JOLIET – A Will County Board committee Thursday recommended approving an application for a 150-acre expansion of Waste Management of Illinois’ Laraway Road site, with special conditions.
Waste Management is seeking approval for the expansion, targeted to grow areas to the north and south of its 200-acre Laraway Road facility, located two miles west of Route 53.
The expansion reportedly will add about 10 years to the lifespan of the facility, which is expected to reach capacity in its current state in 2021.
“It seems like a good plan,” said Don Moran, chairman of the three-member Pollution Control Facility Committee, which passed the recommendation.
The committee reviewed a report of findings and conditions by independent hearing officer Larry Clark, which states that Waste Management will meet or carry the burden of nine criteria points required for site expansion.
Based on testimony and findings, Clark’s report stated that the facility meets the nine points of criteria, such as being necessary, preserving public health, minimizing impact on nearby property, and minimizing danger to the area and traffic.
Three public meetings were held in October, with “the shortest one about four hours long,” Moran said.
According to the report, Will County staff added 13 special conditions to Waste Management’s plans, five of which were reviewed by the committee Thursday after Waste Management disputed them.
The committee ruled on these final conditions after the dispute by Waste Management:
• Waste Management must comply with the Will County Water Resources Ordinance because no permit is required.
• A mining subsidence plan will be submitted for county review if and when mining is proposed under the facility, but not before.
• Waste Management must observe the type of material in open-top vehicles before unloading if it doesn’t have the appropriate paperwork, or is a new waste stream to the landfill.
• Waste Management doesn’t need a whole new regimen for landscaping berms, but a timeline does need to be established.
• A special condition for the requirement of a traffic light at Centerpoint Way and Laraway Road was removed because traffic won’t significantly change, according to studies.