Wilson County solid-waste staff told the county board at a May 1 meeting that they have suspended deliveries from Rockwood after two groundwater-monitoring wells near the county landfill began triggering contamination alerts.

The pause, which the county described as an operational suspension rather than a formal board action, follows engineer recommendations that gypsum, drywall and crushed wood in Rockwood’s incoming loads are producing volatile chemicals and fine dust that may be affecting monitoring results. “We have had to suspend operations with Rockwood,” Solid Waste Director Smith said, adding that the county is working with the state and its engineer on a course of action.

The interruption will hit landfill revenue, Smith said. The landfill activity report in the commission packet showed “a little over 57,000” for April and a year-to-date increase of “423,000,” figures Smith provided at the meeting; she said the county expects a noticeable revenue drop next month because Rockwood deliveries produced revenue the county will not receive while the suspension continues. Smith also said the county will continue to accept cardboard, plastics and electronics through Rockwood under separate arrangements.

Why it matters: county staff said two monitoring wells located where Rockwood loads had been placed are showing elevated results and the state will likely place the facility into assessment monitoring. That step typically requires more frequent testing and oversight; Smith said assessment monitoring usually lasts “six months to a year.” County engineers told commissioners that if testing shows the triggers decline after Rockwood shipments stop, that would indicate the Rockwood material is the likely cause.

At the meeting staff described operational trade-offs tied to the suspension: to prevent further impacts to monitoring wells, the county will instead haul larger items as open-top loads directly to the landfill, increasing transport time and fuel costs and placing the county “back to where we were square one before Rockwood started bringing us the revenue,” Smith said. Staff also noted that some mixed construction and demolition materials may need classification as waste requiring disposal at a Class I landfill, which would add cost and logistics complexity.

Staff also reported other waste-system trends at the meeting: recycling revenue was reported up about $2,480 compared with the same month last year, but Smith cautioned prices for newspaper, cardboard and metal are falling in the market. She said neighboring counties are offloading bulky items (mattresses, couches) to Wilson County, increasing loads at convenience centers and creating capacity strain; the county ran 23 loads totaling 552 cubic yards and estimated $9,936 in value during a recent spring cleanup, figures Smith provided.

Board reaction and next steps: commissioners asked staff about the monitoring and whether Rockwood was the likely source; Smith said the county started using Rockwood in October and the timing and engineer analysis point to Rockwood materials as the cause. Commissioners praised the county landfill’s local capacity and urged staff to continue proactive testing. Smith said staff will increase monitoring frequency on the two affected wells, coordinate with state environmental staff on assessment monitoring, and report back to the board. The board approved receipt of the solid-waste report by voice vote.

The county did not provide a specific timeline for lifting the suspension; staff said the duration depends on state approval and monitoring results. The county also did not specify the exact substance(s) detected beyond describing volatile chemicals and the suspected contributing materials (gypsum, drywall, crushed wood).