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Carthage Hopes to find Landfill Solution

Carthage City Hall
Carthage City Hall

Carthage is hopeful a switch of contractors will lead to the end of its responsibility for the old municipal landfill.

Indianapolis-based American Environment will take over monitoring the site. The company was the low bidder at $43,000 per year. It will also try to find a way to bring groundwater pollution levels into compliance with federal EPA regulations

Mayor Jim Nightingale hopes the firm brings " some new ideas out there that down the road we can present them to the EPA and get us out of the landfill business.”

Once groundwater contamination reaches legal levels  the city should be able to stop monitoring the site.

Nightingale said the city grew increasingly frustrated with the lack progress from Patrick Engineering. The firm has monitored the site for several years.

The mayor said the firm has billed the city for costs well above what the contract called for each of the last two years.

Patrick Engineering bid $47,500 a year to continue its service. The city will give the company 30 days notice of the change before American Environmental takes over.