Atmore, Escambia County (Ala) Join Lawsuit Against Conecuh Landfill

June 14, 2011

Escambia County (Ala.) and Atmore both voted Monday to join the tiny town of Repton, Ala., in a lawsuit aimed at blocking the proposed Conecuh Woods landfill.

In late April, attorneys filed the suit in Conecuh County Circuit Court on behalf of Repton (pop. 280) and Mayor Terri Carter seeking an injunction to block the 5,100 acre Conecuh Woods landfill. The landfill was approved 3-2 by the Conecuh County Commission just a week before the lawsuit was filed.

Conecuh Woods’ landfill, will include a 1,600 acre “disposal cell” from Range to Repton to near the Big Escambia Creek. Big Escambia Creek flows southward into Escambia County, Alabama, through Flomaton and drains through a North Escambia swamp into the Escambia River and then Escambia Bay.

Many other governments in South Alabama and Northwest Florida have passed resolutions in opposition to Conecuh Woods, including the Escambia County (Fla.) Commission, Century and Flomaton. The City of Orange Beach has also authorized their town attorney to file a petition to intervene in the suit.

The lawsuit claims there are “numerous factual errors” in the landfill application and it disregards threatened or endangered species in the area, ignores the water table that can approach withing 25 feet of the surface and numerous other items.

The lawsuit also claims the Conecuh County Commission ignored the public outcry against the facility and that they ignored several potentially negative aspects of the landfill.

Pictured top: Repton, Alabama, Mayor Terri Carter addresses the Century Town Council recently in opposition to a proposed 5,100 acre landfill in Conecuh County, Alabama. NorthEscambia.com file photo, click to enlarge.

Comments

5 Responses to “Atmore, Escambia County (Ala) Join Lawsuit Against Conecuh Landfill”

  1. JIM W on June 14th, 2011 3:22 pm

    Glad to hear that more cities are coming on line in support. Anyone down stream is subject to having their enviroment destroyed by this operation as well. The bottom line is the commisioners flew in the faces of the out cry of the voters. It with out question one of the most blatent breches of trust I have seen in a long time. There just has to be more there than is meeting the eye. Just saying.
    I have property in Conecuh County and grew up not to far from where this is at and I for one do not want to see our pristine enviroment ruined. I think every child who is living there or will live there should have the same oppitunity to hunt and fish and as adults do the same and farm if so desired. In others words the same as I had.
    These guys who are commissioners and are going to have to live with what they voted. So, I’m saying it is probably not going to be easy for them in the community when the community put their trust in them and they did right the oppisite of what they were being ask to do by the people. I think they forgot the sologan “For the people by the people”, Just saying they will deserve what they get from the community.

  2. Thinker on June 14th, 2011 11:32 am

    I have close up pictures of all of the commissioners that were at the hearing in Evergreen, taken at the hearing. They ain’t pretty to look at. The faces reflect the disdain, that most have shown in their votes, for the objections they were hearing. I also have digital video of most of the hearing and testimony if it would be useful for the lawsuit, although I think it would be superfluous myself. All free for the NO DUMP cause if useful in any way. I’d email them to NorthEscambia.com to be forwarded or whatever.

    Hurricane caused heavy rains would probably make the liners of this landfill useless. Toxins and slime would wash out even if the water table wasn’t a problem.

  3. concerned in monroe county on June 14th, 2011 8:58 am

    Can you say B-R-I-B-E???

  4. 429SCJ on June 14th, 2011 7:16 am

    I am no enviromental engineer, but placing a landfill near Big Escambia Creek sounds crazy. I would like to know the names of the people that are pushing this project.

  5. art on June 14th, 2011 4:47 am

    those commissioners ought be run out of town on a rail. who do they think they are anyway?