Air Quality Meeting
6:00 - 8:00 PM
Tuesday, April 29 at the McMinnville Senior Center at 2250 NE McDaniel Lane.
This is the public meeting that the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) requires Waste Management to hold twice yearly to address issues with air emissions and odor. The public is encouraged to ask questions and to report problems.
Attending this year's meeting will be Gary Andes and Claudia Davis, who monitor Riverbend's compliance with its Title V (air quality) permit, and Bob Schwarz, who monitors the landfill's operations. Bryan Smith will be on hand to discuss DEQ's new odor reporting form.
In addition to odor and VOCs (volatile organic compounds) that leak into the air from Riverbend, dust on the roadways has been a big concern lately. Since Waste Management began to reconfigure the dump to make room for the mechanically stabilized earthen berm (the wall that will allow the landfill to accept 2,000,000 additional tons of garbage over the next three years), Highway 18 has been muddier than usual. Erosion into the creeks that flank the landfill is also a concern.
Candidates' Night
7:00 - 9:00 PM
Wednesday, April 30 at the McMinnville Senior Center at 2250 NE McDaniel Lane.
Yamhill County's resource organizations -- the Farm Bureau, Small Woodlands Association, the Willamette Valley Wineries Association, and Friends of Yamhill County -- host their traditional election year Candidates' night. Most candidates for County Commissioner will be present to answer audience questions.
One candidate who may not be attending is Stan Primozich, who testified in favor of landfill rezoning at the Planning Commission hearing late last year. That public advocacy of dump expansion may mean Primozich would have to recuse himself from any hearings involving expansion, should he be elected.
Friday, April 25, 2014
Tuesday, April 22, 2014
Dusty Roads
If you are one of the many who have run into a dust cloud when passing Riverbend Landfill, give ODOT a call.
The Oregon Department of Transportation actually responds to complaints from drivers/walkers/bicyclists about unreasonably dirty roads -- and Highway 18 between Masonville and the dump is one of dirtiest.
To file a written complaint, go to http://www.oregon.gov/ODOT/Pages/contact_us.aspx. Or call ODOT directly at 888-275-6368. ODOT is very good at getting back to people via telephone, and equally good at telling Riverbend to clean up its act.
Currently ODOT has issued Waste Management a permit to clean the road at night, from 1-3 AM. The "to be cleaned" stretch extends from the landfill's entrance all the way to Masonville Road. A good deal of dust has been kicked off to the sides of the road along this stretch, ready to balloon into a huge cloud whenever an oversized farm or other vehicle rolls across the rumble strip.
Waste Management is also supposed to be washing tires before trucks leave the dump, but the first "tire bath" they constructed couldn't accommodate their own trucks, so they dismantled that one and are rebuilding.
ODOT wants to hear from everyone who is disgusted by the dust and dirt or who sees problems with cleaning, drainage, and erosion along the highway.
The Oregon Department of Transportation actually responds to complaints from drivers/walkers/bicyclists about unreasonably dirty roads -- and Highway 18 between Masonville and the dump is one of dirtiest.
To file a written complaint, go to http://www.oregon.gov/ODOT/Pages/contact_us.aspx. Or call ODOT directly at 888-275-6368. ODOT is very good at getting back to people via telephone, and equally good at telling Riverbend to clean up its act.
Currently ODOT has issued Waste Management a permit to clean the road at night, from 1-3 AM. The "to be cleaned" stretch extends from the landfill's entrance all the way to Masonville Road. A good deal of dust has been kicked off to the sides of the road along this stretch, ready to balloon into a huge cloud whenever an oversized farm or other vehicle rolls across the rumble strip.
Waste Management is also supposed to be washing tires before trucks leave the dump, but the first "tire bath" they constructed couldn't accommodate their own trucks, so they dismantled that one and are rebuilding.
ODOT wants to hear from everyone who is disgusted by the dust and dirt or who sees problems with cleaning, drainage, and erosion along the highway.
Saturday, April 12, 2014
Air Quality Meeting Set for April 29
On April 29th, Waste Management, Inc. will host a mandatory Title V Air Quality Permit meeting. The Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) requires WM to host semi-annual meetings at which citizens (you!!) can comment on the air quality 'round Riverbend Landfill.
As you know, despite WM promises to the contrary, the dump continues to smell. Many of you have been diligently reporting odors to Gary Andes from DEQ (andes.gary@deq.state.or.us). Thank you! On April 29th, a large gang of you can comment in person. It is very important that people turn out for this.
It's all about the numbers for DEQ -- not whether the dump is damaging the neighborhood or the quality of life of people who live and work there. DEQ has its own bizarre rules about what constitutes an odor report. For example, a person cannot file more than one report a day even if the odor is distinctly different, at a different time, and in a different location. On the other hand, if a person compiles odor reports from a several-day time period but sends them in together, DEQ will count all the reports as one.
The exception is if you use DEQ's new odor reporting form. If you fill out a separate form for each day you smelled the dump, then each form counts as a single report even if you send in several together.
Numbers are important to DEQ because the Department has decided that an odor doesn't warrant a DEQ investigation unless several different people are offended by the odor on several different occasions. Unfortunately, DEQ is more focused on the number of reports than on the cause of the odor.
The bottom line is, the more comments, the better. Without significant numbers of these comments, our plight here will get no attention from DEQ.
The Stop the Dump Coalition will be inviting County Commissioners to attend the April 29th meeting so they can hear first-hand how the community feels about the stench emanating from Riverbend. More citizen input is needed!
WHAT: Title V Air Quality Permit Meeting
WHEN: Tuesday, April 29th; 6:00 PM for Pizza: 7:00 PM for meeting
WHERE: McMinnville Senior Center, 2250 McDaniel Lane, McMinnville
WHY: Without public comment, nothing will change....ever. We need YOU!
- Ilsa Perse, President, Stop the Dump Coalition
As you know, despite WM promises to the contrary, the dump continues to smell. Many of you have been diligently reporting odors to Gary Andes from DEQ (andes.gary@deq.state.or.us). Thank you! On April 29th, a large gang of you can comment in person. It is very important that people turn out for this.
It's all about the numbers for DEQ -- not whether the dump is damaging the neighborhood or the quality of life of people who live and work there. DEQ has its own bizarre rules about what constitutes an odor report. For example, a person cannot file more than one report a day even if the odor is distinctly different, at a different time, and in a different location. On the other hand, if a person compiles odor reports from a several-day time period but sends them in together, DEQ will count all the reports as one.
The exception is if you use DEQ's new odor reporting form. If you fill out a separate form for each day you smelled the dump, then each form counts as a single report even if you send in several together.
Numbers are important to DEQ because the Department has decided that an odor doesn't warrant a DEQ investigation unless several different people are offended by the odor on several different occasions. Unfortunately, DEQ is more focused on the number of reports than on the cause of the odor.
The bottom line is, the more comments, the better. Without significant numbers of these comments, our plight here will get no attention from DEQ.
The Stop the Dump Coalition will be inviting County Commissioners to attend the April 29th meeting so they can hear first-hand how the community feels about the stench emanating from Riverbend. More citizen input is needed!
WHAT: Title V Air Quality Permit Meeting
WHEN: Tuesday, April 29th; 6:00 PM for Pizza: 7:00 PM for meeting
WHERE: McMinnville Senior Center, 2250 McDaniel Lane, McMinnville
WHY: Without public comment, nothing will change....ever. We need YOU!
- Ilsa Perse, President, Stop the Dump Coalition
Wednesday, April 9, 2014
DEQ Promises to Correct Website Regarding Leachate Leaks
UPDATE: The website has been corrected.
Department of Environmental Quality representative Janice Leber has apologized for an error in managing the DEQ Riverbend website (www.deq.state.or.us/nwr/RiverbendLandfill.htm). The error resulted in removal of information about a leachate leak that occurred in January 2014, a month before snow and ice allegedly prevented landfill personnel from avoiding a second leachate leak.
Department of Environmental Quality representative Janice Leber has apologized for an error in managing the DEQ Riverbend website (www.deq.state.or.us/nwr/RiverbendLandfill.htm). The error resulted in removal of information about a leachate leak that occurred in January 2014, a month before snow and ice allegedly prevented landfill personnel from avoiding a second leachate leak.
Leber promised to correct the website posting, and she assured Ilsa Perse, Stop the Dump Coalition president, that she is "working with Bob Schwarz to make sure the information on the web site is accurate and complete." Schwarz is the DEQ employee with on-the-ground responsibility for oversight of most aspects of Riverbend operation.
The McMinnville News-Register reported this week that Waste Management plans to prevent leaks like the one in February, which resulted from overflow from on-site leachate storage tanks, by adding additional storage capacity. However, no mention was made of any plan by Riverbend operators for safe removal of leachate when that additional storage fills up during the next big storm.
Although it called environmental harm resulting from the two leaks "minor," DEQ has stated that it is considering "enforcement" action against Waste Management for the leaks because they violated the landfill's permits. We'll see if that enforcement results in better planning and better -- how about any? -- communication with the neighborhood about permit violations in the future.
Tuesday, April 8, 2014
January Leachate Leak??
The following was reported on the Department of Environmental Quality's Riverbend Landfill website (http://www.deq.state.or.us/nwr/RiverbendLandfill.htm) but don't bother looking online for information about the January leachate leak -- that information is no longer there.
Leachate release — On February 10, 2014, landfill personnel observed leachate escaping from the landfill’s northern boundary. Waste Management reported that this leachate reached a creek approximately 300 feet from the landfill. This leachate was primarily liquid that had collected in the landfill’s gas extraction wells. To keep the extraction wells working properly, this leachate is routinely pumped from the wells to three 21,000-gallon storage tanks near the north side of the landfill. This leachate is kept separate from the majority of the landfill’s leachate, which is pumped to the onsite leachate pond. This reason for this separation is that leachate associated with the gas extraction wells is more concentrated than the rest of the landfill leachate, and is therefore sent to a different offsite facility for treatment and disposal. Tanker trucks that routinely haul this leachate to an offsite treatment plant were unable to get to the site because of heavy snow and icy roads. Flow of leachate from the landfill to the tanks was stopped because the tanks were full. This is believed to be the reason leachate began seeping from the landfill. To prevent this problem in the future, Waste Management has connected these tanks to the pipeline leading to the onsite leachate storage pond.
Impacts to the creek were evaluated in a March 13, 2014 report prepared by Waste Management’s consultant. The report concludes that “No mortality of aquatic flora or fauna was observed during either site visit [conducted on February 12 and 21, 2014]. Overall, the impact to aquatic biota was estimated to be minimal on the basis of the high flows of the unnamed creek and the South Yamhill River, and the comparison to aquatic water quality criteria and human health criteria.” A copy of the consultant’s report is found here.
DEQ inspected the site on February 12, 2014. The inspection report, along with photographs, is found here. DEQ concurs with the findings of the consultant's report. However, in light of the release of leachate to the creek, DEQ is pursuing enforcement action against the landfill.
A previous seep was found on January 28, 2014, approximately 400 feet west of the February 10 seep. This leachate migrated beyond the perimeter of the landfill, but did not travel far from the landfill perimeter. This release was from an old perimeter French drain that was clogged as the result of recent construction of a stormwater diversion swale. The drain had been installed during construction of the landfill cell to convey leachate to the leachate collection line that runs to the onsite leachate storage pond. To address this problem, the landfill contractor removed all drain rock from the French drain along that portion beneath the stormwater diversion berm. Between January 28 and 29, this rock was removed and the area was backfilled with compacted clay. Four vertical 12-inch sump pipes were installed and backfilled with drain rock. Soil from the impacted area north of the landfill was sampled on January 29. Soil impacted by the leachate release was then excavated, and a vactor truck was used to remove standing stormwater that may have been contaminated by the release. Soil from this area was resampled on January 31. Results were provided in a technical memorandum dated March 14, 2014. These results indicate that residual contaminant concentrations are below safe levels.
Leachate release — On February 10, 2014, landfill personnel observed leachate escaping from the landfill’s northern boundary. Waste Management reported that this leachate reached a creek approximately 300 feet from the landfill. This leachate was primarily liquid that had collected in the landfill’s gas extraction wells. To keep the extraction wells working properly, this leachate is routinely pumped from the wells to three 21,000-gallon storage tanks near the north side of the landfill. This leachate is kept separate from the majority of the landfill’s leachate, which is pumped to the onsite leachate pond. This reason for this separation is that leachate associated with the gas extraction wells is more concentrated than the rest of the landfill leachate, and is therefore sent to a different offsite facility for treatment and disposal. Tanker trucks that routinely haul this leachate to an offsite treatment plant were unable to get to the site because of heavy snow and icy roads. Flow of leachate from the landfill to the tanks was stopped because the tanks were full. This is believed to be the reason leachate began seeping from the landfill. To prevent this problem in the future, Waste Management has connected these tanks to the pipeline leading to the onsite leachate storage pond.
Impacts to the creek were evaluated in a March 13, 2014 report prepared by Waste Management’s consultant. The report concludes that “No mortality of aquatic flora or fauna was observed during either site visit [conducted on February 12 and 21, 2014]. Overall, the impact to aquatic biota was estimated to be minimal on the basis of the high flows of the unnamed creek and the South Yamhill River, and the comparison to aquatic water quality criteria and human health criteria.” A copy of the consultant’s report is found here.
DEQ inspected the site on February 12, 2014. The inspection report, along with photographs, is found here. DEQ concurs with the findings of the consultant's report. However, in light of the release of leachate to the creek, DEQ is pursuing enforcement action against the landfill.
A previous seep was found on January 28, 2014, approximately 400 feet west of the February 10 seep. This leachate migrated beyond the perimeter of the landfill, but did not travel far from the landfill perimeter. This release was from an old perimeter French drain that was clogged as the result of recent construction of a stormwater diversion swale. The drain had been installed during construction of the landfill cell to convey leachate to the leachate collection line that runs to the onsite leachate storage pond. To address this problem, the landfill contractor removed all drain rock from the French drain along that portion beneath the stormwater diversion berm. Between January 28 and 29, this rock was removed and the area was backfilled with compacted clay. Four vertical 12-inch sump pipes were installed and backfilled with drain rock. Soil from the impacted area north of the landfill was sampled on January 29. Soil impacted by the leachate release was then excavated, and a vactor truck was used to remove standing stormwater that may have been contaminated by the release. Soil from this area was resampled on January 31. Results were provided in a technical memorandum dated March 14, 2014. These results indicate that residual contaminant concentrations are below safe levels.
Where Are The Regulators??
I would like to register my displeasure at the failure of regulators to understand and deal with the risks associated with raising the level of the berm at the Riverbend Land Fill.
While it may be argued that the berm may withstand one type of natural disaster (say, flood), it is often a combination of disasters that lead to structural failure. While the response is typically "That will never happen," the reality is that such events happen all too often. Last week's natural gas explosion near Hermiston is only the most recent example, where a gas explosion (itself of unknown cause) resulted in shrapnel puncturing a nearby gas storage tank, which then began leaking and continued to leak throughout the week. The Oso slide in Washington is another example, where an already slide-prone area may have been compromised by clearcut logging.
Similarly, this year's heavy rains meant that the haul road at the Riverbend fill could not be used, leachate could not be hauled out, and there resulted a slide and an overflow of leachate into the nearby creek. Adequate erosion control measures might have prevented some of this, but where are the regulators to enforce such measures? And what if some other natural event occurred at the same time?
As the deputy sheriff at the gas facility near Hermiston said, "The tank is still punctured, it's still leaking and there is chemical in the area. We're still in the middle of the game. Actually, I have no idea where are in the game. Experts are still determining that." The trouble is, the regulatory experts are all too often swayed by the "experts" hired by the owners of the facility that ultimately fails. I hope this is not the case with Riverbend.
-- Submitted by Charlie Harris, Newberg, Oregon
While it may be argued that the berm may withstand one type of natural disaster (say, flood), it is often a combination of disasters that lead to structural failure. While the response is typically "That will never happen," the reality is that such events happen all too often. Last week's natural gas explosion near Hermiston is only the most recent example, where a gas explosion (itself of unknown cause) resulted in shrapnel puncturing a nearby gas storage tank, which then began leaking and continued to leak throughout the week. The Oso slide in Washington is another example, where an already slide-prone area may have been compromised by clearcut logging.
Similarly, this year's heavy rains meant that the haul road at the Riverbend fill could not be used, leachate could not be hauled out, and there resulted a slide and an overflow of leachate into the nearby creek. Adequate erosion control measures might have prevented some of this, but where are the regulators to enforce such measures? And what if some other natural event occurred at the same time?
As the deputy sheriff at the gas facility near Hermiston said, "The tank is still punctured, it's still leaking and there is chemical in the area. We're still in the middle of the game. Actually, I have no idea where are in the game. Experts are still determining that." The trouble is, the regulatory experts are all too often swayed by the "experts" hired by the owners of the facility that ultimately fails. I hope this is not the case with Riverbend.
-- Submitted by Charlie Harris, Newberg, Oregon
Wednesday, April 2, 2014
Slide on Riverbend Perimeter Berm
As reported here last month, leachate leaked from the landfill into McPhillips Creek during winter storms. The cause? Landfill operatives closed pipes into leachate collection tanks because trucks that pump out excess leachate couldn't negotiate snowy roads, and the operators worried that the tanks might overflow. The result? Leachate that would normally flow to the tanks diverted into the creek instead.
Now we learn there's been a landslide on the 4,500-foot long "perimeter" flood control berm. This berm, which surrounds the existing landfill, has not been studied to current earthquake standards -- magnitude 9.0 -- although portions, including the section that failed, were engineered to withstand a 7.25 earthquake.
That a berm engineered to 7.25 should fail during a good rain should concern everyone given that river flood waters routinely lap up to this berm. Moreover, this is not the first time that there have been stability problems with the perimeter berm. A portion of the berm failed and was repaired in the past.
If trucks essential to landfill operations cannot reach the landfill during a snow and ice storm, what will happen when the next big earthquake knocks down all of our bridges? If the perimeter flood control berm fails during a heavy rain, what will keep it standing during an earthquake? February's leachate spill is just a hint of continuing problems to come. DEQ should fine Riverbend (and we hope they do), but make no mistake: This problem does not have a solution, and will continue as long garbage remains on the river bank -- which will be hundreds of years.
Unfortunately Yamhill County has just exacerbated this unsolvable problem, voting to rezone the landfill as a first step toward a twenty-year expansion that will will add nearly 3,000 more feet to the flood control berm.
For more information about the leachate leak, check DEQ's Riverbend website, www.deq.state.or.us/nwr/RiverbendLandfill.htm. An investigation of the leak and photos of the muddy work areas are described toward the bottom of the site under "Other Issues." While it's investigating the leak, DEQ should also order Riverbend to clean up the filthy roadway at the entrance to the dump, repair and rebuild the perimeter berm to withstand the expected 9.0 Cascadia earthquake, and handle daily cover and erosion issues in accordance with law.
Leonard Rydell contributed to this article.
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