In a Notice of Violation (NOV) sent to Riverbend Landfill back in January 2020, the federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) accused Riverbend of violating a slew of environmental laws.
Among the charges:
- failure to discover and report "multiple exceedances of 500 PPM methane" during required Surface Emission Monitoring (SEM);
- failure to report or inspect "areas of cracks or seeps in the cover" that keeps waste from blowing away as well as "areas of distressed vegetation and cracks or seeps in the cover";
- failure to maintain landfill cover integrity;
- allowing water to equal or exceed 50% of well height at multiple wells;
- failure to maintain cover "to the extent practicable" to collect and control landfill gas; and
- failure to "monitor well RVBDV210 for pressure, temperature, and nitrogen between October 2016 and October 2018."
The landfill has so far refused to answer questions about the alleged violations, maintaining that the NOV and ensuing negotiations are confidential. However, a list of the violations in the NOV can be found on the EPA's website.
Riverbend also stonewalled the public about the NOV. Earlier this year, in April, Riverbend canceled its scheduled public Air Quality meeting, notifying landfill neighbors instead that Riverbend was "continuing" its gas well management and even adding new wells. There was no mention of past failures to satisfy the standards of its permits or of future actions the landfill might take to correct those failures.
There's an opportunity coming up to ask Riverbend personnel about its past and future actions. On Wednesday, August 19, the landfill will hold a virtual Air Quality meeting for the public. The meeting is set to begin at 6:30 pm.
To attend you must register, by contacting Kendra Thompson at Waste Management. Her email is KThomp19@wm.com.
"See" you there!
