Allowing this landfill here just doesn't add up

Dear Editor:

I am writing you over my concern about the proposed "GREEN" Waste Management landfill to be located in the McKowns Mountain area of Cherokee County.

My thoughts on this issue are in opposition to our county council voting to allow such a facility to be located in our county. I base my opposition on the strategy of weighing one's possibilities in an endeavor to a simple opportunity cost analysis — something all of us were taught in school so we could make sound decisions as adults.

The opportunity cost for Cherokee County on the proposed landfill is as follows:

1.) No matter what type of liner they intend on installing at the facility, all liners break down over time and will leak; for instance, punctures will occur while the facility is being filled and the nitrogen/phosphorous/sulphur components of normal household cleaners will mix with the available water to form acids that will continue to eat through the liner after the facility is filled and closed.

2.) Following that train of thought, these acids will also mix with other chemicals to form carcinogenic compounds that will penetrate the soil and make their way to our groundwater.

3.) The air pollution from the increased diesel exhaust and the blowoff from the landfill will increase lung cancer and other respiratory ailments to our county residents, thus increasing health care costs to county residents.

4.) The road will have increased litter and the county will have to hire more personnel to pick up the trash, thus, again raising costs to county residents.

5.) The increased trash truck traffic will cause increased noise pollution to those residents whose property is along the routes to the landfill. This is not fair to those citizens who pay their fair share of taxes to suffer at the expense of a company seeking a profit and other citizens who pay taxes and will not be exposed to noise pollution.

6.) These same citizens who will share the brunt of the noise pollution will also share the brunt of increased dangerous traffic in front of their properties, which is dangerous because of increased traffic accidents and pedestrian injuries to the most prized Cherokee County residents — our children!

7.) Next on the cost analysis is the cost of road maintenance and repair. The cost of road and bridge maintenance in Cherokee County will skyrocket as compared to current costs.

8.) And finally, most of the property values in Cherokee County will decrease due to the location of the landfill in our community.

Now, if we add up all the negatives such as definite pollution concerns (air, soil and groundwater), more dangerous roadways and increased auto insurance premiums as a result of those accidents, decreased property values, and increasing Cherokee County budget costs to our road maintenance and personnel departments, it doesn't make sense to allow a business to come to Cherokee County and worsen our overall financial sphere, worsen our environment and health, and the general safety of our citizens for a company who stands as the only entity to truly profit from this endeavor. So, if we take the reduction in tax revenues due to decreased property values and increased county expenses, it probably outweighs the tax revenues the landfill is expected to generate and all the while decreasing our quality of life.

A thought to ponder about this proposal: if it is such a sound business decision to allow Waste Management to locate a landfill here, then why did Spartanburg County Council deny their request to build another landfill facility in their county in the Enoree community? Hmm.

Mr. Editor, I hope that this all makes sense and I pray that our councilmen will wake up and see the true costs of entertaining Waste Management's proposal. As citizens of Cherokee County, I think we can all wait for a better business opportunity to locate here and it be a win-win situation for both parties.

Thank you for your time and I wish for you to print this so our citizens and councilmen can read it to understand what is really at stake if the proposed landfill is allowed to be built in the McKowns Mountain community. I love Gaffney and Cherokee County and do not want to see our home become polluted, unhealthy and financially insecure. William Rose Gaffney, SC