St. Tammany News

The United States Army Corps of Engineers is now accepting comments from the public concerning a permit request from Slidell Landfill LLC.

The owners of the landfill, which is operated on 45 acres of land off Howze Beach Road near Slidell, are still waiting for the state Department of Environmental Quality to make a decision on their request to expand the size of the landfill. In May of 2004, Slidell Landfill LLC asked for permission to expand its 45-acre landfill by two acres. It also requested to amend its permit to increase the height of the landfill to 125 feet. The request was later amended to 85 feet.

The permit request caused an outcry from surrounding residents, who said not only should the landfill be prevented from becoming any bigger, it should also be shut down all together, citing environmental concerns and past violations.

A group of citizens opposed to the expansion of the landfill will hold a rally and march at 9:30 a.m. Saturday, at which time a petition will be circulated. Participants will meet on Lakeshore Boulevard East by the Shell Station.

Meanwhile, Slidell Landfill LLC has applied for a permit from the Corps of Engineers.

Annette Chioma, project manager for the Corps, said this permit is really retroactive. She said the permit is to allow the owners to fill in wetlands.

She said this is a very old landfill and it existed before permits were required. She said the permit request is merely to get all of the landfill's paperwork straight.

"This landfill is so old it is nearly grandfathered in," Chioma said.

She said a portion of the landfill sits on an area that was previously wetlands and the eastern border has a slough running through it.

As required, the Corps will be accepting comments on the permit request until April 2. After that date, her office will begin evaluating the situation and make a recommendation. She said all comments postmarked by April 2 will be considered.

Comments can be mailed to Chioma at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers New Orleans District Regulatory Branch, P.O. Box 60267 New Orleans, LA 70160-0267.

However, she added that because of the nature of the permit request, it will most likely be approved.

She said the permit request is merely the owners' attempt to resolve all legal issues it has with various agencies.

"I'm sure since this has been a landfill for quite some time we are not going to try and change it," she said.

However, if it is decided to deny the permit, the owners will have to return the property to the condition is was in before the landfill existed.