NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Residents in Bordeaux are raising their voices against a city proposal to dump soil from a new stadium construction site at an old landfill in their community.
The plan, which involves transporting dirt from the new Nissan Stadium site to the old Bordeaux landfill, has been met with resistance and concern from area residents.
“We will not be dumped on. We will not be dumped on,” said Taurus McCain, a lifelong Bordeaux resident.
McCain recalled a time when the area was burdened with two landfills: one for household waste and another for construction debris on the Ashland City Highway.
“People don't realize we have an active dump currently in Bordeaux. So, when you talk about dumps, it's very sensitive to us, and they conflate the two of them,” McCain said.
The Old County Highway dump closed in 1996, but McCain fears it could be reopened.
“We’ve conditioned it to the point where now it can take on more trash, and that’s what we’re scared of,” he said.
This fear stems from a potential plan between Metro and Nissan Stadium, which involves finding a place to dispose of nearly 400,000 cubic yards of soil being excavated for the new stadium. The city has identified Bordeaux as a possible site for the dirt.
“At some point over the next several years, we will need to continue to replenish the dirt that’s there and we’ve looked at a variety of potential future uses,” said Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell.
However, O’Connell said that this proposal does not signal a reopening of the landfill.
“Let’s start up front and say that landfill is permanently closed. There was never a conversation and will not be a conversation about reopening it.”
Mayor's Office in a statment say reopening the landfill is something they would oppose and which current ordinances prohibit.
Old landfills need to be capped or covered to prevent waste and contamination from seeping through. Despite reassurances, residents like McCain remain concerned about the safety of the soil and the possibility of the old landfill being reopened.
“We wanted them to hear that dumping on us without our permission, without even talking to us, is unacceptable,” McCain said.
Representatives from Nissan Stadium assured that soil from construction sites is tested and typically repurposed for other project sites in need of dirt.
A spokesperson say the route the fill would take would avoid residential areas and keep streets clean. Discussions related to that plan are ongoing, and local residents can have confidence in Metro's commitment to the protection and maintenance of the closed landfill.
Do you have more information about this story? You can email me at (kelsey.gibbs@newschannel5.com).
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