Kenny Cook, Miami County planning director, summarized a Planning Commission approval for an application to use an out‑site land farm to treat soil contaminated by a gas-station release near north Paola.

Cook said the land farm operator would place contaminated soils inside bermed cells, spread the soils in approximately 6‑inch layers, irrigate and disk the material at least once a month to promote volatilization and biological degradation. “From talking with the state of Kansas… they typically believe that these land farm operations really usually treat the soil within I think a 5 to 8 month period,” Cook said. The operator will take samples and run lab tests; if samples meet state standards the soil can be returned to agricultural production without restrictions.

Cook said the Planning Commission voted in favor of the land‑farm application by a 7–0 vote. The staff report estimated between 55 and 85 loads of soil would be hauled to the site, with a maximum of 40 loads in a single day; most hauling would be on paved roads with about 0.68 miles past pavement end and roughly three‑quarters of a mile of gravel access remaining. A condition was refined so that any damage to site entrance or culvert would be the applicant’s responsibility; the Planning Commission narrowed the earlier recommended language to focus on site entrance and culvert rather than “any public infrastructure.”

Cook said he expected minimal long‑term impacts because treated soil is returned to agricultural production after lab confirmation, though rain and other conditions can extend treatment time. The Planning Commission recommended approval; the item will be forwarded to the Board of County Commissioners for final action.