County approves landfill land exchange

June 04, 2009

With little debate, the Valencia County Commission voted to unanimously approve a land exchange with the City of Belen that will move the county closer to clearing up serious violations of state environmental law.

The county is exchanging a 17-acre pit on Aragon Road west of Interstate 25 for more than six acres near the former Valencia County Landfill. The county originally sought only four and a half acres from the city.

The county will move dirt from the six acres to fill in areas of the landfill that don’t have adequate cover, as well as create ponding to keep water from flowing into the landfill, which could potentially cause ground water contamination.

Officials with the City of Belen have said the city will use the 17-acre pit to create a retention pond for rain runoff. In the past, runoff from at least two arroyos that feed into the pit has flowed through the pit and east down Aragon Road into nearby streets, yards and homes. The pit was created by the county over many years as the county removed dirt from it for county projects.

The county estimates the value of the 17-acre pit at less than $25,000 because of the flooding issues, according to County Manager Eric Zamora. The six acres it will get is estimated to save the county approximately $200,000 in dirt hauling costs.

The mismanaged county landfill, closed since the early 1990s, has been part of a New Mexico Environment Department Administrative Compliance Order (ACO) since 2001. The ACO includes a nearly $1-million fine that the state has yet to collect, allowing the county time to come into compliance.

Valencia! detailed the problems at the landfill and Conejo Convenience Station in a recent article.

The next step requires the Belen City Council to consider approval of the land exchange.

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