April 9, 2026
By TIM HUNDT
VIROQUA Wis. – The Viroqua Common Council approved the physical footprint for its multi-million dollar landfill gas extraction system Tuesday taking a major step toward resolving an ongoing environmental crisis at the old city dump.
The environmental crisis began unfolding in early 2025. The site which originally operated as a traditional town dump in the 1960s was formally closed and capped with clay in 1992. For decades the site seemed stable until a utility crew working in the area identified high gas readings near an adjacent church.
Testing revealed that the passive gas vents installed during the 1992 closure were failing to capture the methane generated by decomposing organic garbage. Instead the gas was finding the path of least resistance through a layer of clean porous sand located underneath the buried waste allowing the methane to migrate horizontally off the property. Following these discoveries the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources issued a notice of noncompliance on May 27 2025 ordering the city to take immediate action to address the explosive gases.
The city quickly hired environmental consultant TRC to map the extent of the problem and implement emergency measures. Over the past year crews installed more than 20 monitoring probes around the perimeter of the east and west landfill sites to track the underground gas migration. To protect the neighboring church the city excavated a 225 foot test trench and attached a temporary rented mechanical blower to vacuum the gas away from the building.
Simultaneously city officials took steps to protect the new Hanson Farm housing and commercial development currently being constructed just north of the landfill. The city approved roughly $160,000 dollars to install an underground clay and gravel cut off trench to serve as a barrier preventing gas from migrating into the new subdivision.
While those temporary and preventative measures bought the city time officials had to decide on a permanent fix. Consultants determined that physically excavating and hauling the old garbage to a modern facility was financially impossible with estimates reaching $100 million. The city also evaluated a cheaper $1.5 million dollar passive venting system but consultants warned it had less than a 30 percent chance of succeeding in the highly permeable sandy soil.
Instead the city opted to pursue an active gas extraction system. The preliminary design relies on an underground header pipe connecting 43 to 64 extraction wells drilled directly into the waste. These wells act like giant straws connected to a mechanical blower that vacuums the methane out of the ground. The gas will then be routed to a 20 foot flare to be safely burned off.
The financial burden on the city will be substantial. Initial construction of the active extraction system is estimated to cost between $2.2 million and $2.5 million dollars. Beyond the upfront capital costs local taxpayers will also have to fund the continuous operation of the system. Consultants estimate it will cost between $30,000 and $50,000 dollars annually for the electricity and maintenance required to run the industrial vacuum blowers. Because the buried organic material will continue to decompose city officials anticipate the mechanical system will need to run for 20 years or more before the gas levels naturally subside.
City officials voted unanimously to place the mechanical blowers and a 20 foot gas flare in a low lying wooded area located between the east and west sections of the closed landfill near Chicago Avenue. The chosen site sits in a space currently used by the city for winter snow storage just north of the mobile home court.
City Engineer Sarah Grainger presented the location recommendation to the council after consulting with environmental firm TRC. Grainger explained that the active gas extraction system acts like a giant vacuum pulling methane out of the ground through a network of underground pipes. Because the system pulls condensation along with the gas the pipes must rely on gravity to drain the liquid properly making the placement of the central blowers a critical engineering hurdle.
Consultants originally considered placing two separate blower stations on each side of the landfill but ultimately recommended consolidating the equipment onto a single skid to save money.
“Obviously we need electricity so we need to get electricity out to that spot,” said Grainger. “We also lose some efficiency, like we only need one flare instead of two because we would need one at each blower.”
Finding a central location was difficult because heavy mechanical equipment cannot be placed directly on top of buried waste. As the garbage breaks down and settles the shifting ground would destroy the equipment foundation,. Grainger noted the selected snow storage area is one of the few spots on the property without buried waste and it offers the best distance from existing and future neighborhoods,.
“I would say it is probably the spot you are going to be furthest away from all residents and buildings,” said Grainger.
The council spent significant time discussing the impact the equipment will have on nearby residents particularly regarding constant noise and the visual of a burning gas flare. Grainger shared a report from a TRC noise expert detailing how the sound will dissipate before reaching the mobile home court.
The report indicated the blowers will generate about 80 decibels of noise at the source. However the sound will drop to 32 decibels at the southern property line and fade to 29 decibels by the time it reaches the nearest residence roughly 350 feet away,.
“A sound level of 29 to 32 is considered very quiet,” said Grainger. “It is equivalent to leaves rustling or soft music and it is almost certainly below the existing background sound level at the property line.”
Grainger also addressed concerns about the 20 foot tall flare which will burn off the extracted methane. She explained that utilizing the lower elevation of the snow storage area will help camouflage the flame.
“Having it in a lowish area is better,” said Grainger.
Grainger added that she checked with the local airport manager and confirmed the 20 foot flare will not violate any airspace height restrictions. Furthermore the existing trees in the area will provide a natural visual buffer and the burning flare will eliminate any potential methane odors. The decision allows TRC engineers to finalize the piping layout for the active extraction system.
Alderperson Tanja Birke made the formal motion to approve the location of the gas extraction design. The motion was seconded by Alderperson Seth McClurg and passed unanimously by a voice vote.
Add comment