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Landfills in the City of IGH
IGH is the host community for three landfills:
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Pine Bend Landfill is a Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) landfill located at 2495 117th St E in Inver Grove Heights. The landfill is operated by BFI Waste Systems of North America LLC (BFI) and is permitted to operate through December 31, 2030, or once a capacity of 32.13 million cubic yards is reached. The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA), City, Dakota County, and other external agencies regulate the landfill's accepted wastes, waste disposal capacity, leachate collection (run-off from the landfill) and monitoring, groundwater monitoring, surface water monitoring, liner and cover system, surface and subsurface gas management and monitoring, and more. Waste types allowed for disposal include mixed municipal solid waste, non-hazardous industrial waste, and construction and demolition debris. This site is open to the public, with a 1 ton minimum disposal fee. Please call 651-457-2778 for site hours and disposal fees.
Proposed Vertical Expansion
In 2021, Pine Bend Landfill received a preliminary Twin Cities Metropolitan Area (TCMA) certificate of need (CON) from the MPCA, in the amount of 2,398,746 tons, for additional MSW disposal capacity. Acceptance of this additional waste would require Pine Bend Landfill to vertically expand and extend the length of time that it is approved to operate.
In 2022, BFI submitted a Request for Major Modification of Permit #SW-45 to the MPCA. This request details a proposed vertical expansion over the existing landfill footprint by raising the permitted peak elevations and extending the existing 3:1 slopes around the perimeter of the landfill. The proposed design would increase the capacity of the landfill vertically, without increasing the landfill's footprint horizontally. The request is for an additional 8,185,800 cubic yards of airspace, which would raise the landfill’s height by 86.8 feet at the highest point and extend the landfill's life to approximately 2042, about 13.6 additional years based on the current volume and projected collection rates.
Proposed Expansion Tasks
Requesting a proposed vertical expansion requires Pine Bend Landfill to complete a number of tasks. The tasks and public meetings related to the proposed expansion are summarized with their current status in the list below. Updates will be added to the task list as the City receives them.
Tasks Key: PBL = Pine Bend Landfill; EAC = City Environmental Advisory Commission; CC = City Council; MPCA = Minnesota Pollution Control Agency
| TASK: | STATUS: |
|---|---|
| 1. PBL submits a Request for Major Modification of Permit #SW-45 to the MPCA. | Completed |
| 2. City Public Meeting: EAC and CC meetings to consider submittal of the City's review of PBL's 2022 Request for Major Modification of Permit #SW-45 to the MPCA. | October 26, 2023 at 7 p.m. (EAC) and November 13, 2023 at 6 p.m. (CC) at IGH City Council Chambers, 8150 Barbara Avenue, IGH. |
| 3. State of Minnesota's Environmental Quality Board publishes a 45-day public notice and request for comments on PBL's 2022 Environmental Assessment Worksheet (EAW) and Air Quality Permit (AQP). | The public comment periods opened on October 31, 2023 and closed on December 15, 2023. To view documentation shared in the EAW and AQP public notices, please view the attachments shared in Item 5.B. of the November 16, 2023 EAC agenda packet. |
| 4. City Public Meeting: EAC and CC meetings to consider submittal of the City's review of PBL's 2022 EAW and AQP applications to the MPCA | November 16, 2023 at 7 p.m. (EAC) and November 27, 2023 at 6 p.m. (CC) at IGH City Council Chambers, 8150 Barbara Avenue, IGH. |
| 5. MPCA Public Meeting: MPCA Public meeting for PBL's EAW and AQP applications. | November 30, 2023 at 5:30 to 7 p.m., located at Woodcrest Church, 525 Cliff Road, Eagan. View the MPCA meeting details and presentation slides. |
| 6. PBL receives determination for EAW and AQP permit applications. | On March 1, 2024 the State of Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) issued a Negative Declaration (FOF) on the need for an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for Pine Bend Landfill’s Request for Major Modification of #SW-45. View approval. |
| 7. State of Minnesota's Environmental Quality Board publishes a second 30-day public notice and request for comments on updated PBL's Air Quality Permit (AQP). | A public notice and request for comments on an updated AQP draft opened on March 8, 2024 and closes on April 8, 2024 at 11:59 p.m. |
| 8. MPCA reissues an Air Quality Permit (AQP) to Pine Bend Landfill. | AQP was reissued by MPCA to Pine Bend Landfill on May 13, 2024. |
| 9. PBL submits expansion request to the City to amend the Zoning Ordinance and existing city agreements including the Non-Conforming Use Certificate, Host Community Agreement , and a Conditional Use Permit with the City. | Pine Bend Landfill submitted an application for expansion to the City of Inver Grove Heights in June 2024. The application is currently under review by City staff. |
| 10. City Public Meetings: Will be held to review proposed PBL applications submitted to the City. | Relevant Meetings so far: Dec. 9, 2024 City Council MeetingJan. 6, 2024 City Council Meeting |
| 11. PBL receives City determination on requests. | IGH City Council approved PBL request at the City Council Meeting on Jan. 27, 2025 |
| 12. PBL submits expansion request to Dakota County to amend existing County agreements. | Not initiated. |
| 13. PBL receives determination for County agreement amendments. | Not initiated. |
| 14. State of Minnesota's Environmental Quality Board publishes a public notice and request for comments on PBL's 2022 Request for Major Modification of Permit #SW-45 to the MPCA. | Not initiated. |
| 15. PBL receives a determination on the Request for Major Modification of Permit Number SW-45 for Pine Bend Landfill from the MPCA. | Not initiated. |
On October 25, 2022, Opal Fuels commenced operations at the first landfill renewable natural gas (RNG) production facility in Minnesota. The Pine Bend RNG Project is located adjacent to the Pine Bend Landfill. The new, state-of-the-art RNG facility captures naturally occurring biogas, made up in part of methane, from Pine Bend Landfill and transforms it into RNG. Methane is a natural byproduct of a variety of sources and is a powerful greenhouse gas (GHG). This project replaces a landfill gas-to-electricity project, which has now been decommissioned. At full capacity, the facility is expected to process an estimated 3,350 standard cubic feet per minute (SCFM) of landfill gas resulting in the production of 6.3 million gasoline gallon equivalent (GGE) per year of RNG. The low-carbon gas is then injected into Xcel Energy’s gas pipeline. Learn more about the project.
Dawnway Landfill, operated by Frattalone’s Dawnway LLP, is a Construction and Demolition Debris landfill located at 5965 Dawn Way in Inver Grove Heights. Dawnway Landfill is currently permitted to operate through December 31, 2027, or once a capacity of 3,928,280 cubic yards is reached. Waste types allowed for disposal include non-hazardous debris from construction, demolition, and remodeling projects. Dawnway Landfill is regulated by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, City, and Dakota County. This site is open to the public. Find contact information here.
SKB Rich Valley Landfill, operated by SKB Environmental, is a Construction and Demolition Debris landfill located along 117th Street, at the corner of Rich Valley Boulevard in Inver Grove Heights. SKB Rich Valley Landfill is currently permitted to operate through August 1, 2027, or once a capacity of 6,587,087 cubic yards is reached. Although the landfill is permitted, the site is not currently active. Waste types allowed for disposal include non-hazardous debris resulting from construction, demolition, and remodeling projects. SKB Rich Valley Landfill is regulated by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, City, and Dakota County. This site is not currently open to the public.