The owners of Arrowhead Landfill want to bring more waste to Perry County, and some Uniontown residents want to know more about the plans.
The Alabama Department of Environmental Management will host a public hearing at Uniontown City Hall on Nov. 18 to give citizens a chance to comment on plans to increase the “design capacity” of the massive landfill from 49.7 tons to 63.9 tons, an increase of almost 29%.
The New Jersey-based owners of the landfill are asking ADEM to allow the daily depth of waste in a cell, the lined pit where waste is dumped before being covered over, to increase from 8 feet to 15 feet. They have also asked for variances from ADEM design and operating rules, including using automotive shredder residue, the non-mental waste from shredded cars, as cover for the day’s trash, according to the permit.
All of these changes concern Portia Sheppard, executive director of Black Belt Woman Rising, a Uniontown nonprofit. She said Uniontown residents have complained of bad odors and dust from the landfill, and she’s concerned that these changes will make things worse.
“And if they dig into the aquifer, it’s all over,” Sheppard said, referring to possible contamination of the area’s ground water. She said such contamination happened at a California landfill.
Black Belt Women Rising is mobilizing Perry County citizens to ask questions and give comments at the Nov. 18 meeting. Public comment has been extended through Dec. 22, which Sheppard called “a small victory” for Perry County citizens.
ADEM will hold its public hearing on Arrowhead’s permit on Nov. 18 at 6 p.m. in the council chambers at Uniontown City Hall on 200 Front St.
According to an ADEM document, there are no current or ongoing enforcement actions against Arrowhead.
ADEM said that Arrowhead has voluntarily installed a gas collection system with an open flare control device and 15 small torch flares. It is also constructing a renewable natural gas plant with a treatment system as an alternative control device. That plant is under construction and is not included in the permit changes being considered now, ADEM said.
Those wishing to make oral comments at the public hearing are also encouraged to submit those comments in writing, according to the official ADEM notice.
“After consideration of all oral and written comments and consideration of the requirements of the Alabama Air Pollution Control Act, the Federal Clean Air Act, the Alabama Solid Wastes & Recyclable Materials Management Act, and all other applicable regulations, the Department will make a final determination on the proposed permits,” according to the ADEM legal notice.
The current permit took effect in March 2023 and will remain in effect until March 2033.
The total permitted area for the Arrowhead Landfill is almost 974 total acres, with 425 acres used for disposal operations. The site has three tracts, and each tract includes up to nine cells of various sizes to receive waste. Tract 1, which is almost 118 acres, is currently in use, according to ADEM documents.
The permit allows the landfill to take in waste from 33 states.
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