The Lafarge Alpena cement plant needs to make its on-site landfill bigger.

While doing so, the plant also will make it better, a Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy official told News staff writer Julie Riddle for a recent story.

The expansion will quadruple the number of liners under the landfill area and sensors will detect even a pinprick-sized hole, John Ozoga, the assistant district supervisor for the Materials Management Division of EGLE who has monitored Lafarge’s landfill for decades, told Riddle.

The landfill is designed to protect the community from cement kiln dust — or CKD — which can leach into soil and contaminate groundwater.

Lafarge will still mechanically dewater the fill and has tripled the money it pledged as good-faith evidence it will keep pumping the water in the future.

With the changes, the landfill would rival those found anywhere else in the state, in looks and in safety, Ozoga told Riddle.

Little is as important as protecting groundwater, and we’re happy to see Lafarge taking serious steps to keep the groundwater around Alpena safe from contamination.

The public has the right to comment on the proposed changes and can contact Ozoga at ozogaj@michigan.gov for more information. We hope residents do take a look at the proposed changes and offer their thoughts.

However, at first blush and based on Ozoga’s assessment, it sounds like the Lafarge landfill expansion will be a good thing for the community.