NANWALEK LANDFILL (NLF)
OPERATING HOURS
Open 24 Hours a Day/365 Days a Year
Location & Permits
The NLF is located across Kachemak Bay from the KPB main road system on the north side of the village of Nanwalek on Saint John St. in Sec. 35, T9S, R16W, S.M., AK. An ADEC permit was unattainable for years, but on May 2, 2017, the ADEC issued Solid Waste Permit SW3A187-22, which expires in May 2022.
Background
The English Bay/Nanwalek Townsite Trustees granted the KPB a long-term rights-of-way permit in 1986 to utilize three acres of this 70-acre Native owned parcel for landfill activities. It serves about 250 year round residents.
The KPB has been working for years with the Nanwalek IRA Council to evaluate potential relocation. Due to extremely limited suitable land, efforts have been directed to alternative options instead. A proposed new airport with a road linking the communities of Port Graham and Nanwalek offers the possible option of consolidation into one landfill somewhere between the two villages. This option will be re-evaluated in the next few years as the airport construction project progresses.
Construction
Site improvements were performed in 2007 including the manufacture and installation of the burn box. Further site improvements are needed, including boundary expansion and improved drainage.
Operations
Historically, the Council provided only minimal manpower, equipment, and maintenance, causing ongoing operational problems. When unmonitored waste is dumped on the ground, it scatters throughout the site making it difficult to consolidate and cover. Also, unless the burn box is burned regularly, it gets too full to operate safely and effectively. The Solid Waste Department has staged a track loader at the NLF and sends staff over periodically for minimal operations and maintenance tasks including MSW and inert waste burial.
An estimated 220 cubic yards of landfill capacity is consumed annually with a projected life of 5-10 more years.
Environmental Monitoring
There is no environmental water monitoring of this site.