At least 3 ‘seeps’ found in Yard 520 landfill

By Alicia Ebaugh

Staff Writer

Published: Friday, February 5, 2010 4:17 AM CST

PINES — At least three “seeps,” or openings in the cap covering the former Yard 520 landfill, have been recorded by federal and state environmental officials.

The seeps allow water and coal ash from underneath the caps to escape, letting contamination out with them, said Paul Kysel, vice president of People in Need of Environmental Safety, a resident group tracking the progress being made to clean up Pines’ groundwater contamination believed to be caused by the coal ash in the landfill.

“This is something that needs to be fixed as soon as possible,” Kysel said.

Brown Inc., a local contracting firm that owns the landfill, was notified in December about the seeps, according to a letter sent to Brown Inc. by the Indiana Department of Environmental Safety. The seepage “outbreak,” as termed by IDEM inspector Ashley Snyder in the letter, was found along the west edge of Yard 520 near Railroad Avenue.

“The fact that this area is always wet is of great concern,” Snyder wrote. “This area is also very close to a road and major ditch, posing a threat to people and waters of the state.”

Tim Drexler, project manager of the Town of Pines Superfund Alternative site, said Val Blumenfeld of Brown Inc. reported the seeps will be fixed as soon as weather permits.

“Their engineers would have to say what they need to do to patch them,” Drexler said. “It will probably involve more clay.”

The landfill was capped with clay when it was closed in 2003 to keep the coal ash from spreading.

IDEM also wrote Brown Inc. is not providing adequate access control to the landfill because all-terrain vehicles have left obvious tracks all over the landfill.

“Access to the site needs to be restricted in order to maintain the integrity of the cap,” Snyder wrote. “At this time the ATV activity is causing compaction and depressions in the cap.”