Residents voice landfill concerns
The Times-Reporter
BOLIVAR – Concerns about stench, illness and lost business were among issues raised as about 70 people attended the Stark-Tuscarawas-Wayne Joint Solid Waste Management District meeting Friday.
The more than three-hour session in the district office at Wilkshire Hills focused on odors from Countywide Recycling and Disposal Facility north of Bolivar and the “non-acceptable” material shipped to the landfill by Clean Harbor, an environmental service company at Cleveland.
On Sept. 11, Countywide was informed the non-acceptable material was erroneously shipped there by Clean Harbor. Tuscarawas County Commissioner Kerry Metzger asked where the material was dumped and what kind of material it might be. Canton Health Department officials said it was a sludge product but they don’t know what kind. It was considered hazardous waste and the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency is investigating.
“It was human error, but why isn’t there a manifest somewhere that can tell us what it is and inform the public what the material is,” Metzger said.
Speaking about the odors, Steve Aubihl of Bolivar, owner of Yesterday’s On the Canal restaurant on Canal St., said customers have not been able to sit on the patio for more than six weeks.
“What are my options? I tried to get a low-interest loan to enclose the area, but that was not feasible. I am losing business. People are moving out and businesses are not moving in,” he said.
Tricia Adams of Bolivar attended the meeting and said her daughter has been getting ill at Bolivar Elementary from the odor.
After contacting Principal Diana Flickinger on Friday, she said the odor could be smelled early Friday and faintly later in the morning. She said the 3rd- and 4th-graders were on the playground and no odor was detected. If the odor is detected on the outside, vents are closed temporarily so the smell does not get into the school.
After several people complained about the odor, Board Chairman and Stark County Commissioner Richard Regula said the board of directors is very aware of the problems.
“I smell it and I live near Navarre, and (district) Executive Director David Held smells it and he lives in North Canton. If I had a choice I would shut it down,” Regula said.
Tuscarawas County Commissioner Chris Abbuhl said the district has contacted the Stark County air quality control, Ohio Attorney General, Federal Environmental Protection Agency, the Ohio EPA and have filed a verified complaint.
“All Countywide got was a slap on the wrist and fined,” he said.
Tuscarawas County Commissioner Jim Seldenright said the odor is definitely affecting businesses in Bolivar and workers in the Lawrence Township Industrial Park.
“It is affecting everyone, home and business values are decreasing. People need to continue to complain to the OEPA, Federal EPA, and the Ohio Attorney General. Don’t tire out,” Seldenright said.
Tim Vandersall, general manager, at Countywide RDF, told the board, he realizes there is an odor problem.
“It could be aluminum dross that was placed in the original landfill,” he said of the cause of the rapid decomposition of the garbage that is resulting in the odor. “It is not a hazardous waste product. About 25 acres of the original 88 is affected.”
Aluminum dross/salt cake is the materials that remain after large pieces of aluminum are recycled. The remaining 90-plus percent of the dross, which still contains aluminum plus the salt and non–metallic portion, is then disposed of in landfills.
According to the OEPA, dross is a non–hazardous material. However, Metzger contends dross is a concern.
“It reacts violently to water, then it becomes is a hazardous material,” Metzger said. “Why has OEPA allowed recirculation of water causing more of a chemical reaction?”
Vandersall said Republic Services of Ohio, owner of Countywide, is placing a plastic cap over the 25 acres which will catch the gases and take it to the flares that burn them.
“We accepted aluminum dross for 10 years but stopped accepting it in 2001. We had no problem with having the (producer) stop bringing it, although it provided big revenue for the landfill,” he said. “The OEPA has found nothing harmful. We urge any one of you to come to the site and we will show you what we are doing. We continue to work with experts to get the problem solved.”
Vandersall said dross can be 20 different kinds of aluminum waste. He said the dross is in cells one to four, but not the fifth. He said 13 acres of the 25 have been covered and the rest should be complete in a couple of weeks.
When Regula asked if the landfill is smoldering, Vandersall said there are some smoldering conditions and there have been 148 monitoring wells drilled at the landfill.
“The landfill is 150 degrees, plus it gives off steam,” he said.
Dick Harvey, a Bolivar resident who monitors Countywide, said Cell 7 is being built the same way the rest of the cells were constructed so the same problem could develop in the future.
“I want to know the amount of aluminum dross that was brought into Countywide, where it is and when it was stopped. This odor is just a prelude to what is coming,” he said.
Harvey is a member of Club 3000, a grass roots environmental organization that has been monitoring Countywide for 15 years.
William Skowronski, District Chief of OEPA at Twinsburg Northeast District office, and Kurt Princic, Environmental Manager for OEPA at Twinsburg, told the board they smelled the odor while traveling to the meeting.
Princic said an order was issued to Countywide Sept. 6 by OEPA Director Joseph Koncelik declaring the landfill a public nuisance because of the odor. The decision was based on the more than 660 complaints made by residents since January 2006.
A deadline of Dec. 15 was set for the landfill to clean up the problem. Countywide has appealed the decision. Reports have to be submitted every two weeks by landfill officials while the appeal is under way.
“It was determined there are no health-based problems,” Princic said. “Every six days we will be taking air samples through December. The samples will be taken at a tower at Countywide and at Bolivar Elementary and two other roaming locations. We will be placing samplings where the odors are the worst. We will take 24 samples.”
Princic said they thought installing wells would take care of the odor. That was in July, but that didn’t do it. Countrywide’s permit gives approval to place waste on top of the original 88 acres.
Metzger asked if there is an exact list of what is being looked for at the landfill.
“Dross contains a lot of other things, like toxic ammonia, acetylene, Hydrogen and methane,” he said. “I understand the OEPA director’s orders and Countywide must submit a work plan but the community does not trust Countywide to do their own testing. OEPA should do their own tests.”
Metzger said officials are concerned for the residents and he would feel better if the samples were taken where the people live, not by the roads closest to the landfill as suggested by Princic.
“There has to be issues and concerns about the stability of the landfill when the findings talk about a horizontal shift of 6 feet and a vertical subsidence in the original landfill,” he said
Princic said the landfill will not collapse onto I-77 as rumored.
“We have been dealing with this for months and can’t imagine the frustration these folks are suffering who smell it,” he said.
Abbuhl told the OEPA engineers that until complaints were made to the higher-ups nothing was done.
“This odor issue began several years ago and was not investigated until more pressure was placed on the OEPA in 2006. The citizens thought something was being done,” Abbuhl said.
“There aren’t any laws directed at odors. We are seeing new problems with odors,” Skowronski said.
Board members requested a toxicologist attend their next meeting Nov. 3 at 9:30.
Bill Franks, Stark County health commissioner, told the board if he knew the odors would stop he would close it, but who would issue that order. Metzger asked Franks if the landfill is still in violation on Dec. 15, who issues the orders to close it. Franks did not respond.View original article.
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