An analysis by the Conservation Alabama Foundation finds that Alabama’s landfill permitting practices put the state at high risk for accepting more out-of-state coal ash and other hazardous materials.

“Alabama has 32 municipal landfills with a permitted daily flow capacity of 51,205 tons,” said Adam Snyder, executive director of the Conservation Alabama Foundation. “Considering Alabamians produce about 12,600 tons per day of waste, there is nearly four times the capacity at state landfills for Alabama’s needs.”

Eight of the 32 municipal landfills in the state are permitted to take out of state waste, with a total out-of-state capacity of 24,200 tons per day. New landfills, such as the proposed Conecuh Woods landfill in Conecuh County, could add 10,000 tons per day of out-of-state waste.

“Such a glut in landfill capacity makes Alabama a prime target for out-of-state waste, such as the coal ash that is planned to be transported from Kingston, Tenn. to Perry County’s Arrowhead Landfill,” Snyder said. “Alabama’s landfill permitting practices need to be reviewed before another landfill is allowed to open or a current landfill is allowed to expand.”

The Arrowhead Landfill is permitted to accept 7,500 tons of garbage per day, although its Web site shows a capacity of 15,000 tons per day. Should Arrowhead put all of their permitted flow towards accepting the estimated 3.9 million tons of waste from the Tennessee Valley Authority’s spill in Kingston, coal ash will be flowing into Perry County for more than 520 days.

An analysis done by the Legal Environmental Assistance Foundation in 2005 found that about two-thirds of the landfills in Alabama are sited in or around impoverished and/or minority communities. Census estimates show that 31 percent of the citizens of Perry County live in poverty and a significant number of the county’s citizens are minority.

We echo the concerns of this group and urge an investigation of this practice.

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Perry County Landfill Set to Double Intake, Expand to 33 States?

Studies of public documents on the Alabama Department of Environmental Management’s Web site reveal that Arrowhead Landfill in Perry County is seeking permission to allow double its current permitted waste intake.

Perry County Associates, LLC has applied for a major permit modification to the Solid Waste Disposal Permit No. 53-03 for the Perry County Associates Landfill. The modification involves expanding service area, increasing disposal volume and minor operational changes as explained in the draft permit…..The service area for the Perry County Associates Landfill (as contained in the permit application and approved by the Perry County Commission) after proposed major modification will be the States of Alabama, Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia and Wisconsin. The maximum average daily volume of waste disposed at the Perry County Associates Landfill (as contained in the permit application and as approved by Perry County Commission) after the proposed major modification will be 15,000 tons/day.

“Alabama already has capacity to take more than 24,000 tons per day of out of state waste, and this permit modification would expand the potential out-of-state waste stream to more than 31,000 tons per day, more than 2.5 times the waste that Alabamians produce per day,” Snyder said. “Such a glut in landfill capacity makes Alabama a prime target for out-of-state waste, such as the toxic coal ash that is planned to be transported from Kingston, Tenn. to Perry County’s Arrowhead Landfill. Alabama’s landfill permitting practices need to be reviewed before this landfill is allowed to expand or a new landfill is allowed to open.”

Tags: Alabama Gets Dumped On, TVA Coal Ash Spill

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