By PHYLLIS ZORN

Staff writer

Marion County transfer station’s trailers were too full to accept debris left by flooding in Durham, and county commissions would like to change that.

A plan for mutual aid in times of natural disasters is to be developed after county commission chairman Kent Becker spoke to transfer station director Bud Druse last week about the county not being able to pick up two full containers of flood debris.

Becker said Durham’s mayor had contacted him the weekend after the flood to say the transfer station declined to pick up two full roll-off containers Waste Connections had brought for flood debris.

Becker said the mayor told him he’d asked if the county would pick them up and been told the transfer station did not have room for them.

Waste Connections arranged to take the roll-off containers to Harvey County’s transfer station.

The county has a contract with Butler County to take refuse to a landfill at El Dorado.

“I have four trailers, and when they’re full I have no place to take it,” Druse said. “Butler County closes early on Saturday. By the time we could have gotten anything in for the trailers and gotten anything hauled, Butler County was closed.”

Becker told Druse to talk with surrounding counties and see if a mutual aid agreement can be formed to help in times of disaster, and Druse agreed to call and see what could be arranged.