The Southeastern Public Service Authority (SPSA) proposes to expand their regional landfill facility located in Suffolk, Virginia in order to increase their solid waste disposal capacity. SPSA is applying to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for a permit to expand their landfill operations and to authorize impacts to approximately 129 acres of wetlands under Section 404 of the Clean Water Act.  The granting of a permit would be considered a major federal action for the Norfolk District and requires analysis of the project under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969.

Norfolk District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will prepare an environmental impact statement (EIS) to meet NEPA requirements, as amended (42 USC 4321, et seq.); Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) Regulations (40 CFR Parts 1500-1509); and USACE (33 CFR 325).

Since 1985, the SPSA has served as the regional solid waste management authority for the cities of Chesapeake, Franklin, Norfolk, Portsmouth, Suffolk and Virginia Beach, as well as the counties of Isle of Wight and Southampton. SPSA’s service area is about 2,000 square miles and contains nearly 1.2 million residents, and has greater than 1 million tons of municipal solid waste generated within the service area per year.

Based on current and anticipated municipal waste tonnages the existing SPSA Regional Landfill in Suffolk will run out of capacity in 2027. In order to be adequately prepared to meet the needs of its member communities, SPSA proposes to increase the solid waste disposal capacity. The proposed expansion is part of SPSA’s long-term plan for providing critical disposal capacity for the region and is consistent with the Regional Solid Waste Management Plan for southeastern Virginia.

Environmental Impact Statement process

In order to meet NEPA requirements, Norfolk District intends to prepare a Draft EIS to evaluate the impacts of alternatives for implementation of the proposal. As part of the EIS process, the district will conduct scoping to provide information and solicit input from the public and other interested parties, as well as federal, state and local agencies.

During the scoping process, Norfolk District will have a Virtual Scoping Room available to provide information and allow for public comment. The district will consider all comments received during the scoping period in its preparation of the Draft EIS.

The Draft EIS will be available for public and agency review and comment. The district will then consider comments received during the review period, prepare a Final EIS and issue a final decision on the proposed project.  

This page will serve as a portal through which interested parties can track the progress of the EIS process and review pertinent information as it becomes available to the public.