Editor's note: The original version of this editorial suggested that Anderson Mayor Kris Ockomon “raised the spectre of organized crime” being involved in JM Corp., the company owned by Ralph Reed, developer of the Mallard Lake Landfill. Ockomon did not use the term “organized crime,” and city spokeswoman Tammy Bowman said Wednesday that he did not intend to imply the involvement of organized crime in JM Corp.
Barring an eleventh hour intervention, it looks as if the Mallard Lake landfill could become reality beginning this summer. After 31 years, Ralph Reed could soon begin piling up trash on his 13 acres.
Reed has won all the challenges thrown at him by the Killbuck Concerned Citizens Association, which have been numerous. But his winning is not best for Madison County. And those opposed to the landfill are marshaling their forces to prevent Reed from taking in trash.
Last Friday, Anderson Mayor Kris Ockomon held a press conference to denounce the landfill and say he would “take a stand” to stop it. State Sen. Tim Lanane was present, as was state Rep. Jack Lutz. Two years ago, the Indiana Legislature passed a law stopping the landfill. It was so specific to Mallard Lake, however, that a judge ruled in January that the law was unconstitutional. A couple of weeks later, the Indiana Department of Environmental Management issued Reed’s landfill permit renewal.
The KCCA is appealing the judge’s ruling, but Reed seems certain that the KCCA will fail. Still, the Legislature is in session until March 14, and legislators could craft another amendment to halt the landfill by using language of a more general nature. It remains to be seen if that will happen.
Meanwhile, the objections the KCCA raised from the beginning are still relevant: the aquifer and bird attraction as a hazard to the Anderson Municipal Airport. The third objection had been the existence of Killbuck Elementary School just across the street from the landfill site. Killbuck is scheduled to be closed this summer, but there is a group wanting to form its own school system around Highland. If that would be successful, Killbuck would stay open as an elementary.
In fact, the biggest complaint is aquifer contamination. Anderson gets a lot of its drinking water from the aquifer that runs under the landfill site. Despite the installation of a liner, nothing is 100 percent. There would be some leakage of trash into the aquifer.
Of course, Reed has answers for all this, specifically the permit he received. It was not only approved by IDEM but also meets federal regulations. Still, with a large population depending on the drinking water of the aquifer, having a landfill with possible toxic ingredients is irresponsible.
It remains to be seen whether Reed will finally get to start construction on his landfill. There will certainly be more challenges to his decades-old project. There is too much at stake for the protesters to stop now.
