Environmental agency gives OK to Texas transfer station

The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) has issued a final approval to Lealco Inc., a subsidiary of Waste Connections, to build a transfer station in Bastrop County, Texas.

The transfer station application is now in the period during which motions to overturn can be filed. According to an online report by the Austin American-Statesman, to date five such motions have been filed.

When fully operational, the Lealco facility will be able to store up to 2,500 tons of solid waste per day. The permit allows Lealco to accept municipal solid waste (MSW), pharmaceuticals, contaminated foods, pesticides, containers used for pesticides and some types of industrial waste, according to the American-Statesman. Lealco also has proposed recycling at least 10 percent of the MSW through source separation recycling programs.

According to the news report, opponents of the project express concern about the potential contamination of water sources, since recent data shows the proposed facility sits within a 100-year floodplain.