Prairie View Landfill Expansion Plans Take Shape as Consultants Navigate Design Challenges

Will County Landfill Committee Meeting | Jan. 13, 2026

Article Summary: Geologic Associates presented a detailed status update on the proposed expansion of the Prairie View Landfill, outlining a dual approach that includes both vertical and horizontal growth. Consultants revealed a complex engineering solution involving a diversion berm and pulley system to manage leachate collection as new cells are constructed over existing infrastructure.

Landfill Expansion Key Points:

• Expansion Strategy: The county is pursuing both vertical (upward) and horizontal (outward) expansion simultaneously.

• Engineering Challenge: A significant hurdle involves maintaining leachate collection from the existing landfill while building new cells on top of it. Consultants designed a 94-foot-wide phase delineation berm and a “pipe within a pipe” pulley system to address this.

• Soil Pile Obstacle: A large soil stockpile remains on site without a current plan for relocation, necessitating the dual-track design approach. Discussions with neighboring Local 150 regarding land acquisition have stalled but may be restarted.

The Will County Board Landfill Committee received a comprehensive update on Tuesday, January 13, 2026, regarding the ongoing design and planning for the Prairie View Landfill expansion.

Marty Fallon of Geologic Associates, the county’s landfill consultant, presented the latest engineering schematics, highlighting the project’s complexity. The expansion strategy involves a “piggyback” design where new landfill cells will be constructed partially on top of the existing waste mound.

“One of the challenges that we’ve had here with this horizontal expansion… we’re going to cover up a portion of the existing landfill,” Fallon explained. This creates a conflict with the existing leachate collection sumps.

To solve this, consultants have designed a massive 94-foot-wide “phase delineation berm” to separate the old and new sections. Within this berm, they plan to install a specialized diversion system featuring a 24-inch pipe housing a smaller 12-inch pipe with a pulley mechanism. This “straw within a straw” design will allow pumps to be retrieved for maintenance even after they are buried under tons of new waste.

Fallon also addressed a critical logistical issue: a large soil stockpile currently occupying space needed for the horizontal expansion. “Currently we don’t have a plan to move that,” Fallon stated, noting that off-site relocation is required.

This issue sparked discussion about reviving negotiations with Local 150, which owns adjacent property. Chuck Helston, outside counsel for the county, confirmed that previous confidential discussions had stalled but expressed willingness to re-engage at the committee’s direction.

Committee Chair David Oxley suggested a creative solution for the union: “Perhaps they could use that as training for their employees and their apprentices to move that dirt to that pile.” Helston agreed to raise the idea again.

The expansion is not expected to disrupt operations at the adjacent Renewable Natural Gas (RNG) plant. “It won’t be any disruption to the [RNG plant] none,” Fallon assured the committee.