PEORIA, Ill. (WMBD)– A probable coal mine or other obstruction below the ground is impeding critical landfill construction in Peoria.
The Landfill Committee assembled on Wednesday to discuss what that could mean for future garbage collecting in Peoria.
Between December 2024 and January 2025, Landfill 2 is set to close. Construction for Landfill 3 is imperative to offset the garbage intake Landfill 2 currently takes on.
One small issue, acres of underground mining where construction is set to take place.
“The GSI mapping identifies approximately one acre of underground coal mine. The records from that coal mine indicated that they mined approximately 5 acres of coal” said Tim Curry, Area Landfill Director at GFL Environmental.
Curry continued, “So it is undetermined where these other fingers and pathways and channels are where they mined.”
It was made clear that if construction permits were formally filed, they would be turned down by the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency as of the meeting.
Members plan to have another meeting in the near future to discuss possible solutions including exploratory research gathering.
