Residents hear citizens group talk about landfill
SCOTTDALE – Residents of East Huntingdon Township and surrounding communities came out in force Friday to find out what Citizens Action for a Safe Environment-South (CASE-South) had to say about the safety of the Greenridge Reclamation landfill, owned by Allied Waste Industries. Greenridge Reclamation operates the Alverton landfill, located in East Huntingdon Township, where three Southmoreland schools sit less than a quarter of a mile from the site.
CASE-South Vice President Julie Martinosky said Friday’s meeting brought together residents, elected officials, environmentalist, state Department of Environmental Protection representatives and Greenridge Reclamation manager David Smith.
In her opening statements, Martinosky said, “This landfill affects everyone in our area because we all breathe in the same air. It has been a problem for more than 20 years and it’s time for the landfill to be held accountable.”
She also mentioned that the landfill has violated DEP regulations on a number of occasions.
CASE-South was formed late last year when a local group of Scottdale, Alverton and Ruffsdale-area residents, school district officials and elected officials learned that the landfill had put out a bid to accept uranium-contaminated ash from the Kiski Valley Water Pollution Control Authority in Allegheny Township.
Once the group was formed and the bid information was made public, Greenridge Reclamation withdrew its bid.
In an exclusive interview with the Herald-Standard, Martinosky and CASE-South President Fred Collins, Smith said his company “wants to be a good neighbor” and that is why they withdrew the bid.
However, Martinosky, Apollo activist Patti Ameno and Mike Ewall, a Philadelphia environmental activist, all agreed that first and foremost, the landfill is about people’s health and safety.
Ameno reminded residents that they have been charged with being stewards of the Earth and said as stewards “we” have done a horrible job.
Ameno, who said she grew up 100 feet from a nuclear processing plant in Apollo, said she now has tumors in her brain, breast and uterus and urged residents to unite before it happens to them.
Ewall told the crowd that Greenridge receives 25 percent of its trash from New York, 4 percent from New Jersey, 27 percent from Allegheny County and 35 percent from Westmoreland County.
He additionally said that all landfills leak and government regulations allow a certain amount of leakage per acre.
Ewall talked about groundwater contamination and said, “It’s a matter of if and when you find out. The company is in charge of testing its own landfill, and they are also contaminating your air through gases.”
Ewall said gases that come from a landfill are one-half methane and the rest is toxic.
“Methane is odorless,” he continued. “The odors that you are smelling from the landfill are more than likely caused by sulfur compounds and other gases, which, when burned, can form dioxins. And everyone knows that dioxins are the most deadly chemicals known to science.”
Ewall suggested that CASE-South get local government officials involved and have them pass ordinances requiring testing for toxins from an independent lab.
Helen Humphryes, a DEP spokeswoman, asked residents to join the Community Advisory Committee for Greenridge Reclamation, saying that the group is comprised of DEP members, Greenridge representatives, CASE-South representatives and representatives from the school district and the township.
She said the committee, headed by the supervisors, addresses local citizens’ concerns with the Greenridge landfill.
She additionally said that the committee is looking into the offsite odors that have been reported by residents and said the supervisors have been driving the township roads surrounding the landfill and documenting any odors that they detect.
“DEP has assigned after hours inspection at the landfill and in the surrounding area of the landfill,” said Humphryes. “We have also developed a complaint log to record residents complaints concerning odors.”
Humphryes said as far as the gas extraction system is concerned, DEP and the landfill have taken steps to make sure that everything that can be done is being done. She said Greenridge implemented a pump maintenance program to check pneumatic pumps on a weekly basis to assure maximum gas production.
“At this time, weekly checks of the pumps are being conducted,” she said.
“All future wells installed will also be designed to include a pneumatic pumps,” she continued.
In January and on Feb. 29, new pneumatic pumps were installed in gas extraction wells, which will remove water from the methane wells and increase the amount of landfill gas collected and treated, Humphryes said.
Humphryes said the landfill purchased a new permanent air compressor with a sufficient dryer to operate all existing pumps and all future pumps that are installed. She said the goal of the landfill is to have the permanent compressor in place by mid April, depending on Allegheny Power’s schedule.
The purpose of the permanent air compressor is to allow the landfill gas to be processed more efficiently, Humphryes said.
Anyone interested in joining the Community Advisory Committee is asked to contact Humphryes at 412-442-4000.
The next CASE-South meeting is scheduled for Monday, March 13, at 6:30 p.m. at Jimmy Paul’s Restaurant in East Huntingdon Township.