Posted on 06/23/2021 4:27:29 PM PDT by Tolerance Sucks Rocks
As contractors widen Interstate 66 in Northern Virginia, they produce tons of excess dirt. So do excavators digging basements for homes or leveling land for commercial projects or schools. Some of that dirt – no one knows how much – ends up on Fauquier County properties. Some county officials think it is way too much.
“Fauquier County is becoming, if not has already become, the dumping ground for Northern Virginia's fill dirt. And it's obviously a huge problem. And it's affecting people's lives,” county supervisor Rick Gerhardt (Cedar Run District) said at April’s Board of Supervisors meeting, as residents complained of dust, truck noise and water pollution from the dumping. At the same meeting, Supervisor Chris Granger blasted the state for making matters worse.
How much dirt is dumped in Fauquier? It’s impossible to know. The I-66 project alone has generated some 765,000 cubic yards of excess dirt, with 650,000 more cubic yards to be distributed, according to the Virginia Department of Transportation, and Fauquier officials believe a significant portion of that has been dumped in their county. Just one Fauquier landowner estimated he would take in 400,000 cubic yards from an Interstate 395 interchange, 150,000 cubic yards from school construction and 200,000 more from Manassas Regional Airport.
Dirt brokers
Because landfills don’t want the dirt – or charge more than $400 a truckload if do they take it -- contractors scramble to find other recipients. Enter the dirt broker. Brokers work for contractors or truckers, seeking out landowners who will take their dirt. Sources say they pay $25 to $50 a truckload, which can put hundreds of thousands of dollars in the pockets of landowners.
(Excerpt) Read more at fauquier.com ...
PING!
Give me 5,000 acres of state land, $100 million in direct subsidies, a 19 year property tax abatement, a labor tax rebate, and deliver the dirt to my newly gifted land free of charge. I’ll grow something and sell it.
They say we’re running out of landfill space . . but have they been to the Grand Canyon?
They seem to have a huge problem with sod farmers replacing the soil portion of the sod they sell as their legitimate farm produce.
they should be grateful to have the resources to combat rising sea levels...
At $400 per truckload (10-20 ton) one would think it would become economical to move out by rail to somewhere that would take it for free. Such as a super fund site that needs lots of fill and cover.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.