OTHER LANDFILLS

Report Cautions Communities on Trash-Giant Casella

TEMPLETON—Citing a history of landfill expansions, environmental pollution, and anti-competitive behavior, Toxics Action Center released the 48-page report, Casella: Coming to a Community Near You?, which documents mounting concerns of Casella Waste Systems' landfill, incinerator and trash transfer station operations throughout the Northeast.

Over the past decade, Casella has grown to become one of the largest solid waste collection and disposal firms in the Northeast, operating more than 45 landfills and trash transfer facilities as well as 39 recycling facilities across the region. According to Casella, over the next five years the company wants to continue its expansion in the Northeast.

"Town officials and citizens must be aware of Casella's history of buying small landfill operations and working for dramatic expansion. Proposals by Casella Waste Systems to purchase a solid waste facility should be a yellow flag to any potential host community," said Jay Rasku, Massachusetts Field Director for Toxics Action Center. "Many of these facilities are operating despite the opposition of municipal officials and residents who are concerned about the threats these facilities pose to public health and the environment," added Rasku....read full article

Living in the shadow of a landfill

Residents say noxious odor travels for miles

By Austen Smith, Editor

PUBLISHED: June 8, 2006

Traci Brewer used to host picnics and family gatherings in the backyard of her Waltz Village home.

That was before "the dump" moved in.

"I had all my kids graduation parties in the backyard," Brewer said. "But that was before 2000. Now there are some days when you can't even go outside, the smell is just gagging."

Brewer, who lives in Huron Twp., along with nearly 100 other area residents living near Carleton Farms Landfill, or the dump as it is commonly called, are taking action. They have filed a class-action lawsuit in Wayne County Circuit Court seeking monetary damages in excess of $25,000...read full article

Homeowners and developers join forces to oppose larger landfills

Special Report: Quarterly Real Estate

Los Angeles Business Journal, Jan 25, 1993 by Bob Howard

Homeowners and developers fought on opposite sides through much of the 1980s, but the two have formed a rare alliance to oppose the proposed expansion of the Puente Hills landfill.

At issue, among many other questions, is whether the proposed expansion would reduce residential and commercial property values surrounding the landfill, which occupies a little over 1,300 acres in an unincorporated area of Los Angeles County's San Gabriel Valley...read full article

Landfill in Loudoun Makes List of Most Hazardous U.S. Sites

Jonathan Mummolo

Washington Post Staff Writer

20 March 2008

The Washington Post

A closed landfill in Loudoun County that health officials say probably contaminated nearby residential wells with a toxic chemical was added yesterday to a federal registry of the nation's most hazardous waste sites.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency added the 25-acre Hidden Lane Landfill in Sterling to its National Priorities List of Superfund sites. The designation means the agency will begin assessing the extent of the pollution and develop a plan to remove it, although it could take several years for the cleanup to be completed, said Roy Seneca, an EPA spokesman.

The landfill is the probable source of trichloroethylene, an agent linked to several types of cancer, that was first detected in two wells in the adjacent Broad Run Farms subdivision in 1989, officials said. The liquid solvent, known as TCE, is commonly used to degrease metal.

Loudoun residents were relieved to hear that the site, which was proposed for the Superfund list in September, had been approved and that a cleanup would be coming.

"People are ready to be done with it," said Eric DeJonghe, 43, who grew up in the subdivision and is president of the Broad Run Farms Civic Association....read full article

Energy created from gas at landfill

FRED CONTRADA STAFF

26 February 2008

The Republican

Hampshire/Franklin

ART: PHOTO

fcontrada@repub.com

The Department of Public Works has received a permit to hook additional flares into the vacuum system at the city's landfill.

NORTHAMPTON - In a high-tech version of taking life's lemons and making lemonade, Ameresco Energy Services began generating electricity yesterday from the foul-smelling gases at the city's landfill.

The Washington, D.C.-based company uses the methane produced by biodegrading organic matter in the landfill to generate power to sell on the grid. Officials are hoping that the system will simultaneously reduce the odors that have plagued neighbors for years.

As Department of Public Works Director Edward S. Huntley explained it, Ameresco draws the methane from both the capped and active portions of the landfill through perforated pipes.

Until now, much of that gas has been burned off by flares arising from the landfill. Although the flares burn at 98 percent efficiency, they do not completely eliminate methane odors.

Last summer, abutters complained that the smell from the landfill had worsened after several flares went out. Huntley said he does not know why four or five of the flares stopped burning but noted that the Department of Public Works has since installed thermal sensors that shut down the system when a flare goes out, stemming the escape of the methane gas. ..read full article

Bangor Daily News

April 8, 2008

Hampden: Landfill's gas collection system gets clogged

by Toni-Lynn Robbins

HAMPDEN, Maine - Two recent blockages in Pine Tree Landfill’s gas extraction system mean less electricity produced by the facility’s gas-to-energy project, and more foul odors emanating from the site.

One of about five large, 12-inch pipes that carry gas from the landfill to the energy project site was blocked Sunday, reducing the amount of gas collected by about one-third, said Marty Drew, general manager of the Hampden landfill. In addition to the larger blockage, seven 4-inch pipes on the west side of the landfill, which is perpendicular to the Papermill Road, also were backed up and gas has not been collected from that area since last week, he said.

After tweaking some valves, landfill technicians temporarily fixed the blockage in the larger pipe, and by midafternoon Monday all three gas-to-energy engines were running, Drew said. Despite the temporary solution, construction crews should be at the landfill as early as today to begin repairing or replacing the pipes, he said.

Town Manager Susan Lessard said she asked Drew to address the Town Council on Monday night, since residents and councilors have questioned the landfill’s latest stench.

"The problem that surfaced last week is not necessarily a surprise," Drew said, noting that as waste accumulates on top of the internal pipes, the infrastructure can sag or settle and create water blockages. "The right thing to do is to get it fixed for both reasons — energy production and odor."...read full article

Pine Tree Landfill Scaling Back

HAMPDEN/WEST OLD TOWN (NEWS CENTER) -- As part an agreement with the town of Hampden, the Pine Tree Landfill isn't accepting as much waste as it used to.

What's going on at the Pine Tree Landfill is an effort to reduce the odor as the landfill prepares to close in a couple years.

Starting June 1st, the landfill stopped accepting certain solid waste, residues, or waste treatment plant sludge. Officials say they are the types of waste that cause the most odor.

Now, that waste is going to the Juniper Ridge Landfill in West Old Town. So while people near the Hampden landfill say the air has gotten better, it's the opposite for those living near the landfill in West Old Town.

Those at the Juniper Ridge Landfill say they're doing all they can to keep the odor to a minimum, including trying to keep their work space small, covering the waste, and using misting machines.

Out-of-state waste, trucks dominate landfill review

By Aimee Dolloff

Thursday, October 19, 2006 - Bangor Daily News

BANGOR - The state’s solid waste commission met Wednesday to discuss compensation paid to towns that play host to waste facilities, but the discussion kept circling back to issues of out-of-state waste and overweight trash trucks.

The nine-member Blue Ribbon Commission on Solid Waste Management, made up of residents, past and present legislators and state department staff, spent the morning touring landfill facilities in Hampden and Old Town before reviewing regulations for host community benefit agreements later in the afternoon.

The committee called on Old Town City Manager Peggy Daigle and Don Meagher of Casella Waste Systems Inc., a solid waste management company, to provide testimony of their personal experiences regarding host community agreements. Casella owns and operates Pine Tree Landfill in Hampden and operates the state-owned Juniper Ridge in Old Town. Both communities negotiated host community benefits that provide compensation for municipalities that are affected by waste facilities.

Daigle told the commission that Old Town spent more than $125,000 in legal costs alone to negotiate its host agreement.

"A smaller community than Old Town might have a difficult time coming up with the resources," she said. Daigle noted that city regulations cannot be more stringent than those of the state....read full article

Gas testing at Pine Tree Landfill wrapping up

By Jackie Farwell

Saturday, August 05, 2006 - Bangor Daily News

HAMPDEN - Pine Tree Landfill's gas extraction system will return to full operation Monday with the conclusion of a two-week shutdown designed to track landfill gases.

Landfill and state Department of Environmental Protection officials had kept open the possibility of extending the shutdown, but decided Friday enough information had been collected, Don Meagher, manager of planning and development for Casella Waste Systems Inc., which owns the landfill, said Friday.

"There's a lot of data to analyze, evaluate and write a report on," he said.

The shutdown is designed to identify the amount and direction of gases escaping from the conventional landfill, the oldest portion of the facility that was constructed in 1975 under different ownership. Some gases, including odorless methane, have been detected in surrounding soil and groundwater, particularly to the east of the landfill.

The testing did not affect the gas collection system in the newer sections of the landfill.

The targeted section of the system will be watched closely next week to ensure it is properly tuned as it comes back on line, Town Manager Susan Lessard said Friday.

"Once it's turned on they need to make sure the system is balanced," she said.

Odor complaints will continue to be monitored round the clock through next week, Lessard said.

Since the testing period began July 17, the landfill has received 11 odor complaints, Meagher said, correcting a statement he made earlier this week that none had been received.

He had not been informed of those complaints because the usual odor reporting system was changed during the testing period, he said.

However, none of those complaints can be attributed to the shutdown, Meagher said. Six were associated with gas outside the conventional landfill, and five were detected upwind from the landfill so cannot be tied to Pine Tree, he said.

A report detailing the findings from the shutdown will be completed this fall, Meagher said.

Press Release about the fight against Casella in Bethlehem, NH

RELEASED BY: Kelly A. Ayotte, Attorney General

SUBJECT: Landfill Owner Settles State Claims on Prohibited Wastes

DATE: November 29, 2007

RELEASE TIME: Immediate

CONTACTS: Maureen D. Smith, Senior Assistant Attorney General, (603) 271-3679

New Hampshire Attorney General Kelly A. Ayotte announced today that a court has approved a proposed settlement of the State’s civil enforcement action against North Country Environmental Services, Inc. (“NCES”), owner of the NCES landfill in Bethlehem, New Hampshire.

The enforcement action stems from alleged disposal of prohibited waste in the NCES landfill. The Attorney General’s Office initiated a civil investigation of NCES after the former owner of Whitefield’s Mountain View Grand Hotel pled guilty to criminal charges involving illegal removal and disposal of asbestos from the hotel. While buried asbestos does not pose a hazard unless disturbed, NCES’ state permits prohibit acceptance of asbestos and certain other wastes. The State alleged in a court petition that NCES had violated State law by failing to take adequate precautions to prevent acceptance of prohibited wastes and sought penalties and injunctive relief.

A negotiated settlement of those claims was approved by the Merrimack County Superior Court. The settlement requires NCES to pay $50,000 to the State and $50,000 to the Hubbard Brook Research Foundation, a non-profit organization that conducts environmental education projects in northern New Hampshire, among other things. The decree also requires NCES to cap the Troy Mills solid waste landfill in Troy, New Hampshire. In addition, NCES must hire a consultant to assess and to make recommendations on waste inspection and control procedures at the NCES landfill, which NCES must incorporate into its solid waste permits.

Attorney General Ayotte commented: “Landfill owners must take their environmental responsibilities very seriously, including taking adequate steps to ensure that prohibited wastes are not inadvertently accepted. This settlement includes measures that should help prevent any future problems with prohibited waste at the NCES landfill, while also providing significant environmental benefits to the citizens of New Hampshire.”

For further information, please contact Maureen D. Smith, Senior Assistant Attorney General, at (603) 271-3679.

...In Oct. of 05 there was flood damage to the Southbridge landfill and that wasn't even the 100- year flood. Just wait and see when that happens...read below...

Katrina: "Love Canal-type landfill" submerged in floodwaters

Posted by Xeni Jardin, September 5, 2005 10:09 PM

Snip from a story in Solid Waste Magazine:

Overlooked in many news reports about the unfolding storm disaster in the southern United States, especially in the City of New Orleans, in the aftermath of hurricane Katrina, is a potentially dramatic pollution issue related to a toxic landfill that sits under the flood waters right in the city's downtown, according to map overlays of the flooded area. The situation could exacerbate the already dire threat to human health and the environment from the flood waters.

The Agriculture Street Landfill (ASL) is situated on a 95-acre site in New Orleans, Orleans Parish, Louisiana. The ASL is a federally registered Superfund site, and is on the National Priorities List of highly contaminated sites requiring cleanup and containment. A few years ago the site, which sits underneath and beside houses and a school, was fenced and covered with clean soil. However, three feet or more of flood waters could potentially cause the landfill's toxic contents – the result of decades of municipal and industrial waste dumping – to leach out.

Link (Thanks, Phil Gross) Reader comment: Brent Cater says,

Why is no one mentioning the nuclear power plant in New Orleans? It was in an area that flooded. I wonder what its condition is?

Reader comment: TomorrowYesterday says,

This article published on the 28th notes that the nuclear power plant near New Orleans was shut down in preparation for Katrina. One would imagine that it is in good condition.

Reader comment: Clay Shonkwiler says,

Apropos the reader comment about the safety of the nuclear plant in New Orleans, it's fitting that the International Atomic Energy Agency organized a "International Workshop on External Flooding Hazards at Nuclear Power Plant Sites." At least, according to the attached link they did; I can't find any references since August 29 to it on Google News and there's nothing on the IAEA's own site. According to the agenda (Link, PDF) there were at least two talks specifically about U.S. reactors and flooding. Note that the conference was inspired by the flooding of India's Kalpakkam NPP during the tsunami and that the plant shut down safely with no release of radiation.

Landfill operator touts benefits of new Web site

TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF

BARRE— Waste Management Inc., operator of the landfill and gas-to-energy plant on Barre Depot Road, has launched www.thinkgreen.com, an interactive Web site that supports the company’s ongoing efforts to educate the public about what happens to waste...read full article