Holtan Hills Construction Unearths Decades-Old Landfill

Material recovered from a decades-old dump is stored beneath a tarp (left). (Photo by Soren Wuerth

By Soren Wuerth

TNews Editor

Workers constructing a municipal access road for a planned subdivision encountered tons of garbage from a landfill that was only partially excavated decades ago. 

Crews piled old car parts, crushed propane tanks and other debris into a 20-foot high mound and covered it with a white tarp. The clean up has caused construction delays for road and sewer line access for the 60-acre "Holtan Hills" development, according to a municipal official.

Refuse was uncovered at least two weeks ago. Questions sent to a municipal point-person were answered in a brief response Friday that verified the finding.

"Material needed to be excavated, sorted and tested prior to disposal which has caused a short delay in construction," wrote public involvement coordinator Kenny Friendly. "However, the project is still scheduled to be completed by September 30."

As of Saturday, the material remained on site. Calls and emails sent to a state agency that oversees contaminated sites did not respond to questions as of Friday, so whether the rubbish containes dangerous and toxic contaminates is still unknown.

Though Friendly's email suggested landfill material has been excavated, he wrote in another part of the message that "additional garbage/debris needs to be removed" before paving a road and bike path. 

Crews working on the $2.5 million, municipal-funded access to the subdivision weren't aware of the landfill. A state Department of Conservation update, issued in October, 2022, reports the landfill was closed in 1974 and "retired" in 1980.

In 2002, after foul-smelling sludge was noticed near the Girdwood School, regulators excavated refuse and contaminated dirt beneath the school playground and refilled the area with clean material. 

A "large portion of this landfill was removed and shipped to Anchorage in 2002," according to a DEC report.