Landfill proposed north of Billings pacific steel - Billings Gazette

Landfill proposed north of Billings pacific steel

Pacific Steel and Recycling has applied to the Department of Environmental Quality to construct a landfill for auto shredder residue.

Auto shredder residue, or ASR, is composed of waste such as plastics, rubber, foam, textiles, paper, trace metals, PVC-wrapped wires and glass that can’t be separated for recycling. One study estimated about 20% to 25% of a vehicle’s mass would end up as ASR.

The landfill would be spread across 90 acres within a 320-acre parcel at the corner of Highway 87 and the Shepard Acton Road, six miles west of Shepherd and seven miles north of Billings.

Currently, the property and surrounding land are undeveloped grassland with some sagebrush. The proposed landfill site is intermittently used for cattle grazing. Property to the north and west is owned by Charter Ranch, Inc. To the south is land owned by Bar Diamond Ranch LLC and the Bureau of Land Management.

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In the application, Pacific Steel and Recycling proposes to haul about 25,000 tons of auto shredder residue a year from their Billings recycling facility near Lockwood. The capacity of the landfill is estimated at more than 3 million tons, or about 6.7 million cubic yards.

The landfill’s life expectancy is estimated at 122 years. Pacific is currently dumping its waste in the Billings landfill.

Water that leaches from ASR landfills can contain organic compounds and heavy metals. Off-gassing from such sites can contain polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Volatile organic compounds can also be a byproduct at ASR landfills, research has shown.

As part of the draft environmental assessment, the DEQ outlines state requirements such as groundwater monitoring, stormwater controls and operational standards.

DEQ has prepared a draft environmental assessment to analyze potential impacts of the landfill proposal. Public comment closes Oct. 30. Comments can be submitted electronically or by mail. To view the draft EA and application, or to submit comment, visit the DEQ website at: deq.mt.gov/public/publiccomment