By Joyce Blumenshine

At the April 26th, special meeting called for the Peoria City / County Landfill Committee, the announcement was made that an abandoned coal mine was discovered to be located about in the middle of the proposed 2024 expansion construction for the new Peoria municipal landfill. This problem may delay GFL plans to proceed with the contracted new landfill expansion.

The existing city/county landfill area is operated by contract with Waste Management and is expected to reach capacity in 2024. GFL purchased the holdings of Peoria Disposal Company in 2021 and that included the contract for construction and operations of the new City/County landfill and Citizen’s Household Hazardous Waste Convenience Center.

 In 2022, GFL proposed to the Landfill Committee that their construction of the new City/County Landfill be put on hold. GFL wanted to apply for a waste transfer station to take Peoria area waste to their Indian Creek Landfill, located outside of Hopedale, Tazewell County. That landfill is in operation and has a huge expansion area, which would not require the costs of initiating an entirely new landfill construction. The Landfill Committee did not accept that proposal and proceeded with legal action to make it clear to GFL that the company was expected to fulfill its contractual obligations to Peoria City/County.

It was explained at the meeting that mapping of coal mines can be changed as new information is available. The Illinois State Geological Survey added mapping for a newly located historic coal mine record in 2012, which is the problem mine about in the center of the new Peoria City/County landfill expansion site. That mine discovery was after PDC was awarded the contract for the expansion project and no further research had been done into coal mine concerns until recently. More research is being done to assess the situation and whatever adjustments will need to be made.