Citizens have been working for over 3 years to stop a Construction & Demolition Debris (C&DD) landfill proposed by Washington Environmental, Ltd. on a 171-acre site at the intersection of State Route 61 and Township Road 29 in Morrow County. C&DD landfill debris is material from construction or destruction of structures including houses, industrial and commercial facilities and roadways. The proposed landfill will be housing construction and demolition debris from east coast states. No Ohio debris will be dumped at this site.

The debris can pollute our water with toxic materials such as cadmium, lead, arsenic, asbestos, manganese, and mercury and can pollute our air with hydrogen sulfide gas.

In Ohio C&DD landfills are not subject to the same stringent regulations as solid waste landfills. No environmental or safety impact studies are required as part of determining if a C&DD landfill permit will be issued by the Ohio EPA. Ohio laws governing C&DD landfills are some of the weakest in the nation, which helps explain the number (61) of C&DD landfills currently in our state.

Dr. G. Fred Lee, an engineer and expert on landfill impact assessments, was hired by citizens to conduct a site inspection. He found that the ground is made up of glacial till which will allow landfill-generated leachate to pass into the underlying groundwater. He testified that

• it is reasonably certain the groundwater will be affected by toxins from the landfill and become a threat to public health

• leachate can cause off-site groundwater to be unusable for domestic and animal purposes

• leachate can penetrate the developer’s proposed 2-foot compacted clay liner in about 4 months.
   

There are 11 aquifers lying within 4 miles of the proposed landfill site. There are multiple paths that contaminates from the proposed landfill could take to the Olentangy watershed, which supplies the drinking water of over 250,000 residents in Morrow, Delaware, Franklin and surrounding Central Ohio counties. Other waterways supplied by the aquifers located within the landfill’s 4-mile sphere of influence are Alum Creek, Whetstone Creek, the Kokosing River, the Clear Fork River, and the Muskingum River basin.

Scientists from Ohio State University have written several reports that support Dr. Lee’s statements. One report, Ancient Underground Fractures May Threaten Ground Water Supplies, states, “when we consider installing land uses that could potentially contaminate ground water, we must be certain to site these facilities in areas without prolific aquifers that may be contaminated.” Another report from The Ohio Journal of Science’s Special Issue on Fractures in Ohio’s Glacial Tills states, “The first best choice and highest use of our ground water aquifers is water supply, not waste disposal or pollution dilution. We, as a state, must not knowingly create environmental sacrifice zones, especially in the areas where we already have operating public water supply aquifers.”

Parents Protecting Children is a Morrow County group opposing the landfill. Their concern is specifically directed at the safety of the drinking water at the local elementary and high schools, since they are both located within 3 miles from the proposed site and the high school obtains drinking water from a well.

Citizens have contacted the governor, our local and state government officials, the Ohio EPA, Central Ohio news media, and Columbus area businesses. The cities of Mount Gilead and Galion have issued resolutions against the landfill. Over 1,000 concerned citizens came to listen and give testimony at an Ohio EPA public hearing on April 12, 2007.

The Ohio EPA indicates they have no authority to address the safety of a landfill prior to its operation and can only get involved with health issues if a landfill results in contamination. Chris Korleski, OEPA Director, issued the final permit to install for the railroad transfer facility in early August.