The Montezuma County Landfill is set to expand, manager Deb Barton reported to the commissioners recently.

A second "cell" will be built to hold refuse, which is first baled and then stacked into a lined pit. Montezuma County’s bale-fill system, the only one in Colorado, saves space and allows for better management, Barton said.

"This way we have better opportunity to inspect and monitor the garbage for contaminants that do not belong," she said. "It is a very efficient way of management that is drawing interest from other communities faced with space limitations."

That’s not the case for the Montezuma County landfill, which has 240 acres available for expansion, part of which is a significant buffer zone. The 6.5-acre cell now being used is expected to fill in two to three years. That and the planned second cell are part of Phase I, a 40-acre section that has a 45-year capacity.

"We’re looking at 120 years out here before any worry about space, and even then technology will have advanced so much there will be other techniques," Barton said.

The new four-acre cell will be phased in and will be available for use as early as 2002. Estimated budget for the project is approximately $330,000.

Construction begins with a large pit with at least 15 feet of native clay at the bottom. Another two feet of compacted clay is added along with a geo-membrane plastic liner, piping, gravel and more soil before the garbage bales are deposited.

Filled cells have a cover put over them, and are planted with grasses for stabilization. When completed, Phase I — eventually consisting of five or six adjacent cells — will be 70 feet high, with a bench-slope design.

"When this operation was planned by the commissioners, it was done with excellent foresight," Barton said. "The community can be really proud of their landfill."