The Watauga County Board of Commissioners approved a renewable-energy project at the former county landfill that could generate up to a half million dollars worth of electricity.
Lisa Doty, county recycling coordinator, submitted bids received for the county's gas-to-electricity project at the former landfill. Doty said the project will provide electricity $to county sanitation facilities that would save $36,000 a year and have enough methane gas for the next 10 years, generating about $85,000 worth of electricity. Doty said the could also provide some heat for county maintenance buildings on the site
The proposed $165,000 spent on generators, a building and engineering would have a payback period of about two years and generate up to $500,000 over the expected life of the project. A pipe system is already in place to capture methane, which is a byproduct of decomposing organic matter buried in the landfill. The landfill was capped and closed in the mid-1990s due to off-site contamination of water supplies.
Doty said there are numerous other landfills in the state that could replicate the project. County commission chairman Jim Deal said one of the best benefits of the project was the collaborative nature, drawing on Appalachian State University technology research and local organizations.
Doty said a grant had been submitted that could pay up to 50 percent of the project's cost. Another grant could fund an energy plan and energy audit for the four largest county buildings.
The commissioners approved pool improvements of around $29,000, including a drain replacement and a switch to a saline-based water system. Recreation director Stephen Poulos said the pool would probably be closed a week while the work was underway. The saline and carbon-dioxide system would improve water quality and save about $5,000 a year, he said.
The commissioners approved a one-year lease for office space for the N.C. Department of Corrections. County manager Rocky Nelson said the leases typically generated between $6,000 and $8,000 a year but funding had been cut by the state. The county amended the proposed three-year agreement in the hope that the state would restore funding in future years.
The board appointed Janet Miller to the Watauga County Board of Adjustment. Keith Tester, Jan Winkler and Margaret Hayden were appointed to the Watauga Medical Center Board of Trustees. Billy Martin was appointed to the Northwest Regional Housing Authority.