Landfills Figure Prominently in Austin’s Environmental Legacy

According to Austin’s 2004 Supplemental Assessment of Landfills, in the city’s vicinity there were 28 various dumps and waste-disposal locations added to the city’s list of environmental issues.

Austin landfill legacy

These landfills were a mix of public and private operations with some long closed and others still operating at that time. The waste received by these facilities included everything you’d expect being in need of disposal in any modern city in a developed country.

Municipal solid waste disposal was reported at 4500 Manor Road, 2100 Anderson Lane, Stratford Drive near Mopac, 500 Kemp St., Highway 71 and Hamilton Poole Road, 4500 Freidrich Lane, 11015 Sprinkle Cutoff Road, 7000 Highway 183 East at Turner Lane, 1000 Bastrop Highway and 3500 Susquehanna Lane.

Of course, there were a few illegal dumps receiving or processing wastes of known and unknown types and quantities. Those operated at 6410 and 6110 Harold Court, Webberville Road, Govalle Avenue and 4000 Loop 360 and 1111 Old Bastrop Highway.

Other locations of note include 10000 Burnet Road, where low level radioactive wastes, liquid chemical wastes and animal research wastes were handled. At Highway 290 East near the flea market, there was a landfill handling industrial solvents, acids and hydrocarbons. Over by 3500 Parker Lane, more industrial waste was disposed of, including solid and liquid chemicals and an unknown type and quantity of illegal waste.