PREBLE COUNTY — According to Sanitary Engineer Bob Kohnen, Fred Smith of CDM Smith is putting the final items together on the first draft of a service area for Sewer District 6.
During a Preble County Commission meeting on Wednesday, Sept. 5, Kohnen presented a landfill update, noting there haven’t been many changes in the past month.
Kohnen explained, while preparing the plan, officials did more work on the drainage patterns to make sure the plan meets Preble County’s needs.
Illegal dumping continues in Preble County, which cost an additional $1,600 in July alone. The Rumpke Waste bill should be roughly $6,000 per month, according to Kohnen, but as items are dumped incorrectly, the costs are increasing.
Kohnen also reported, the Solid Waste District has $37,000 left in unappropriated funds, which he does not think the department will exceed, but Assistant Director Beth Wright is afraid of surpassing the number.
“We are wasting almost $2,000 because of the dumping,” Kohnen said. “[Beth] has talked to several other Solid Waste Districts and it seems the best things some of them have going for them are the deer cameras. They’re cheap. You have to go in and physically pull the card out, but it may be our best bet.”
“We are currently prosecuting one person right now,” he said. “It is in the court system. Once you get one, it can be said that this is what’s going to happen to you. There is story after story after story — some of it are workmen nearby at the schools.”
He added, some of the illegal dumping is people not knowing what can or cannot be recycled.
A county tire collection event to be held on Saturday, Oct. 20, will be the last free event. All future events will have a charge to dump tires.
The Environmental Protection Agency will not be funding these events, as the EPA wants the county to charge for tires. Darke County is starting to charge $1 per tire, $5 for semi tires, and $15 for tractor tires. Those fees must be pre-paid when an appointment is made.
Kohnen also reported, during the Preble County Fair, Solid Waste District staff collected 22 tons of recyclables.
