Plan Commission Report

To Washburn Town Board

January 10, 2023

1. Phil & Catlin Kraus’s county Class A Special Use Permit for constructing a residence in an Agriculture‑1 zoning district: At its October 4, 2022 meeting, the commission recommended that the town board recommend approval of this permit so long as the county application is consistent with the plan submitted in October for the driveway permit. The county application is consistent with the plan submitted to the town in October. Therefore, the commission recommends that the town board recommend approval of the county permit.

2. Marking the perimeter of the clay cap over the landfill on South Maple Hill Road. At its November meeting, the town board asked Kim Bro to check with Tom Cogger about examining shallow cores around the perimeter of the clay cap in order to mark the perimeterin order to assure that the cap will not be disturbed. This is especially important along the south edge, where some trees are growing through fill material. The fill may be from the excavation of the landfill trenches. If so, it is not clear where the sandy fill ends and the clay cap begins.Tom said he would not charge for his time to examine soil samples around the perimeter, but he recommended hiring his son Tommy to use his small excavator with a small bucket to collect samples. Tom said that Tommy’s small machine, used for woodland trail construction, would more effectively compact any clay that is removed from the cap than a manual coring process would allow. Tom recommended doing the project in the spring, after the ground is thawed but before the ground cover grows significantly.

   Kim will follow up with Sonny Zenter, the Department of Natural Resources Regional Engineer for Waste Management, to encourage his visiting the landfill site in the spring to determine the extent of restoration required for areas of subsidence in the clay cap.

Respectfully submitted by,

Kenneth Bro, chair

Plan Commission Minutes
Town of Washburn
Section 29 Closed Landfill, South Maple Hill Rd.
Sunday, October 16, 2022
Members present: Kim Bro (chair), Cyndi Belanger (secretary), Tim Schwenzfeier (vice chair).
Members absent: Jim Park (town board representative), Hallie Sandberg.
Others present: Bob Adams, Scott Kluver (Washburn City Administrator) , Bob Short, Wendy
Stein.
1. Chairman Bro called the meeting of the commission to order at 3:30 P.M. and verified its
legal notification (posted at town hall and Tetzner Dairy) on October 11, 2022 and on town
website.
2. The commission led a field visit of the closed landfill to explain – and learn – the historical
operation and closure process, groundwater monitoring, and post-closure maintenance. Some
of those present disposed their garbage at the landfill when it was open and shared
recollections of its operation. The group observed areas of subsidence subsequent to closure.
Kim shared a drawing the proposed operation of the landfill from 1974 and a conceptual
cross-sectional view of the closed landfill’s current condition. The landfill operated as a series
of north-south trenches in the sandy soil approximately 500 feet long, 20 feet wide and 10 feet
deep. Trenches were excavated sequentially from west to east. As one trench was excavated
and filled with solid waste, it was compacted and covered with two feet of sand, and the next
trench was excavated to the east and filled. Municipal solid waste was disposed in the
trenches for 15 years from 1975 through 1989. There is no impervious barrier at the bottoms
of the trenches. Any leachate leaking from the waste seeps into the sandy soil below. The
bottoms of the trenches are approximately 250 feet above the groundwater table.

Kim shared two figures comparing the topography of the landfill cap in 1990 vs 2020. What
were smooth contours with a drainage swale in the east third of the cap is now much more
“lumpy,” likely from the decay and compaction of municipal solid waste below the cap. The
most severe such depressions are on the east side of the landfill. They subsided at least two
feet. The cattails growing in them is an indication that they form ponds of standing water for a
substantial part of the year. Surface water flows to the north, and groundwater flows to the
east toward Lake Superior. The elevation of the water table in Monitoring Well #1 (on the
west) is approximately 3 feet higher than that in Monitoring Well #3 (on the east) and
approximately 1 foot higher than Monitoring Well #2 (to the south).
2
Kim explained how a clay cap functions. Clay is not impervious but rather is very weakly
permeable. Surface water flows through the clay and into the buried waste, but the clay is
expected to minimize the rate of leachate flowing into the groundwater so that concentrations
of landfill contaminants in groundwater will
remain low as the groundwater flows east away
from the landfill site. The six-inch cover of
topsoil over the clay cap provides a medium
for grassy groundcover that prevents erosion of
the clay cap and it is contoured to direct
surface water flow off of the cap without
flowing so fast that gullies are formed. The
topsoil cover is intended to hold enough
moisture to reduce the likelihood of the clay
drying and cracking. Any cracks in the clay
are potential conduits that carry larger amounts
of surface water into the waste and increase the
rate of leachate flow to groundwater.
Regular mowing of vegetation on the cap is intended to minimize the potential for deeprooted vegetation from penetrating the cap and creating additional conduits for water to seep
into the waste too rapidly. As solid waste under the cap decays and becomes more compacted,
the clay cap will subside. These areas of subsidence may reduce the rate of surface water
runoff and may even allow water to pool over the clay. These lumps and pools on the surface
of the cap increase the rate of leachate seeping into the groundwater. Cracks in the clay may
also occur around areas of subsidence. The groups saw several cracks in the soil around these
depressions, but it was not clear that the cracks extended through the clay cap.
Other potential sources of damage to a cap are 1) vehicle traffic that may cause ruts in the
surface, 2) deposition of rocks, boulders, or other debris, and holes created by burrowing
animals. The group could only guess where the boundaries of the clay cap are and
recommended that testing with small soil cores be done to prevent encroachment and
disturbance of the cap and to assure that the entire cap area is mowed.
1990 2020
Cattail depression in clay cap.
3
Kim had compiled groundwater sampling data from the Wisconsin Department of Natural
Resources online database of landfill groundwater data (GEMS) and showed two graphs to
illustrate how landfill leachate is affecting groundwater. Scott mentioned that sampling
recently occurred in September, and Kim added the data Scott shared to the graphs shown
below.
Chloride concentrations are a general indicator of the “saltiness” of the water. At a few parts
per million (mg/L), it is not a substance of health concern but rather indicates that landfill
leachate is in groundwater. It is not detectable in the “upstream” well (#1) on the east, but
started to be detectable in the “downstream” well (#3) in 2003. Concentrations rose steadily to
a peak of 26 mg/L in 2013 and now are leveling to approximately 20 mg/L recently. Kim said,
to think of a leachate plume, as a trickle of colored water in a slowly flowing stream: the color
spreads and fades as the colored liquid diffuses and slowly flows downstream. It took several
years after waste was placed in the landfill for the salty leachate to be detectable in Well #3.
Six organic solvents have been detected in the “downstream” well (#3), but only one solvent
occurs at levels that can be quantified in laboratory tests: tetrahydrofuran. The Wisconsin
Groundwater Standard for tetrahydrofuran is 50 parts per billion (µg/L), and the Wisconsin
Preventive Action Limit is 10 µg/L. Kim explained that a one part per billion concentration is
approximately one drop mixed in a large tanker truck of water. In other words, a very small
amount in solid waste can contaminate groundwater at levels of health concern. The solvent is
used as an adhesive in PVC pipes since the 1970s and as a solvent in lacquers. The chemical
vaporizes and degrades rapidly in well ventilated areas, but it degrades very little in
groundwater. The state standard is based on the chemical’s potential effect on fetal
development.
Kim said to imagine a citizen who had a mostly used quantity of PVC adhesive in a sealed
steel can that they threw out with their garbage. In a time before can recycling and Clean
Sweep hazardous waste collections, it was a likely choice for disposal. As the organic waste
around the container in the landfill degraded, the garbage became acidic and corroded the
steel until the solvent leaks out with the leachate. No one knows how many cans of solvent
were in garbage placed in the landfill over fifteen years.
When the concentration of a substance in groundwater exceeds a state Preventive Action
Limit at the boundary of a facility, The Department of Natural Resources (DNR) must decide
what, if any, actions are appropriate to prevent such concentrations from exceeding the state
Groundwater Standard. Kim said he asked Nathan Coller, the DNR regional hydrogeologist in
4
Spooner when a DNR staff member could meet with local officials at the landfill site to
explain what next steps are appropriate. Nate said he would ask Sonny Zentner, a DNR
regional engineer in Eau Claire to set up a visit, but Sonny likely would not be able to visit
until later in the fall or next spring.
Kim explained that, because nobody knows how many or what types of potentially toxic
chemicals may have been mixed with the garbage placed in the landfill, monitoring and
maintaining a closed landfill is a perpetual responsibility. The Washburn Town Board this
year assigned the Town Plan Commission with the task of annually monitoring the landfill
and making recommendations for maintenance of the site. The commission intends to prepare
a checklist of items to monitor and of required maintenance needs to recommend to the Town
Board and partner municipal officials. As officials step down and new ones take over, it will
be important to assure that annual monitoring and maintenance is not forgotten because
increased concentrations of contaminants in groundwater could lead to required repairs
costing several million dollars. The Town of Barksdale currently provides 47 homes with
water piped from the City of Washburn. That clean-up was funded by an industrial polluter,
but the landfill management is a municipal liability.
Wendy pointed out several invasive noxious weeds growing on the landfill site: spotted
knapweed and leafy spurge. She mentioned two steps to reduce the spread of weed seeds from
the property: 1) as much as possible, mowing the site after the plants flower but before they
produce seeds, and 2) minimizing the extent to which vehicles on the property might carry
seeds offsite in tire treads. It may also be appropriate to apply weed control chemicals to
reduce the abundance of weeds.
The group observed several tree stumps
excavated from the realignment of South
Maple Hill Road that were stacked east of
Monitoring Well #3 and a pile of soil from
the project. Several suggested that it would
be appropriate to mark clearly the boundary
between the landfill site (a shared
responsibility of the town, the city, and the
Town of Bayview) and Town of Washburn
property outside of the site. The group asked
to be informed about what follow-up
maintenance is to be done.
3. The meeting adjourned at 4:30 P.M.
Draft submitted by: Kenneth Bro, Chair, Town of Washburn Plan Commission
(November 6, 2022).

Town of Washburn

Plan Commission Special Meeting

Date &Time: 3:30 P.M., Sunday, October 16, 2022

Location: Closed Landfill Gate (S. Maple Hill Rd. west of W. Maple Hill Rd.)

1. Call meeting to order and verify legal notification.
2. Community field visit to Closed Landfill.

• Observe the layout of the landfill site and area soils.
• Learn landfill operational history 1974 – 1990.
• Learn of the purposes of clay cap, topsoil cover, drainage ways, and vegetative cover.
• Learn how leachate from waste affects groundwater.
• Observe the groundwater well monitoring network.
• Learn the difference between groundwater flow direction and surface water runoff.
• Observe changes in landfill cap topography 1990 – 2022.
• Understand the perpetual public responsibility to minimize community exposure to toxic materials buried with municipal waste.
• Opportunity for the commission to solicit community questions and concerns about the closed landfill.

3. Adjournment.

Kim

_ _ _ _

Kenneth M. Bro, chair
Washburn Town Plan Commission
75411 Church Corner Rd
Washburn, WI 54891
715-292-0034 (cell)

kbro1151@gmail.com

Plan Commission Minutes

Town of Washburn

Town Hall

Tuesday, October 4, 2022

Members present: Kim Bro (chair), Cyndi Belanger (secretary), Tim Schwenzfeier (vice chair).

Members absent: Jim Park (town board representative), Hallie Sandberg.

Town Road Supervisor: Mike Harvey.

Others present: Wendy Stein, Phil Kraus.

1. Chairman Bro called the meeting of the commission to order at 7:17 P.M. and verified its legal notification (posted at town hall and Tetzner Dairy) on October 2, 2022 and on town website.
2. At 6:00 P.M. the commission conducted a site visit of the closed Washburn landfill on South Maple Hill Road west of West Maple Hill Road (~12 acres in SE¼ SW¼ S.29, T49N, R05W), in order to prepare for a field visit of citizens interested in learning about the history of the landfill, the closure process, the construction of the clay cap, the groundwater monitoring process, changes resulting from decay and compaction of the municipal solid waste, and responsibilities for annual inspection and maintenance. Wendy Stein joined the commission during the site visit. Buzz Raspotnik mowed the cap in August, and the condition of the topsoil cover over the clay cap was visible. The most severe areas of subsidence in the cap are on the east side, where cattails are growing in depressions at least 2-feet deep. Cattails tend to grow in areas where there is standing water for a significant part of the growing season. There are other depressions on the entire cap where sedges characteristic of wet soils are growing. It appears that surface water runoff in these areas is detained and seeps out through the topsoil on the downhill sides of the depressions. Commissioners observed several cracks in the topsoil around the edges of areas of subsidence in the clay cap. Commissioners observed an area northeast of Monitoring Well #3 on the east edge of the landfill site where the Town of Washburn placed tree stumps and a small pile of soil from the remediation of the east end of South Maple Hill Road. Wendy pointed out several examples of the noxious weeds leafy spurge and spotted knapweed on and around the landfill cap.
3. At 6:45 P.M. the commission conducted a site visit of Phillip & Catlin Kraus’s 8.4 acre parcel (~NE¼NE¼NE¼ Section 28 T.49N R.5W; Tax ID#: 38621; south side N. Maple Hill Rd near the Church Corner Rd intersection). Mike Harvey and Phil were at the site. The Kraus’s propose a driveway extending uphill from N. Maple Hill Rd, to the west central side of the parcel. A row of trees screens the owners’ proposed building site from the town roads. According to the soils map, the area near the town road is clay, and the proposed building site is sand-over-clay. A wooded area of steep transitional soils uphill from the proposed building site will remain undisturbed. Mike explained the need changes from the owners’ proposed plan: a larger Tee turnaround near the proposed garage and a wider driveway at the connection to N. Maple Hill Rd. A minimum culvert length of 30 feet and 18‑inch diameter is required in the road ditch. Phil agreed to these recommendations and revised his site sketch (see below).
4. The minutes of the September 6, 2022 meeting were approved (Tim moves, Cyndi seconds).
5. The commission recommended (Cyndi moves, Tim seconds) that the town board approve the driveway permit for Phil & Catlin Kraus. The revised layout, as shown in the updated sketch (below) will meet the drainage, visibility, roadbed and turnaround requirements of the Town Driveway Ordinance (Sect. 4). The commission also recommended (Cyndi moves, Tim seconds) that the town board recommend future approval of the county Class A Special Use Permit for the owners to build a residence in an Agriculture‑1 zoning district if the county permit application is consistent with the preliminary development plan shown on the driveway permit sketch. The existing vegetative screening maintains the rural character of the area (Policy #8.1.e), and the layout minimizes the potential for erosion of the transitional soils. The most sensitive transitional soils will remain wooded (pp.8‑30).

6. The commission selected Sunday, October 16, 2022 at 3:30 P.M. to guide a community field visit of the landfill. There should be adequate daylight for citizens to observe current conditions and to ask questions and express concerns that the commission can summarize for the town board. The commission suggested that representatives of the City of Washburn and the Town of Bayview, who share responsibility for inspections and maintenance of the closed landfill. The commission felt that an on-site visit would be more instructive for the public than would an indoor presentation. Kim will talk to town chair Sandy Raspotnik about inviting town and city representatives.
7. Kim announced that he attended a September 21 meeting of the county comprehensive plan committee. There are subcommittees for each of the chapters in the plan, and Kim asked to participate in the Agricultural, Natural and Cultural Resources Subcommittee. The next meeting of the committee is November 16^th.
8. The meeting adjourned at 8:15 P.M. (Tim moves, Cyndi seconds).

Draft submitted by: Kenneth Bro, Chair, Town of Washburn Plan Commission (October 10, 2022).

Plan Commission Report

The commission recommends that the Town Board approve a driveway permit for Phil and Catlin Kraus and, after they apply, recommend county approval of the Class A Special Use Permit to construct a residence in an Agriculture‑1 zoning district, if their proposal is consistent with the development plan shown on their driveway permit sketch (below).

The commission proposes to lead a community field visit of the closed landfill on South Maple Hill Rd. at 3:30 P,M, on Sunday, October 16^th.

Plan Commission Minutes

Town of Washburn

Outdoors at Town Hall

Tuesday, September 6, 2022

Members present: Kim Bro (chair), Cyndi Belanger (secretary), Tim Schwenzfeier (vice chair), Hallie Sandberg.

Members absent:. Jim Park (town board representative).

Town Road Supervisor: Mike Harvey.

Others present: Tim Heil.

1. Chairman Bro called the meeting of the commission to order at 7:15 P.M. and verified its legal notification (posted at town hall and Tetzner Dairy) on September 4, 2022 and on town website.
2. At 6:15 P.M. the commission conducted a site visit of the 5.5‑acre parcel of Jake and Lynne Waatti who wish to install a residence and construct a residence in an Agriculture 1 zoning district ((~W½ SW¼NW¼ Section 12 T.48N R.5W; Tax ID#:38844; 74550 Bjork Rd). The owners propose to place a driveway across a deep road ditch and under the Xcel Energy transmission line to a wooded area. The owners marked the proposed location of their driveway, house, and septic mound system. The proposed building site is on relatively level transitional soils (sand-over-clay) with several large, exposed boulders. Make Harvey recommended that, because of the depth of the road ditch, a large quantity of fill will be needed, and he recommends a 40‑foot long culvert in order to maintain adequate side slopes on the driveway fill. A 16‑inch culvert would be adequate because only a relatively small area drains to the proposed driveway. Several additional trees will need to be removed in order to meet the width requirements of the town driveway ordinance. Because of the relatively level conditions of the building site, there is little potential for erosion, and the site is set back from the road in a wooded area so that the scenic character of the property is maintained.At 6:50 P.M. the commission conducted a site visit with Tim Heil of his and Rose Speiler-Sandberg’s 30‑acre parcel where the owners wish to provide a simple driveway access point to their property on McKinley Road (SE¼SE¼ minus N½ N½ Section 35 T.49N R.5W; Tax ID #37919; ~75615 McKinley Rd). The road ditch is relatively deep at the point where the owners wish to provide access to a former hayfield. Make Harvey recommended that, because of the depth of the road ditch, a large quantity of fill will be needed, and he recommends a 40‑foot long culvert in order to maintain adequate side slopes on the driveway fill.  A 16‑inch culvert would be adequate because only a relatively small area drains to the proposed driveway. There minimal potential for erosion problems and the proposed location provides adequate visibility for the road curve to the west and a hill to the east.
3. The minutes of the August 7, 2022 meeting were approved (Cyndi moves, Hallie seconds).
4. The commission recommended (Tim moves, Cyndi seconds) that the town board approve the driveway permit and recommend approval of the county Class A Special Use Permit for Jake and Lynne Waatti to construct a driveway and build a residence in an Agriculture‑1 zoning district. The commission recommends that the owners first meet with Mike Harvey to identify which additional trees need to be removed in order to meet the width requirements for a driveway (Drive. Ord. S.4). The site maintains the rural character of the area (Policy #8.1.e), and there is little potential for erosion of the transitional soils.  (pp.8‑30). The commission recommends a 40‑foot long and 16‑inch diameter culvert in the road ditch because of depth of the ditch and the limited area drained to the ditch at this location.

5. The commission recommended (Cyndi moves, Hallie seconds) that the town board approve the driveway permit for simple access off of McKinley Road for Rose Speiler-Sandberg and Tim Heil. The location will meet the visibility requirements for access to the town road (Drive. Ord. S.4). The commission recommends a 40‑foot long and 16‑inch diameter culvert in the road ditch because of depth of the ditch and the limited area drained to the ditch at this location.

6. The commission recommends (Tim moves, Cyndi seconds) that the town board recommend approval of the county Class A Special Use Permit for Lynn and Danial Catlin to place a recreational vehicle on their 5 acre parcel at 76395 Church Corner Rd (S½NE¼ NE¼ SE¼ Section 33 T49N R5W; Tax ID#31165). The town board previously approved the driveway at this site.

7. The commission recommends (Hallie moves, Cyndi seconds) that, after the owners submit their county application, the town board recommend approval of the county Class A Special Use Permit for Ryan and Andrea Collins to replace their residence that burned down at 20 acre parcel at 30490 County Hwy C (E½SE¼SW¼ Section 25 T.49N R.5W; Tax ID#30983) in a Forestry‑1 zoning district. The conditions are the same as those when the commission reviewed the permit application and August 2020.
8. The commission discussed scheduling a site visit of the old landfill on Sunday afternoon October 16 and other site visits and a meeting on Tuesday evening October 4, 2022 with a meeting at 7:00 P.M.at the town hall.
9. The meeting adjourned at 7:41 P.M. (Tim moves, Hallie seconds).

Draft submitted by: Kenneth Bro, Chair, Town of Washburn Plan Commission (September 13, 2022).

Plan Commission Report

The commission recommends that the Town Board approve a driveway permit and recommend county approval of the Class A Special Use Permit for Jake and Lynne Waatti to construct a residence in an Agriculture‑1 zoning district. Before constructing the driveway, the owners should remove additional trees to meet the driveway requirements for six- feet of clear area on either side of the driveway base. The commission recommends a 40‑foot long and 16‑inch diameter culvert in the road ditch.

The commission recommends that the Town Board approve the driveway permit for Rose Speiler-Sandberg and Time Heil to provide access to their property.. The commission recommends a 40‑foot long and 16‑inch diameter culvert in the road ditch.

The commission recommends that the Town Board recommend county approval of the Class A Special Use Permit for Lynn and Danial Catlin to place a recreational vehicle on their property.

The commission recommends that, after Ryan and Andrea Collins submit the county the Class A Special Use Permit for replacing a residence in a Forestry‑1 zoning district, that the Town Board recommend county approval to replace their residence that burned down.