Adams County out of money to maintain old IP landfill

NATCHEZ, Miss. – Adams County supervisors are trying to find funds for maintaining an old waste dump and other land once used by the now-closed International Paper mill.

The local government agency in charge of the properties has run out of money and can’t come up with the $30,000 or so a year needed, said Chandler Russ, who heads the St. Catherine Creek Utility Authority.

“It’s tough and it’s not something I wanted to bring forward, but it’s something we need to figure out,” Russ told the five Adams County supervisors Monday.

The obscure government entity maintains the dormant landfill and other unusable land by the old IP site, said Russ, who’s also chief executive of Natchez Inc., the city-county industrial recruitment agency.

Created in 2007 by state law, the St. Catherine Creek Utility Authority is run by a board headed by Russ and other members appointed by Adams County supervisors. It received about $100,000 from the county in its early years for the costs of the 144-acre landfill’s upkeep and other tracts tied to the old IP property, which the county bought in 2013 for new industrial development. The utility agency’s money has dried up, Russ said.

The $30,000 a year needed includes the costs of cutting grass, curbing soil erosion and paying $8,000 for environmental insurance to cover pollution liabilities, he said. The landfill – located by Col. John Pitchford Parkway — seeps liquid waste from rainwater running through it.

The landfill causes “a lot of problems out there for us and is a big hurdle to overcome,” said Adams County road manager Robbie Dollar, who oversees the county’s public works operations.

As county officials discussed how to find money for the utility authority’s depleted coffers, Russ suggested the county could possibly use $17,500 it has from an industrial development grant from the state and another $215,000 grant that requires the county to match on a partial basis.

Adams County board President Angela Hutchins said they’ll also look into using federal funds from the American Rescue Act that the U.S. Congress enacted in March to help state and local governments recover from the COVID pandemic’s economic repercussions. Adams County is receiving  $5.9 million, according to the National Association of Counties. Funds can be used for water and sewer infrastructure, but county officials said they’re still awaiting more federal guidelines on how that money can be spent.

IP closed its paper mill in 2003. The 478-acre property where the plant stood on Lower Woodville and Carthage Point roads is being parceled out to new industries. The Adams County Board of Supervisors bought it eight years ago for $9 million.