VA DEQ Reaches Agreement with C&D Landfill

The Virginia Department of Environmental Quality has reached a proposed agreement to close the Potomac landfill in Prince William County by 2010, DEQ announced today.

The agreement is contained in a proposed consent order, and the public will have the opportunity to comment on the proposal until March 2, 2005. The order will become final after DEQ considers comments from the public.

“This is great news for residents near the Potomac landfill and for Prince William County,” DEQ Director Robert Burnley said. “The agreement means environmental concerns about the landfill will be addressed quickly, and within a few years the land can be put to a more beneficial use.”

The consent order is in response to a series of alleged violations cited by DEQ at the landfill in 2003 and 2004. During that time, DEQ investigated odor complaints from residents in the town of Dumfries, where the landfill is located. DEQ’s notices of violation included allegations that the landfill failed to conduct required training on safety and unauthorized waste, operated a materials recovery or recycling process without a permit, and emitted objectionable odors. DEQ found that the main source of the odors was gypsum-containing material, such as wallboard, which produces hydrogen sulfide when it decomposes.

Under the proposed consent order, the landfill will:

• Pay a $23,900 civil charge.

• Stop accepting waste by January 1, 2007.

• Remove all waste at the site and close the landfill by December 31, 2010.

• Immediately stop burying material that contains gypsum and send it off-site for proper disposal.

• Implement an enhanced odor control plan and odor monitoring.

• Obtain a permit from DEQ for materials recovery and recycling activities.

• Conduct training on safety and unauthorized waste.