VARNA – A series of measures may be on the way to address security concerns at landfills in the Municipality of Bluewater.

Bluewater council voted Feb. 16 to endorse a series of measures submitted in a report by municipal utilities superintendent Brent Kittmer that acknowledges a number of issues related to public access to the sites.

The document acknowledges reports of members of the public "circumventing ... gate structures" to enter landfills and reports that members of the public are in possession of gate keys.

There have also been reports of landfill gates being opened in response to requests for access on non-scheduled drop-off days.

Kittmer's report cites a lack of physical barriers and a lack of defined policy and procedures for accessing Bluewater's landfills as the main causes of these issues.

Kittmer recommended installing a fence at the Stanley landfill to prohibit unauthorized access, with pricing for such a measure to be included in the 2010 landfill operating budget.

His report indicates that the measure is only applicable to the Stanley landfill, as the Hensall landfill is "sufficiently bordered by a municipal drain and treed area to restrict access."

The Hay landfill is fronted by a ditch and cropped field that restrict access to it, Kittmer's report states.

It was also recommended that locks on all landfills be changed, and that keys be issued only to "required municipal staff and approved contractors."

A standard operating procedure for landfill access has also been drafted, and the municipality's intent is to train all affected municipal employees on the policy.

Potential security issues for two other groups with access to landfills – municipal staff and contractors working in behalf of the municipality – were also identified.

Kittmer told council there are no current issues for staff, but there is potential for future issues.

His report acknowledges that operations staff are occasionally asked to open landfills for public drop-off on non-scheduled days, and suggests the following "potential issues that could occur":
• Landfill gates left open while municipal employees are not present at landfill sites;
• Landfill gates left open at the end of a business day.
Kittmer's report suggests a standard operating procedure and training of affected municipal employees would remedy the problem.

The report notes contractors working for the municipality access landfills for a number of reasons, some of them on a weekly basis.

Potential issues listed by Kittmer's report include:
• Landfill gates left open while a municipal employee is not present;
• Gates left open at the end of a business day;
• Contractors retaining a key after their services contracts have expired; and
• Waste loads delivered to landfills but not reconciled in a monthly invoice.
The report lists a series of possible corrective measures that were approved by council, including:
• The implementation of a key return program, likely with a deposit made when keys are issued;
• Development of a standard operating procedure and training all affected employees of municipal contractors; and
• Staff landfills while commercial loads are dropped off, and reconcile the drop-off count against monthly invoices.
Council authorized the Bluewater utilities department to implement the corrective actions listed here, pending budget approval of any affected works.
The recommendations will be included in the 2010 operating budget proposal.