Questions & Answers
Will the Jungo facility accept hazardous waste?
No. The Jungo facility did not seek authority to accept hazardous waste and will not accept hazardous waste. The material proposed for this landfill is Municipal Solid Waste (MSW). MSW is waste that comes from households and businesses. Unlike the Humboldt County Landfill, organics and recyclables will be separated before the MSW is transported to the Jungo site. Although MSW can include tires and asbestos, that material is projected to comprise less than one percent of the incoming material. Tires will be shredded and will not be combustible. Asbestos material will be bagged and sealed as required by Nevada law.
Will the Jungo facility be the largest in Nevada?
No. The Lockwood Landfill in Storey County accepts 6,000 tons per day of waste, which is 50% more than will be transported to Jungo. Apex Landfill in Clark County accepts more than 11,000 tons per day, almost three times greater volume than will be accepted at the Jungo facility.
Why should Humboldt County accept imported waste from other states such as California?
Nevada already imports a considerable amount of out-of-state waste, to the benefit of each Nevada host community. The Lockwood Landfill in Storey County is the disposal site for waste from Sacramento, the Tahoe region and other parts of Northern California. Landfills in other Nevada counties also accept waste from Utah and Arizona. The United States Supreme Court considers waste an article of commerce and has ruled that a state and its public subdivisions cannot prohibit the importation of waste from another state.
Will airborne dust or garbage be blown to Winnemucca?
The Jungo Landfill, located 30 miles west of Winnemucca, will be one of the most modern operating facilities specifically constructed to meet requirements for the containment of odors, unsightliness, debris or other nuisances (NAC 444.686). The open working face on any day is no greater than one (1) acre of land and is covered daily. Pursuant to NAC 444.971, the active area is adequately wetted using on-site well water to prevent particulate releases. Contrary to many beliefs, the prevailing wind in the Desert Valley area is toward the west-southwest, i.e., away from Winnemucca. (Western Region Climate Center; www.worldclimate.com; and Berger, 1995.)
Will the Jungo project harm the local groundwater?
The groundwater basin underlying the Jungo project is not connected to Winnemucca, the Humboldt River or Rye Patch Reservoir. Further, protecting ground and surface water is one the most important undertakings of the State when evaluating the proposed project. During the design, planning and operating stages, Recology has taken appropriate scientifically-sound precautions to safeguard Nevada's surface and groundwater. The Jungo site will have a state-of-the-art engineered containment system and liner equal to or exceeding standards that are currently used by waste disposal and mining industries as well as municipal sewer systems. This system is designed to limit leachate build-up to only a fraction of an inch and prevent the migration of leachate and gases.
Will garbage be lost during transport and blown across the desert?
No. The Jungo site will only receive municipal waste material delivered by rail in steel sealed waste containers. Each sealed container will be off loaded to waiting transfer trucks. By truck, the sealed containers will be moved to an active face, tipped, opened, emptied and returned for reloading onto the train. The material will then be processed and covered at the end of the day. Mobile fencing around the active face will catch any stray litter, should it occur, which will then be collected and processed by on-site staff.
Is the Jungo site seismically safe?
Because most of Nevada is in a seismic zone, the State requires that all residential, commercial, industrial and structures such as mines, dams, highways, bridges to be engineered to tolerances that remain unaffected by seismic events. The Jungo landfill liner system is engineered and designed to withstand a seismic event that is three times greater than what science predicts is the probability of an event in the next 250 years.
How safe is a Class I landfill that accepts tons of garbage daily and will operate for almost 100 years?
Class I landfills operate safely throughout the State and are highly regulated operations. In fact, the Humboldt Regional Landfill that currently receives the waste from Winnemucca and its surroundings is an unlined Class I municipal landfill. The Jungo facility will differ from the local landfill in that it will not accept bulky metal wastes, medical wastes, liquid wastes, and sludges that have not been solidified. As required by Nevada law, Jungo will pay for and conduct the closure and post-closure activities at the Jungo site. These costs will not be paid by the State or the people of Humboldt County. Finally, under federal law, the sending municipality shares long-term responsibility for the environmental integrity of the project.
Is it true that Recology has local shareholders who will be enriched by the Jungo landfill project?
Recology is employee-owned. No employees, officers or directors of Recology currently reside in Humboldt County, Nevada. As a result, the financial benefits of the project will accrue to Humboldt County as a whole.
Why have I not heard about the Jungo project until now and how I do track the permitting process?
After a noticed public hearing, the Humboldt County Regional Planning Commission granted Jungo a Conditional Use Permit in April 2007. The story of the approval appeared on the front page of the Humboldt Sun. Also, in 2007 after public hearing and notice, the Humboldt County Commission amended the County's Solid Waste Ordinance to allow for the Jungo landfill project. Since that time, Jungo has undertaken extensive engineering and scientific planning, and is now under review by the Nevada Division of Environmental Protection (NDEP). For the benefit of the public, NDEP has posted on its website the engineering drawings, site analysis, scientific supporting references, grading plans, operational plans, scientific data and calculations, hydrology analysis, leachate analysis, correspondence and much more. Go to http://ndep.nv.gov/bwm/jungo.htm