Residents trash plans to expand Pinny landfill
The Bay City Times
PINCONNING TWP, MI - The operators of Whitefeather Landfill in Pinconning Township promised on Tuesday that they'll resolve odor and other environmental problems there, but some residents said they're tired of promises.
About 50 people attended a public meeting and hearing on a proposed construction permit to expand the landfill, which would allow operators Republic Services of Michigan to pile trash about 18 feet higher on the west end of the site, and extend the landfill's life by about four years, or until 2021.
A half-dozen residents said during the hearing that Republic shouldn't be allowed to expand because the company hasn't done a good job managing the existing facility, which takes municipal and other nonhazardous waste from Bay and neighboring counties.
Residents complain of ongoing problems with odors, runoff and noise.
Joe Holbrook, who lives near the landfill, brought apples from trees near his home. The fruit was covered with black spots.
''I don't think you want to eat one,'' Holbrook asked Terry Walkington, a Department of Environmental Quality supervisor from Bay City.
''No,'' Walkington answered.
Holbrook says the same black stuff drifts over from the landfill and covers his property. A DEQ official said samples have been collected for analysis.
Local DEQ staffers say they'll recommend to Director Steven E. Chester that the expansion permit not be granted unless Republic officials sign a consent order with a ''big'' fine for past violations and agree to a number of improvements to prevent recurring problems, along with more fines if violations continue.
The details of the consent order are still confidential, but Walkington, with the DEQ Waste and Hazardous Materials Division, laid out several conditions his agency is seeking.
Those include increased inspections, monitoring of the air, groundwater and stormwater around the site and filing regular reports to make sure operators are putting sufficient daily cover on the landfill mound, controlling runoff and pumping out leachate that forms from water trickling through the waste. Walkington said monitoring wells don't indicate any groundwater contamination right now.
''In order to expand the landfill, they need to be in compliance with all of our laws,'' Walkington said. ''They need to do whatever it takes to regain and maintain compliance.''
Brian Ezyk, engineering and compliance manager for Whitefeather, said the company plans to sign a consent order within a month.
He said the landfill cares about residents and wants to be a good neighbor. Whitefeather employs about 40 people who take pride in their jobs, Ezyk said, and Republic pumps more than $5 million annually into the local economy, with wages, purchases and fees paid to the state, county and township.
''Maybe we didn't have our best foot forward last February,'' Ezyk said. ''Since then, the site has been improved substantially,'' including the installation of four flares to burn off methane gas that builds up when waste decomposes.
He added that the expansion is only vertical, and the landfill doesn't have any plans to go outside its 57-acre footprint at this time.
But Mike Bristow, a Bangor Township resident who has pushed state officials to address problems at a closed landfill in Kawkawlin Township, said Republic has a credibility problem.
''Your word is your reputation,'' Bristow told Republic officials.
In July, a Republic official promised the company would address odors and other problems at the landfill, but complaints have continued. The landfill was cited by the DEQ for foul odors again in December.
''You talk it, but you don't walk it,'' Bristow said.
Bernard Verellen, who lives just east of Whitefeather, said it's stunk since it began operating in the 1990s.
''You've been here before and said you would take care of it,'' he told Republic officials.
Verellen said he often has to leave his home to get away from the smell. ''The stink comes back every night. I'm not just making this up.''
He also complained that water from the landfill drains onto his property. He said Republic officials have promised to fix the problem, but the problem persists.
Holbrook said ''a good way to get rid of me'' would be for Republic to buy his home.
Residents also complained about noise from trucks that come and go at the landfill during all hours of the night.
Ezyk said there's ''no limit'' on the landfill's hours of operation.
''We're like any other business,'' he said after the meeting.
