Letter to the Upson County Commissioners

OPEN LETTER TO UPSON COUNTY COMMISSIONERS

When I first learned of the buried garbage on my property, I notified EPD. Their
recommendation for resolving the issue was to encase it in a modern MSW landfill. My
next call was to Chad Jacobs, Upson County's head of planning and zoning. When Mr.
Jacobs met with me at the site, I asked him specifically if Upson County had a Solid
Waste Management Plan (SWMP). He said he didn't know but would look. I phoned
him twice after that requesting that he find out about the SWMP.

Without the benefit of ever seeing or knowing of the SWMP, I applied for a zoning
change on the property with the intention of building a modem, high-tech, lined MSW
landfill, which would have eliminated the current groundwater infiltration. Mr. Jacobs
raised some questions to which I responded, but my answers were never relayed to the
planning commission, and I was not given time to answer them at their meeting.

My application caused considerable controversy for which I was vilified and peI1iOnally
attacked at the 14 February 2011 planning commission meeting. When I complained in
an email to one of your members the following day, Mr. Jacobs received a copy of that
email. Within a few hours, I received a copy of Upson County's SWMP. The date on
the email in which Mr. Jacobs received this document was 13 January 201 I, over A
MONTI.I before the meeting. Mr. Jacobs' refusal or negligence in sending me this much-requested document caused considerable consternation and bad feelings within the
community.

Had I received a copy of Upson County's SWMP in a timely manner, I would have never
applied for a rezoning to build a landfill. It is obvious from the SWMP that Upson will
have decades of landfill usage from two adjoining counties. I know that it would be
nearly impossible to get a landfill permitted in Upson County with that out-of-county
usage available. Mr. Jacobs owes me a public apology (newspaper and radio) and $300.
One problem still remains. The groundwater in and around Kings Mountain and Salter
Mountain is still being affected from the buried garbage on my property. While it is
perfectly legal the way it is, Upson County has a duty to mitigate the damages they
caused by operating and subsequently permitting this dump. I realize how much it would
cost 10 cure the issue, and I have asked EPD if there is funding available for such a
project. I request that the County aid in the formal requests to EPD as well and in some
percentage of matching funds should that be required.

Sincerely,

Ron Anderson