Levelland opens disaster resource center; landfill at capacity for household waste

Levelland — City staff announced the disaster resource center is open and urged residents affected by the May storm to register with FEMA and visit the center for assistance. Staff said the center has received about 27 registrations and hosts representatives from FEMA, the Small Business Administration, South Plains Community Action and the Red Cross.

Staff warned the council that debris removal remains the largest ongoing challenge after the storm. Crews report recurring dumping at cleared debris piles, and staff asked residents not to add to cleared piles. The city provides roll-off dumpsters in some cases to help owners clear debris, but repeated dumping slows progress.

In separate remarks, staff read a memo stating that Levelland’s landfill, permitted by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality as an arid-exempt facility, has reached its annual capacity for type 1 household waste. The permit limits acceptance to 7,300 tons per year for household waste and 7,300 tons for type 4 construction and demolition material. Because the type 1 capacity has been reached, staff said the city cannot accept additional household waste at the landfill for roughly the next two months and that Republic (the contracted hauler) will need to transport material to out-of-area landfills, which can delay pickups.

Staff asked councilmembers to help communicate delays and alternative disposal options to residents, and to discourage scavenging or adding to cleared debris piles. Councilmembers thanked staff and partner agencies for cleanup progress while noting the frustration residents feel when pickups take longer than usual.