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www.driftlessjournal.com | news@driftlessjournal.com | 563-382-4221 | Tuesday, May 16, 2023 | Vol. 5 Issue 20
The Life of a Landfill A left-behind life in constant motion
READY, SET, GO The crew of the Winneshiek County Landfill has a big job to do. Pictured front (l-r): Meghan Scheidel and TJ Schissel. Back: Kyle Frank, Landon Ashbacher and Logan Schnuelle. (submitted photo) By Kate Klimesh “You put the trash on the curb, and it goes away,” says TJ Schissel, Winneshiek County Sanitary Landfill Manager. But there’s a lot more to it than that. A lot. In fact, even though there is approximately 24 years of life left in the Winneshiek County Sanitary Landfill currently, the County’s Solid Waste agency just approved the latest landfill closure plan, and holds a grand total of around $7.5 million in excess funds to mitigate the closure when the time comes. And not one penny is tax funded. The Winneshiek County Landfill is also one of only 44 in the whole state, and provides service to Winneshiek, Howard, and Clayton counties, as well as the city of Postville. The Landfill site The landfill itself is a parcel of ground approximately 200 acres, established in 1974 on the current site by a private company. Winneshiek County Solid Waste Agency purchased
the landfill in 1991, and it’s to keep the soil in place. (The been run by the county as view from there is simply gora separate entity geous!) ever since. For There’s two leachthe county, ate (garbage juice) it is a busilagoons to collect ness-type excess liquid from operation, the landfill’s cell The Winneshiek w h i c h County Landfill is one and encourage demeans they composition of only 44 in the operate soleby enwhole state of ly on their Iowa. The Winneshiek earnings from landfill charges and County Landfill is not budgeted any tax dollars operates solely on at all. earnings, not one Currently 36 acres are in use penny is tax for landfill, with one active cell being activeOn average funded. ly deposited into, sur40 million pounds cultivated and ing some of trash are built every day, liquid is being deposited each and four other recirculated year into the cells which have through the cell been closed. The Winneshiek County layers. If there four closed cells is a foot of leachLandfill. were early, clay-lined ate collected in the cells that have been lined plastic liner, it can crein heavy plastic per state spec- ate too much weight and presifications, covered in a layer sure. Oversaturation can lead to of dirt and planted in native stress on the liner’s integrity, so wildflowers and prairie plants it is carefully monitored.
DID YOU KNOW...
Meet the Spring Grove Syttende Mai royalty candidates
There have been several applicants for the Spring Grove, Minn., 2023 Syttende Mai Royalty. The judges will have a tough decision this year, as they crown the royalty during the coronation ceremony Wednesday, May 17, at 7 p.m. The town’s annual celebration of the Norwegian Constitution begins May 17 with the children’s parade at 1:15 p.m., and runs through the Meatball Dinner Sunday, May 21. The Syttende Mai Queen candidates include juniors Maria Albrecht, daughter of Larry and
The landfill utilizes mobile cannon sprinklers with 120-foot range in planned locations to circulate and filter the landfill’s leachate over the plastic lined cell 5 to encourage further filtration of the leachate through the top soil, plants and garbage, and to encourage as much further settling and decomposition of buried materials as is possible. These sprinklers are moved around cell 5 of the landfill according to a plan that ensures the most efficient recirculation. Cell five is a plastic-lined, 36acre cell where the current trash collected from the curb ends up. More on that later, but Schissel noted, “we are building that cell every day as material comes in, so it’s a constantly changing landscape.” There are also methane vents around the landfill, pulling out the gas from decomposing garbage to avoid potential migration of the gas either into neighboring fields or our buildings.
Landfill
continued on page 9
Driftless Bites & Sites
Scavenger Hunt begins now
Driftless Multimedia has planned another exciting summer contest to help people get out and explore the Driftless Region, the Bites & Sites Scavanger Hunt! With a new twist, this year’s scavenger hunt has a host of desirable destinations to find by following the clues provided. In addition to the clued selfie locations, this year offers more ways to win entries at Featured Destinations, where you earn more points for selfies with your snack, sip or swag. Knowing the vast offerings right here in the Driftless Region, there is no shortage of places to visit and bites to sample – simply follow your stomach and hit the road for summer fun. This year’s Destination Driftless Guide, on newsstands now, has a helpful fold-out map to help plan your adventure through the Driftless hitting the featured destinations. Yup, you’ll still have to solve the clues to determine some of the
Lillian Hundorf Maria Albrecht Mara Dawley Olivia Peterson Kinley Rask
Heidi Albrecht, and Lillian Hundorf, daughter of Curt and Lisa Vickerman. 2022 Queen Kylie Reynolds and 1st Attendant Lydia Solum will help pass the crown to the new queen at the coronation Wednesday. Little Miss Syttende Mai candidates include Eve Reining, daughter of Dawn Reining and Adam Reining; Kinley Rask, daughter of Chad and Jamie Rask; Mara Dawley, daughter of Michael and Sarah Dawley; Olivia Peterson, daughter of Lance and Jolene Peterson; Clara
Clara Recio
Caysa Stoen
Recio, daughter of Evan and Heather Recio; Caysa Stoen, daughter of Jymae Stoen; and Cecilia Thompson, daughter of Katie and Mark Figueroa. The new little miss will be welcomed
Cecilia Thompson
Eve Reining
by 2022 Little Miss Syttende Mai Amelia Thorson. For the full schedule of Syttende Mai events in Spring Grove, visit sgsyttendemai. com/.
563-382-3603 • www.aasehaugen.com
We’re excited to celebrate National Skilled Nursing Care Week by honoring our amazing residents, families and remarkable staff! Contact us to learn more about Customized Senior Living Options to suit everyone’s needs!
sites – putting them on a map would be too easy! Selfie your way to multiple entries in a chance to win great prizes from contest sponsors, including a grand prize of a new bicycle from the Little River General Store in Lanesboro, Minn. Send a snap of your summer Bites and Sites fun to contest@driftlessjournal. com, and ‘pic’ your way to a prize! Play for fun or play to win Take a selfie visiting locations or completing actions on the Bites and Sites Scavenger Hunt List. Photos are worth 10, 20 or 50 points. Collect 200 points to earn your first entry into the grand prize drawing. Each additional 100 points collected earns players additional grand prize drawing entries. All photos must be emailed to contest@driftlessjournal. com by 9/7/23 at 5 p.m. to be entered into the Grand Prize Drawing. Turn the page for the Bites & Sites Scavenger Hunt list and directions for submitting entries. 2023 Destination Driftless Exploration Guides are on newsstands throughout the tri-state area and beyond. The cover photo by Driftless Multimedia’s Abby Panoch features a sunset sky over Fayette County’s Volga Lake.
Nat’l Skilled Nursing Care Week May 14-20, 2023