Catoosa County government was about to spend about $400,000 to satisfy Georgia Environmental Protection Division requirements, after already spending $200,000, in hopes of solving a methane gas migration problem at the former county landfill, but now another option is available.

The Catoosa Solid Waste Management Authority and county commissioners heard a proposal from Cogeneration Technologies, Inc. of Ooltewah, Tenn., Feb. 10 at the Courthouse.

Michael McCullough, Cogeneration Technologies president, offered the boards an option of partnering with its company to use the methane produced at site one to create energy.

“We are not going to get rich, but it is a viable project,” he said. “It is a good environmental thing instead of wasting the energy.”

The gas is a by-product of rotting garbage.

The two boards originally approved the construction of a methane gas burn-off system in 2002 at an estimated cost of $200,000.

The system consists of numerous extraction wells dug into pockets of suspected methane gas around the landfill, then piped to a motorized vacuum that feeds a flare that safely “burns off” the gas.

But the gas is still traveling underground through the soil and cracks and fissures in the rock and exiting on nearby residents’ land, according to environmental tests.

Operation began in the summer of 2003, but after the system proved inadequate, the county began operating the system constantly rather than part-time.

Darrell Webb, principal engineer for Advance Environmental Management of Norcross, the company hired by the county to combat the problem, said installation of 14-16 additional wells will get rid of more of the gas at its source and appease residents and EPD alike.

He said the wells will tie into the existing burn-off system. The project, including engineering fees, will cost close to $400,000.

With this new option, the county may be able to reduce its costs, officials said.

The proposal

McCullough said his company will provide $350,000 which the county may apply toward the installation of the 16 new methane extraction wells it is being required to install and pay a lease fee of $1,000 per month for the space.

The company will require about a 90x90-foot area to build a building and install equipment that will help convert the methane gas into a form that can be sold as energy to Tennessee Valley Authority via North Georgia Electric Membership Corp., he said.

“Landfill gas is compressed and refrigerated before it is introduced into its engines which turn the generator, creating electricity,” he said.

The two-year old company currently operates a similar operation at Chattanooga’s Summit Landfill.

If approved, Catoosa will be the company’s second facility, providing two megawatts of electricity each hour and generating about $500,000 in revenue each year, he said.

The company will tie in to the existing system and operate it for the county.

Greenhouse gas credits and tax credits are possible for the company and county to share, he said.

“We would probably propose a 50/50 sharing with the county,” he said.

He said the company may be interested in extracting gases from site two in the future.

Site one will produce methane for the next 20 years, according to McCullough, and the company is seeking a 12-year agreement with the county.

Once approved, it will take a minimum of six months until energy could begin flowing, he said.

County reaction

Webb said the offer by the company is viable, and the EPD is willing to work with the county and its partner should the county choose this route.

“There is no way the county can lose,” he said. “This process is new in Georgia. It’s been in California.”

His first response was skeptical, but he did more research to understand the economics of the project, he said.

---

Get all the local news and sports with a subscription to The Catoosa County News. To subscribe CLICK HERE

---

Even if the company should go bankrupt and the county has to take over operations again, it still has accomplished the installation of the 16 wells, he said.

Commissioner Ken Marks said he is glad the company came forward to make the proposal.

“Everything I have heard from the two vendors and research is tremendous,” he said. “We were going to have to pay $370,000 to put in the 16 wells.”

He said the proposal will not only help with this cost, but also provide a lease fee to the county.

Authority member Al Smith said the idea is promising.

“It has potential,” he said. “I’d like to see how it is working with other areas. I am sure we will pursue knowing more about it.”

Commissioner Bobby Winters said he is excited about the prospect of the proposal.

“I have been concerned about health problems,” he said. “It will relieve a lot of odors and make it cleaner in that area.”

Chairman Bill Clark said it seems to be a win-win situation.

“It’s the closest thing to making lemonade out of lemons we’ve seen,” he said. “We have a methane problem. They are going to take care of it by putting in the wells, burning the methane and stopping the migration. They are going to pay a lease and pay taxes.”

According to Clark, the two boards will meet again Feb. 17 with another company that will make a similar proposal.

Project administrator Ron Brown said it is Nixon Energy Solutions of Nashville, Tenn