Carthage, IL – Annual costs are going down as Carthage gets closer to the final closing of the city landfill. The city stopped adding new material in the mid-90s. Mayor James Nightingale says the city will spend $116,000 in the coming year, down from the more than $400,000 in previous years. He says this year's work will include installation of an EPA-mandated drain for surface water through the top portion of the fill. It will also include hauling seven tanker-loads of drainage weekly to the city's sewer plant for treatment, along with chemical monitoring of the ground water. Nightingale says water from the monitoring wells continues to show more clarity, and eventually the city will be able to close the fill for good. He said this could occur as soon as 2009.
Costs Decline as Landfill Closure Nears
