March 11, 2026
By TIM HUNDT
VIROQUA Wis. – The Viroqua City Council took another step Tuesday March 10 toward addressing methane migration at the closed municipal landfill by holding a public hearing for a potential federal loan. City Engineer Sarah Grainger explained that the city is applying for a United States Department of Agriculture Rural Development loan to help cover the steep cost of an active gas extraction system.
The old city dump, which is now two sections on either side of Chicago Ave., was closed in 1992 but began showing signs of methane migration in early 2025 when gas was detected near an adjacent church. Grainger noted the state Department of Natural Resources ordered the city to address the issue immediately forcing the city to begin designing a comprehensive solution.
The Issue
- The Discovery: In early 2025, high levels of methane gas were detected migrating off the property of the closed Viroqua city landfill on Sands Road, originally showing up near an adjacent church.
- DNR Mandate: The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) issued a notice of noncompliance, requiring the city to immediately address the migrating explosive gases to ensure they do not exceed regulatory limits beyond the property boundaries.
Steps Taken (2025-2026)
- Spring/Summer 2025: The city hired environmental consultant TRC, installed initial monitoring probes, and excavated a 225-foot test trench with passive vents on the east side of the site. Because the passive trench was insufficient to stop the gas on its own, a temporary rented mechanical blower was attached to keep gas levels below the regulatory limit near the church.
- Winter 2025-2026: Crews installed over 20 additional monitoring probes around the entire perimeter of the east and west landfills to map the full extent of the gas migration, as demanded by the DNR.
- January 2026: The city approved an up to $160,000 contract change order to install a clay and gravel cut-off trench on the north side of the landfill. This trench serves as a redundant barrier to protect the adjacent Hanson Farm housing development.
Where Things Are Now
- System Selection: In February 2026, the Public Works Committee officially recommended moving forward with the design of an “active gas extraction system” estimated to cost between $2.2 million and $2.5 million. Consultants warned that a cheaper $1.5 million passive system had less than a 30 percent chance of success due to the porous sandy geology under the landfill.
- Design & Operation: The proposed active system will utilize an underground header pipe connecting 43 to 64 wells to mechanical blowers, operating like a giant vacuum to pull methane out of the ground before it can migrate. Operating the blowers is expected to cost the city an estimated $30,000 to $50,000 annually in electricity and maintenance, and it may need to run for 20 years or more.
- Funding the Project: On March 10, 2026, the Viroqua City Council held a public hearing to formally apply for a USDA Rural Development loan to help finance the multi-million dollar project. To offset the steep unbudgeted costs, the city is also aggressively pursuing federal Congressionally Directed Spending grants through the offices of Senator Tammy Baldwin and Representative Derrick Van Orden
Environmental consultant Mike Amstadt of TRC presented the council with the stark financial realities of the remediation options. He told the council that physically excavating and moving the buried waste to a modern facility was financially impossible.
“Based on the estimated quantities that we had and transportation tipping fees you are looking at somewhere in the $65 to $100 million dollars,” said Amstadt. “So that is not a viable option.”
Amstadt then broke down the difference between a passive venting system and the recommended active extraction system. A passive system relies on natural pressure to push gas through approximately 180 vents drilled 30 feet into the waste which would cost about 1.6 million dollars. However Amstadt estimated the probability of a passive system working at less than 30 percent because the existing vents and a recently installed test trench failed to stop the gas migration.
If the passive system failed the city would be forced to install the active system anyway wasting the initial investment.
“Out of that 180 vents you would only be using about 43 to 64 so you would be wasting money on putting vents in that you would not use in the active system,” said Amstadt.
Instead Amstadt detailed the plan for the active system which is estimated to cost between $2.2 and $2.5 million dollars. The system will use an underground header pipe connecting dozens of wells to a mechanical blower.
“The active system consists of 43 to 64 wells that will be connected by a header pipe and laterals to a blower basically a giant vacuum that will discharge which will pull a vacuum on the landfill,” said Amstadt. “If the gas is rich enough it will burn otherwise it will be just released to the atmosphere.”
The ultimate goal of the system is to achieve a zero methane reading at all of the monitoring probes surrounding the property. When asked by Alderperson Steve Willis how long the mechanical blowers would need to run Amstadt noted that the decomposing organic material could fuel the system for decades.
“It is very hard to say if you want to put it in best case worst case maybe five years would be best case,” said Amstadt. “But that probability is very low 20 years is probably more realistic.”
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