Paul EvansJASPER, Tenn. — City leaders have gotten a reprieve from the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation after they found an approved site to burn the debris picked up from residential areas.
TDEC shut down Jasper’s old burn pit in early January after a single complaint prompted a state inspection of the city’s disposal area.
The facility was in compliance with all but one state statute, which required that it be located at least a half-mile from an industrial site.
The burn pit was about 200 yards from Tennessee Galvanizing Inc., so TDEC barred its use.
The Jasper Board of Mayor and Aldermen decided to discontinue that removal service for residents because its members didn’t think the city could afford to pay for the use of a local landfill.