Glenns Ferry landfill facing possible closure

The Glenns Ferry landfill has until April to clean up its act.

Recent inspections at the Glenns Ferry Landfill show that the facility has many deficiencies that could be harmful to public health and the environment and it could face closure if it does not become compliant by the middle of April, according to a joint inspection conducted by the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) and the Central District Health Department (CDHD).

The Elmore County Commissioners requested the inspection after the former operator, Mark Simons of Glenns Ferry, sold his contract to operate and maintain the landfill and provide trash collection services for county residents.

New operators, Adam and Alan Crane of Snake River Rubbish, LLC., took over the operation in November of last year, assuming Simons' contract, which extends to September 2007.

Based on the inspection, a major area of deficiency was the lack of sufficient cover over existing waste, which has resulted in an accumulation of wind-blown litter on the eastern boundary of the landfill.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and state regulations require six inches of daily cover on existing, exposed waste. Due to the previous operator utilizing a large working face, a larger amount of soil is needed to provide the daily cover that is necessary to control disease vectors such as rodents, flies, and mosquitoes, fires, odors, blowing litter and scavenging.

Based on the CDHD inspector's observations, it is uncertain whether there exists enough soil on site to fulfill the requirement and soil may need to be imported to the landfill from off site, which could be quite costly to the county.

Another deficiency noted was the lack of methane gas monitoring, which should occur on a quarterly basis and not exceed 25 percent of the lower explosive limit for methane (the lowest percent by volume of a mixture of explosive gases in air that will propagate a flame at 25 degrees Celsius and atmospheric pressure).

The inspection pointed out that the layout of the landfill does not prevent discharge of pollutants into waters of the state via natural drainage features.

Though CDHD files contain design drawings for storm water run-on/run-off controls, they have not been implemented.

If this deficiency is not corrected, it would require the implementation of a groundwater monitoring system, which up until now has not been a requirement of the landfill due to the relatively small amount of waste that is received.

A burn pile was observed with evidence of prohibited materials although the report indicates the new operator was not made aware of any burning restrictions.

Open burning of certain materials is prohibited at landfills in Idaho including dimensional lumber, metals, containers, and residential and commercial construction debris.

Another deficiency found included the lack of training of the operators in identifying and preventing the disposal of regulated hazardous waste at the site.

The cost of becoming compliant may not be financially feasible for the county, according to the inspection report, and closure of the landfill may be the only viable option to protect public health and the environment.

The county has until April 11 to correct the identified deficiencies at the landfill or face possible enforcement action.

Attempts by the Mountain Home News to reach the county commissioners to respond to the report were unsuccessful.