaving it in the hands of AMS.

McKenna said the latest court decision frees him of any responsibilty. "The judge says I can leave," he said.

Colt, however, read the decision differently. "Off the top of my head, it sounds like they may have to bring it into compliance before they can abandon the site," Colt said.

That would mean lowering the landfill to 310 feet or gaining permits to allow the increased height.

Colt said he will study the latest decision by Judge Noe.