Bannock County landfill bids

The Bannock County commission gathered Wednesday, to take bids from companies seeking the contracting companies for lining a new Bannock County Landfill.

It will be an oil-based liner, which keeps waste from seeping into the groundwater.

Commissioner Howard Manwaring read the bids.

“We opened some bids to see what it would cost us to put a new liner in the new section of the landfill, and the reason for the liner is to protect the aquifer, to protect our water,” said Manwaring.

The liner will keep waste from contaminating our drinking water.

“Active landfills are regulated now, and are moving towards liners. Maybe not all the landfills are lined yet, throughout the country. But that if it’s a sub title D, they are a lined landfill,” said Dan Copeland from Bannock County Public Works.

Landfills have evolved over time; they didn’t always exist.

Back in 1993, people in Bannock would just throw their trash in canyons.

Which is now referred to as illegal dumping.

The liner helps protect the environment as well.

“The liner is here because the soil is porous, it’s a lot of gravel, and so we don’t want anything leaving this site, and seeping into the groundwater. So it’s all collected into a liner system,” said Copeland.

The decaying trash in the landfill is being used to generate electricity which is sold to Idaho Power.