Landfill allegations addressed

SENECA COUNTY --- The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency hosted a public hearing on Feb. 5 to obtain comments from members of the public regarding the potential expansion for WIN Waste of Seneca County, formerly Sunny Farms Landfill. If approved, the permits would allow the landfill to grow from 261.3 acres to 479.8 acres, which also includes a vertical expansion over a 27.4-acre section of the landfill's north unit. This permit would require the installation and operation of up to three sulfur removal systems and three enclosed flares to control landfill gas, as well as allowing two existing stormwater sedimentation ponds to be moved to new locations. During the hearing, various members from the public provided testimony. Members of the public who provided testimony in opposition toward the expansion addressed concerns such as the landfill's odor, what type of waste is being brought into the landfill, effects on the community's health and possible leakage from both the landfill and train cars that sit on the property. Additionally, a local group (Sunny Farms Landfill Complaint Group) opposing the landfill's expansion brought up an allegation that toxic chemicals are being brought into the landfill, which could end up leaking into the watersheds feeding Lake Erie—meaning it could affect both the Fostoria and Sandusky areas. The Seneca County Commissioners noted in their official testimony against the expansion that the issue of water quality has been an ongoing concern for local residents. "WIN Waste's landfill in Fostoria is located in the vicinity of the Portage River and Toussaint River watersheds," stated the testimony provided by the commissioners. "According to the Ohio EPA, 'The Portage River flows into Lake Erie at Port Clinton in Ottawa County. The watershed is distributed across Ottawa, Sandusky, Hancock and Wood counties with a small portion in Seneca County.' Major municipalities partially or fully in the Portage River and Toussaint River watersheds include Fostoria, Port Clinton and Marblehead." The landfill also lies within the vicinity of the Sandusky River and Sandusky Bay tributaries watersheds, which flow through 12 counties, stated the testimony. "According to the Ohio EPA, 'Major municipalities partially or fully in the watershed include Sandusky, Fremont, Tiffin, Bucyrus and Upper Sandusky." The testimony continues by stating within their possession, the commissioners have photos taken on Jan. 9 of water dripping out of the bottom of a railcar that was sitting in a residential area near WIN Waste Innovations landfill. The commissioners also discussed another photo taken Jan. 10 of a railcar with extensive holes at its base and a pile of waste lining the bottom. "This photograph that captured one moment in one railcar represents thousands of railcars that travel from the East Coast to Fostoria every year, intermittently dripping potential toxins when rain or snow fills the cars," stated the testimony. "Because WIN Waste's landfill lies within the vicinity of the Portage River and Sandusky Bay watersheds, we are concerned that the landfill could affect water quality from the landfill all the way to Lake Erie. Therefore, we are opposing the expansion in an effort to protect residents across Northwest Ohio." In response to the leakage allegations, the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency noted they have recently completed a compliance inspection of WIN Waste, and based on the inspection there were no indications or reports from other agencies noting the landfill is in danger of leaking runoff into nearby water sources. "Landfill operators are required to perform routine monitoring of groundwater and permitted discharges to ensure water quality standards are met and waste-derived constituents are not impacting surface water or groundwater resources," said Anthony Chenault, media coordinator, for central, northeast and southeast districts of the Ohio EPA. Director of Environmental Health for the Seneca County General Health District Dainna Raye, noted the latest inspection conducted last month by the SCGHD Environmental Health Division indicates that the leachate management by the landfill was observed within compliance limits according to the Ohio Revised Code 3745-27-19. "The most recent well sampling, collected in November 2023, for drinking water analyses per request by properties in an approximate 4-mile radius of the landfill do not indicate toxic chemical contamination of well water," said Raye. Additionally, WIN Waste's Community Engagement and Government Affairs Manager Ben Nutter, said he feels it's important for people to understand the landfill's consent order has been met and that current emission levels today are well below those before the consent order was put into place. "Based on the historical performance of the landfill before WIN Waste ownership and the time it has taken to build the state-of-the art system we have today, we understand the community's skepticism regarding our site," said Nutter. "However, we believe it is crucial to reaffirm the fact that, as per the OEPA's strict regulations, the landfill does not pose a threat to the health of our workers, our communities or the environment." Nutter continued by stating the consent order compliance terms have been met and no longer govern the emission limits. "The consent order established the strict deadlines and activities that WIN Waste was required to follow to address the air emission challenges we inherited when we acquired the landfill from its previous owner," he said. "In the years since we have improved the landfill's operations dramatically." Nutter reiterated that elemental sulfur is being kept out of the air with the landfill's new H2S system and a quarter-million air quality readings were taken in 2023 and 99.9% of them were within compliance limits. He also explained that the split-testing or surface water of an independent consultant alongside the Seneca County General Health District came back with consistent results within the Ohio EPA's primary drinking water standards. "The suggestion that the landfill could be harming the Sandusky River (and other water sources) is a terrible misstatement," Nutter said. "It is not remotely possible for our landfill to influence the Sandusky River which is 11 miles away at its closest point. It has been established through years of testing that the groundwater and surface water around the landfill are safe." Finally, Nutter said if railcars stationed at the landfill present any potential negative impact to ground or surface water, the impact would be expected to show up on site. "Every drop of rainwater that touches a rail car and is exposed to the materials within the car is collected in our storm water ponds," he said. "The split sampling conducted with the SCGHD consistently shows the water meets primary drinking-water standards. This tells us that the rail cars aren't harming water quality." Nutter also said the "rail car in question" was damaged at another facility before being transferred to WIN Waste for repairs. "We received a sample of material collected from inside the car from the third party testing service hired by the SCGHD," he explained. "We also used a third party firm to test the residual material in this car and revealed that the material in the car was safe for landfill disposal and that no hazardous material was present." The Ohio EPA is still currently seeking written comments regarding the proposed permits before they reach a decision. Testimony will be accepted through Feb. 20, and comments can be submitted by emailing epa.dmwmcomments@epa.ohio.gov or mailed to Ohio EPA DMWM P.O. Box 1049, Columbus, Ohio 43216-1049, Attn: Brian Dearth.