Needed hearing on 'tower of rubble'

Apparently the permitting process for the expansion of the Bees Ferry landfill passed under the radar of public review. So it's only right that Charleston County Council bring the matter up for a public reconsideration.

A public hearing has been scheduled by council for April 29 at 6:30 p.m. in Rutledge Memorial Church's gymnasium on Bees Ferry Road. The issue deserves more than perfunctory consideration.

According to our report, the county applied for and received a state permit to expand the landfill by 5.5 acres to provide for construction and demolition refuse. A county staffer said the permit was viewed as a revision of an existing permit for the landfill, which also accepts household waste and ash from the county incinerator.

What really got the attention of residents was the fact that the revised permit will allow debris to be stacked at a higher level than is now allowed. The permitted height of the expanded area for construction and demolition waste would increase from 74 to 168 feet.

The news took residents by surprise, and Councilman Curtis Bostic, who represents the West Ashley district where the landfill is located, asked for council's review of the project and a public hearing.

Mr. Bostic observes that the area has changed since the landfill was first permitted: "Bees Ferry has evolved. It used to be the hinterlands."

Mr. Bostic also expresses the hope that council will "give the community a sincere look at the issue." Residents have objected to the proposed height of the expanded area, and the increased level of truck traffic along Bees Ferry Road that could follow its expansion. That portion of the landfill used for household trash is already permitted at a similar height as that sought for construction debris.

Some critics of a review of the issue note that homeowners bought their property knowing that Bees Ferry landfill was nearby. But the proposed expansion is a substantial change in the conditions of that public facility's operation.

While the permitting process met the technical requirements of the state's environmental regulators, public oversight was clearly lacking in the process.

The public hearing scheduled later this month should help redress that shortcoming.