BURNETTOWN — The Rabbit Hill landfill planned for the Burnettown area of Aiken County and that drew strong opposition from residents last summer when the state approved its permit for a site next to Jefferson Elementary is still in the court system, with oral arguments in the case scheduled to take place this month.

Citizens are arguing that their area has become a go-to dumping ground just for its industrial history that left behind a handful of federally designated clean-up sites due to the lingering pollution this industry caused.

Further, citizens argue that the route to approval on the Rabbit Hill landfill was dubious, hinging on what their legal backers allege is a “loophole” in the permitting process: Rabbit Hill was approved as a “replacement” landfill for Graniteville’s Hilltop landfill, a site much smaller than Rabbit Hill will be.