SKB Environmental wants to increase capacity at its Rosemount landfill by 73 percent.

The company has asked the city of Rosemount for a revision to its interim use permit to allow for expansion at its eastside property, 13425 Courthouse Blvd.

"This land is set aside for solid waste purposes. We think this provides the best use of the property, because of its zoning, to maximize what the land was intended to be used for," said SKB President Rick O'Gara.

Currently, 15 million cubic yards of waste are stored on 112 acres. The proposal asks to bring capacity to 27 million cubic yards on 151 acres. The total property is 275 acres.

Despite what could be controversial impacts - filling a nearby wetland, removing trees and increasing the height of the mass near 140th Street East - company officials say the plans have been well received.

Letters of support have been sent to the city from groups like the Dakota County Chamber of Commerce and Dakota County Technical College, which reference the company's support of community and youth programs through donations.

According to SKB, the company also benefits local governments through property taxes and fees paid per ton of waste received.

"It's kind of interesting that you have a facility of this magnitude, and because we've done this correctly, we don't have people complaining," said O'Gara.

According John Domke, SKB vice president, the landfill in Rosemount is one of few that can claim it has never received a violation. He said the company prides itself on going above and beyond in safety measures, like installing extra lining and having a lab and chemist on site

The regional facility would continue to accept the same types of waste - construction and demolition, industrial and incinerator ash. Domke said the added capacity would provide for 10 additional years of waste disposal beyond what is left now, for a total of about 20 years.

According to a Rosemount staff report on the proposal, however, the landfill is currently said to have capacity for 25 more years of waste disposal. The expansion would add another 15 to 20 years to that.

One neighbor spoke against the request at a July 22 Rosemount Planning Commission meeting, saying when the landfill was originally constructed, she was told it would be closed much sooner.

The site was built in 1992 under different ownership to hold 2.5 million cubic yards of waste. When SKB purchased the property in 2000, its capacity had been increased to 6 million cubic yards. In 2003, SKB got approval to begin accepting construction and demolition debris to expand capacity to 15 million cubic yards.

The new proposal would see the development of the southwester portion of the property where high tension power lines, a Flint Hills Refinery pipeline, trees and wetland exist. They are asking to move the power and pipe lines, replant trees on a berm along the southern landfill edge, and fill a 0.5-acre wetland and 0.3 acres of a 9.30-acre wetland.

"They are proposing to fill one wetland completely and proposed filling a portion of a second. That's one of the major issues we're reviewing here," said Senior Planner Eric Zweber. "There's other issues such a storm water management, tree preservation and wetland mitigation if they're allowed to fill them. Those are being reviewed by the Planning Commission."

Domke said the wetland could actually be better off when the expansion is completed. The smaller wetland to be completely filled has the city's poorest rating and is degraded. Required mitigation measures to the larger, healthier wetland could improve it further.

Another issue is height. If the expansion were approved, SKB would change the shape of its landfill from a pyramid-like stack to having a higher ridge along 140th Street East. This would leave about 70 acres of developable flat land along Courthouse Boulevard when the landfill is eventually closed.

The proposed height, however, is 80 feet taller than the approved finish grade of 930 feet (100 feet measured from 140th Street East) when they bought the site in 2000. During the 2003 expansion the Metropolitan Council commented that the increase in height to 970 feet would have a visual impact on regional resources in the area like Spring Lake Regional Park, according to the staff report.

SKB says the height change, however, would improve at least the view from Rich Valley Golf Club on 145th Street East by blocking the view of stacks from the nearby refinery.

Along with a revision to its interim use permit approved by the Rosemount City Council, SKB will need to get permits from Dakota County and the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency to allow for the expansion.

Domke said he expected the entire process could take up to the six months.

The proposal will return to the Rosemount Planning Commission for a recommendation to the Rosemount City Council Tuesday evening, Aug. 26. The commission meets in City Hall, 2875 145th St. W.

(You are invited to comment about this story on our website at www.mnsun.com and/or write a letter to the editor at suncurrentsouth@acnpapers.com.)

The site was built in 1992 under different ownership to hold 2.5 million cubic yards of waste. When SKB purchased the property in 2000, its capacity had been increased to 6 million cubic yards. In 2003, SKB got approval to begin accepting construction and demolition debris to expand capacity to 15 million cubic yards.

The new proposal would see the development of the southwester portion of the property where high tension power lines, a Flint Hills Refinery pipeline, trees and wetland exist. They are asking to move the power and pipe lines, replant trees on a berm along the southern landfill edge, and fill a 0.5-acre wetland and 0.3 acres of a 9.30-acre wetland.

"They are proposing to fill one wetland completely and proposed filling a portion of a second. That's one of the major issues we're reviewing here," said Senior Planner Eric Zweber. "There's other issues such a storm water management, tree preservation and wetland mitigation if they're allowed to fill them. Those are being reviewed by the Planning Commission."

Domke said the wetland could actually be better off when the expansion is completed. The smaller wetland to be completely filled has the city's poorest rating and is degraded. Required mitigation measures to the larger, healthier wetland could improve it further.

Another issue is height. If the expansion were approved, SKB would change the shape of its landfill from a pyramid-like stack to having a higher ridge along 140th Street East. This would leave about 70 acres of developable flat land along Courthouse Boulevard when the landfill is eventually closed.

The proposed height, however, is 80 feet taller than the approved finish grade of 930 feet (100 feet measured from 140th Street East) when they bought the site in 2000. During the 2003 expansion the Metropolitan Council commented that the increase in height to 970 feet would have a visual impact on regional resources in the area like Spring Lake Regional Park, according to the staff report.

SKB says the height change, however, would improve at least the view from Rich Valley Golf Club on 145th Street East by blocking the view of stacks from the nearby refinery.

Along with a revision to its interim use permit approved by the Rosemount City Council, SKB will need to get permits from Dakota County and the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency to allow for the expansion.

Domke said he expected the entire process could take up to the six months.

The proposal will return to the Rosemount Planning Commission for a recommendation to the Rosemount City Council Tuesday evening, Aug. 26. The commission meets in City Hall, 2875 145th St. W.

(You are invited to comment about this story on our website at www.mnsun.com and/or write a letter to the editor at suncurrentsouth@acnpapers.com.)