Landfill reopens in Hot Springs

Danielle Switalski

A Class II landfill was found by the state to be reopened during a routine inspection of a septic pumper application site by the Department of Environmental Quality, (DEQ) said County Sanitarian Melanie Shaw.

The landfill was closed roughly twenty years ago and three years ago it was leased to septic pumper Manford Tempero who had planned to spread the waste across the 40 acres of land.

“That is the preferred way to dispose of that (waste) is to land-apply it,” said Tempero.

Tempero received a letter from the DEQ explaining the ways in which he was in violation. One point noted the garbage, which came from the septic waste, which Tempero is legally required to pick up, however, the other point was the reopening of the landfill. It is this point, which the city of Hot Springs is most concerned about.

Tempero said he found a small amount of garbage when he leveled off a clay knob on the Northwest side of the land. Tempero had plans to lay the waste in the back of the property so that it is the least “offensive” to residents both sight and smell wise. In order to do the land application in this particular location, Tempero cut through the clay knob he would have had to climb over with his trucks.

“It was hazardous because it sloped off for one thing and it was solid clay and it was quite a bit of a knob so I told my son to take the backhoe and cut that out just like you level a road out,” said Tempero.

This leveling process, according to Tempero, is the only location in which waste from the old landfill was found due to his land applications.

Since the land is leased by the city of Hot Springs, it is their responsibility to take the necessary steps in accordance with state requirements to make sure the landfill is closed and up to code. In a letter from the DEQ to the state it reads “ARM 17.50.531 (1) i requires a class II landfill to maintain the integrity and effectiveness of any final cover. During the inspection it was observed that land application was occurring over the final cover of the closed Hot Springs Class II landfill. Filling has caused a break in the cover and garbage is protruding through the soil in several areas.”

Woods said that when a landfill is found open, even if it was inadvertently as in this case, the city or town needs to go through the same process as if the landfill was never closed in the first place. The first step for Woods was to hire an engineer firm, which will begin doing a sample procedure on the property in order to gauge the magnitude of the opening.

Woods said the engineering firm will have to dig two-feet down into the land every 200 feet on a grid pattern. If they do not hit any garbage, they will then dig two and a half to three feet into the soil to see how much of a cover is still needed to go over the garbage. If garbage is hit during this procedure, they have to do a 50-foot grid pattern to find out exactly where to put the clay covering on the landfill. According to Woods, the initial digging will only require roughly 12 holes. Landfills are legally required to have two feet of clay and six inches of topsoil over the landfill in order to grow a cap over it.

Hot Springs is currently the process of going through and conducting the sample procedure.

“I have lived here for 50 years. This little town has been dear to me and I have been a supporter of this town, fought for it and with it for all of that time and certainly, not knowingly would do anything to harm the town, period,” added Tempero.