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Excerpt: "Residents deserve to live in their community without having to smell putrid odors. This is totally unacceptable and adversely affecting quality of life. We are asking residents to continue to call DEP with odor complaints"
DEP: Keystone Sanitary Landfill failed to control odors
Landfill failed to control odors at its facility in Dunmore and Throop, prompting a notice of violation from the state Department of Environmental Protection.
The state agency announced the notice of violation Thursday.
DEP staff, who conducted after-hours odor patrols twice daily in November and December, confirmed landfill gas odors on numerous occasions. They also documented odors during routine, unannounced inspections.
"We want the public to know that DEP hears them, is conducting investigations and is taking action according to our findings,” DEP Interim Acting Secretary Jessica Shirley said in a press release. "Residents deserve to live in their community without having to smell putrid odors. This is totally unacceptable and adversely affecting quality of life. We are asking residents to continue to call DEP with odor complaints, and the Department will continue its enhanced response to make sure residents no longer have to deal with this nuisance.”
The landfill failed to maintain a uniform temporary cover over garbage to prevent odors, DEP officials found. The landfill's own surface monitoring results from September and October "indicate extensive areas of the landfill with excessive methane emissions, which DEP also believes is causing odor issues," the agency said.
During a DEP inspection of the landfill Nov. 16, "strong landfill gas odors and elevated methane readings were observed in the intermediate cover areas near the Casey Highway," it said.
DEP determined Keystone is in violation of the Solid Waste Management Act, Municipal Waste Management rules and regulations and the landfill’s operating permit. The landfill has 30 days to submit a proposed plan that corrects and prevents those violations.
Beyond the notice of violation, the agency suspended in late November the landfill's Settlement Accommodation Plan, which allowed Keystone to add more waste to areas that had previously been capped.