Moraine appeals Ohio EPA findings and orders on Stony Hollow Landfill

Moraine has appealed the Ohio EPA findings and orders for a Dayton landfill that has been the focus on hundreds of odor complaints with local officials saying they suspect the site is on fire.

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The filing to the Environmental Review Appeals Commission on the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency’s directives for Stony Hollow Landfill was issued June 1 because, in part, the state agency does not specify the cause of the odors, an attorney for the city said.

“It’s hard to know” the cause of the odors, said Pete Precario, an environmental attorney hired by the city. He noted officials “suspect the landfill is actually on fire” due to chemical reactions.

The appeals commission is a state body with oversight of the Ohio EPA, officials said.

Moraine officials met Monday night with about 50 residents of Dayton, Jefferson Twp., Kettering, Miamisburg and West Carrollton – five of the many communities where complaints have been lodged against the Waste Management Inc.-owned landfill on South Gettysburg Avenue.

RELATED: See coverage of the Stony Hollow Landfill

The appeal covers orders filed by the Ohio EPA May 3, when the agency fined Stony Hollow $16,000 and issued 19 directives for it to follow in monitoring and resolving the odor issue.

Stony Hollow Landfill’s odor emissions last year began drawing of complaints, spurred a class-action lawsuit and a ban from the city of Dayton. This year, as odor issues continued, Montgomery County, which contracts with the landfill, investigated hauling its solid waste elsewhere before the Ohio EPA took its action May 3.

Waste Management officials have said they want to make sure the landfill “completes all action items on schedule and adheres to the standards outlined in the plan,” according to Senior Public Affairs Manager Kathy Trent.

Since the orders were issued, Stony Hollow has complied with them and is “progressing toward meeting future milestones,” according to Pierce.

Those guidelines deal with increasing odor surveillance around the perimeter of the landfill, conducting multiple odor surveys each week at random intervals throughout the morning, afternoon and evening hours at specified locations, according to Ohio EPA Spokeswoman Dina Pierce.

Agency Director Craig Butler also ordered Stony Hollow to take steps to reduce odors by installing a temporary cap over the reaction area and installing odor controls on the landfill’s leachate tanks. To ensure the safety of the surrounding neighbors, Stony Hollow was ordered to increase air monitoring through the end of 2017 and to notify Ohio EPA and local officials when a scheduled activity or a malfunction may cause off-site odors, according to Pierce

Pierce said an odor hotline was established at 937-356-6203 or online at www.stonyhollowlandfill.com

“Residents are welcome to contact Ohio EPA with odor complaints, but keep in mind that this is less efficient because it adds an extra step as Ohio EPA then has to contact landfill personnel to investigate the odor issue,” according to Pierce.

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