NO NEW LANDFILL!
ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!
The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) released its annual Report of Solid Waste Landfilled in Michigan covering the 2020 fiscal year. The current report and reports from past years are available on the EGLE website <CLICK HERE>. Our best estimate of the landfill life is 6 – 7 years based on data submitted by the landfill to EGLE over the past several years.
All large landfills are required to perform Surface Emission Monitoring (SEM) surveys on a quarterly basis to locate landfill gas venting from the landfill. EGLE Air Quality Division recently sent all Michigan landfills a letter announcing they will be conducting compliance (i.e. – violations may be issued if necessary) to verify the quality of the SEMs being conducted. The Conservancy Initiative applauds the Air Quality Division for taking this initiative and believes these more aggressive enforcement measures will pay dividends.
Green for Life (GFL), the new owner of the Arbor Hills Landfill, has begun operating the hydrogen sulfide (H2S) air monitoring station at Ridge Wood Elementary School. The air monitoring station is part of an agreement between the previous landfill owner, Advanced Disposal Services, and the USEPA to settle compliance violations cited in 2016. The air monitoring station will be operated by a third-party firm (Barr Engineering) for at least 5 years.
Most people are unaware the Arbor Hills landfill has an on-site wastewater treatment plant and a permit that allows the discharge of up to 100,000 gallons per day of “treated” groundwater into the region’s only cold-water trout stream, Johnson Creek, from December 1st through April 30th each year. The Conservancy Initiative has become aware that Arbor Hills has violated the allowable limits for ammonia as nitrogen being discharged. The exceedances are particularly troubling as the water being discharged is accumulated in two large ponds for up to a year before being discharged. These are the same ponds that were inadvertently discharged in violation of the permit in July 2020.
Arbor Hills Energy (a.k.a. Fortistar) was issued a Violation Notice on December 2, 2020, for exceeding the allowable sulfur dioxide (SO2) emission rate from one of the electric generating turbines at its facility. Arbor Hills Energy has consistently failed the required periodic emissions testing since 2015 but has not initiated steps to lower SO2 emissions.
Two storm water ponds were impacted by PFAS chemicals from fire suppression chemicals used during a fire at the Arbor Hills Landfill site in 2016. The Conservancy Initiative has learned the PFAS contaminated water has not been addressed and is requesting EGLE to set a deadline for Arbor HIlls to properly remediate the ponds.
GFL Environmental took ownership of the Arbor Hills Landfill on October 30th as part of the Waste Management acquisition of Advanced Disposal Services. This past week, The Conservancy Initiative obtained copies of letters GFL sent to the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) in response to Violation Notices issued to Advanced Disposal Services for malfunctions to the flare system in late September. This is our first experience with GFL.
Michigan Attorney General, Dana Nessel announced her office had filed a lawsuit against Advanced Disposal Services (ADS), the owner and operator of the Arbor Hills Landfill, for failing to comply with State and Federal Regulations and endangering the public health, safety, and welfare of residents living in the shadow of the massive landfill. The announcement was made at the Northville Township Community Park Pavilion near 5 Mile and Beck with the landfill as a backdrop.
The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) issued two new Violations Notices to Advanced Disposal Services this week. Both Violation Notices were repeat violations (i.e. – similar violations have been cited and obviously not corrected). Both Violations Notices are the result of recent malfunctions to the landfill flares which resulted in excess emissions and likely community odors.
On September 15, 2020, Northville Township Supervisor Bob Nix, accompanied by Township Treasurer, Fred Shadko, and The Conservancy Initiative President, Ralph Lassel, testified before the Michigan House Ways and Means Committee. Mr. Nix stressed that the proposed house bills the committee is considering represented an opportunity to fix the problems with the current regulations and asked the legislators for their help.
In June 2020, The Conservancy Initiative (TCI) became aware of Advanced Disposal Service’s (ADS) permit applications which proposed to treat landfill wastewaters (leachate) on-site and discharge into Johnson Creek. At that time, TCI also learned stormwater contaminated with PFAS/PFOS chemicals from fire suppressants has been held at the site in an open-air pond since a fire in 2016.
In June of this year several residents in the area between Beck and Sheldon Roads, south of Seven Mile Road, complained of noxious odors. ADS has agreed to a Consent Order with corrective actions designed to prevent the reoccurrence of the sewer odors.
Recently, one of The Conservancy Initiative’s (TCI) very loyal members wrote to TCI to report a pattern they were seeing in the odors at their home. Their astute observations motivated TCI to dive a little deeper into some of the recent landfill odor events to see how odors correlated with weather patterns. This document presents a description of the analysis performed and the conclusions made by this investigation.
The Conservancy Initiative is happy to report that Advanced Disposal Services (ADS) has asked the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) to place its controversial water discharge permit applications “on-hold”. We believe ADS was surprised by the overwhelming opposition to these permit applications and has placed them “on hold” to avoid the permits being denied.
The Conservancy Initiative has learned the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) has issued another significant Violation Notice dated 7/28/20 to the Arbor Hills Landfill owner/operator, Advanced Disposal Services. The Violation Notice provides detail that many of the gas recovery wells at the landfill are restricted by leachate accumulation which is blocking or restricting gas flow in the wells.
The Friends of the Rouge (FOTR) is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization founded in 1986 to raise awareness about the need to clean up the Rouge River. The Conservancy Initiative is very appreciative to learn that FOTR has sent a letter to EGLE explaining the importance of Johnson Creek and their opposition to the proposals by Advanced Disposal Services to discharge treated landfill leachate.
The Conservancy Initiative encourages all our members to review the FOTR letter to understand better the biodiversity that is represented in this cold water stream.
In addition to providing a link to the FOTR letter opposing the landfill,s discharge plans, we also are including a link to the Friend of the Rouge website for you to explore. The virtual kayak tour of the Rouge River looks pretty interesting.
Like us on Facebook
