PHARSALIA – Due to the immense damage and leftover debris in Broome County from tropical storm Lee, county officials there have requested the use of landfills in Chenango and Cortland.

The Chenango County Board of Supervisors addressed the request during their monthly meeting on Monday, and determined that a public hearing would have to be held to decide whether they could temporarily amend a local law that bans the importing of solid waste to the local landfill.

Public Works Director Randy Gibbon explained the law has existed since the landfill was constructed in order to limit the amount of solid waste each year. He went on to say that Broome County had asked for permission to transport at least 10-15,000 tons of storm debris over a period of three months to the Pharsalia landfill, and possibly more.

According to Gibbon, the law could be temporarily modified to permit the solid waste and suggested charging $40 a ton, the reduced price normally given to companies or groups with large amounts of waste.