Residents have an opportunity to speak out today on proposed changes to an Adams County landfill.

Adams County supervisors will hold a 9 a.m. public hearing today to hear input on G.R. Disposal’s request to allow the company to dispose of wood waste products in its existing Washington landfill.

The company currently has county permission to dispose of nontoxic deinking sludge from Mississippi River Corp’s Natchez plan.

Before G.R. Disposal can begin accepting the waste products from International Paper’s Natchez mill and the Georgia Pacific plant in Amite County, supervisors are required to modify the Natchez-Adams County Solid Waste Management Plan.

The waste products would include wood items such as bark, wood chips and fly ash – a waste product from the Georgia Pacific mill.

The site is located about five miles east of Washington on Cedar Grove Plantation, near Triad Disposal – a landfill used for disposal of wood products.

Some residents who live near the landfill are opposed to the change and fear what it may do to their property values.

&uot;If you have the odor of a dump and contaminated water who wants to buy your property,&uot;&160;said Eleanor Niven.

She said residents worry that changing the regulations will only open the door for G.R. Disposal to dump hazardous items in the landfill in the future.

&uot;It’s just upgrading it to take more lethal things that makes us concerned about it,&uot; she said.

And many people in the area have private wells that are not very deep and may be easily contaminated, Niven said.

Frank Heathman said he is does not mind if wood products are disposed in the area but he is also concerned about water contamination if other items are placed in the site.

And Heathman, who lives about 5,000 feet from the site, said the odor from the deinking sludge is a problem on some days.

&uot;The main problem I have with it is now is the smell,&uot; he said. &uot;It smells like raw sewage.&uot;

The residents also worry if they can be sure the dumping regulations will be followed and enforced, he said.

Supervisor Lynwood Easterling, who represents the residents near the landfill, said people have called him with concerns about the landfill.

&uot;I’m just going to be open-minded about (the hearing) and listen to both sides but my concern is for the citizens that live in that area,&uot; he said.

Gerry Winters of G.R. Disposal Inc. declined comment Friday pending today’s hearing.