Environmental Protection Agency officials have dumped the idea of having a landfill at the Avtex Fibers Superfund site to handle rubble from the demolition of buildings there.

"There is no longer a need for construction of an on-site landfill. I’m confident enough we will save money in the long run, I’ve actually stopped the con-tracts for the landfill," EPA on-scene coordinator Michael Towle said Thurs day.

All of the debris from the demolition of buildings at the site will be shipped to other landfills, salvaged or used to fill holes left by the demolition, he said.

EPA officials decided two years ago that an on-site landfill at a cost of about $10 million would be the cheapest way of dealing with the debris.

Towle said that position has been re-evaluated because there is far less hazardous debris than had been originally expected.

"In the early days, a couple of years ago, it was thought we would be saving millions of dollars with a landfill on site," Towle said.

He said the volume of hazardous materials was reduced by washing down debris from the demolitions with high-pressure hoses.

Far more of the debris than had been expected has been cleaned up and can be salvaged rather than placed in landfills, he said. And some of the rubble, cement and bricks, can be cleaned up and used to fill huge holes left after the demolitions, he said.

There are "giant holes" about 20 feet deep remaining where the basements of buildings that have been torn down once stood, Towle said.

Abandoning the on-site landfill will save time and probably money, he said.

"The worst-case scenario is that off-site [disposal] will equal on-site disposal," Towle said. "It was $10 million for the landfill. I think I can get off-site [disposal] for $6 million."

Towle said his part of the cleanup of the site will be completed by the end of next year instead of after the year 2000.

"The bottom line is one of reduced cost and time and time is money," he said.

Warren County has plans to take over the site for redevelopment. Economic Development Authority Chairman William P. "Bill" Barnett said having no landfill there will help that effort.

"The idea of having a hazardous waste landfill in your community is not appealing," he said. "Certainly it will remove a certain stigma from the [planned industrial park at the site] when it’s ready to be developed. That would certainly reduce the perceived risk for anybody moving into an industrial park."

"A study completed this year calls for a mixed use at the site with light industrial and commercial uses, a hotel conference center and a nature preserve and recreational uses on the western half of the site. The landfill would have been located in the half west of the railroad tracks.

"It will make it more appealing for parkland and recreational use," Barnett said. "With the knowledge that the [Shenandoah] river occasionally floods, it’s something we will certainly welcome not having to deal with."

EPA spokesman Patrick Gaughan said that while Towle’s demolition portion will be completed sooner with the landfill off the drawing board, other work remains to be done.

Studies have been started to determine whether the EPA needs to clean up soil and ground water at the site, he said.

But the elimination of the landfill plans "are good news. We like the idea," he said. "We’re thrilled about it."

Avtex Fibers, which made rayon, closed its doors in 1989 after more than 2,000 violations of environmental laws. It was declared a federal Superfund site in 1986.