An application filed Nov. 4 for an extension adding 15 years of life to the DeKalb County Landfill will be up for review by the DeKalb County Board sometime between Feb. 2 and March 4.

The local landfill extension would involve either a vertical expansion to the existing site or a horizontal expansion which would add 35 acres to the landfill.

Ray Bockman, administrative aide to the county board, said, “Of the two possible expansions, the horizontal is the main issue here. We (the county board) need to review the application and look at the sub-soil conditions to see if they are adequate on that part of the land.”

The first date the county can start public hearings on the landfill is Feb. 2. Currently, a mandatory waiting period is in effect. Prior notice of the hearings must be given to the public, and the hearings must commence by March 4. All scheduled hearings must be completed on or before April 2.

County Board Member Don Lundeen said, “There is a long process of hearings. There is a series of legal hearings when we hear (of) something like an extension.”

Following a 30-day commencement period, the county must make a decision by May 3 as to whether the extension will take place. If the application is passed or a decision is not made by May 3, it might be passed to the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency.

Bockman said, “The county then has to act within the recommendation for approval by the EPA.”

Other matters under consideration include the appraisal of the adjacent property, located east of the existing site and south of the tollway.

Landfill owner Rodney Engstrom said if the horizontal expansion is approved, the life of the landfill could be extended up to 15 years.