Neglected landfill a growing concern

LARKSVILLE – Expectations were high when the West Side Landfill opened in 1981 with the promise of bringing the latest in solid waste technology to the area.

Trucks from near and far were supposed to haul garbage to the site where a state-of-the-art baler would compact the trash into square bundles, then pile them neatly in a deep hole covered with a liner. The “garbage juice,” or leachate, would be collected and disposed of in a special pool enclosed by a fence.

The bales would be stacked inside several lined garbage holes, providing a trash receptable for at least three decades.

The 200-plus-acre site was supposed to serve residents of the West Side for 30 years, providing the safest way to dispose of garbage at a reasonable cost.

But the landfill, which stretches across Larksville and Plymouth Township, was shut down in 1988 by the then-state Department of Environmental Resources at a cost of $1 million.

Only one of the several proposed sites was lined to hold refuse. Because of regulatory difficulties, garbage was piled high to form what became known as Mount Trashmore.

Instead of attracting trash haulers from the area and other states, the landfill is the site of drinking parties and a haven for ATV riders.

And, it’s become a growing concern of state officials who worry about the security and liability issues at the abandoned landfill. The Department of Environmental Protection has called on the 12 member municipalities to resume meeting and take responsibility for repairs and maintenance.

“It’s time the communities stepped to the plate,” DEP spokesman Mark Carmon said. “They all signed a consent agreement 14 years ago; it’s their responsibility to keep it secure and keep it safe. The Commonwealth spent a lot of money to close the site.”

The authority, which has not held a meeting in years, recently gathered for a tour of the site – though only four of the 12 member municipalities participated.

Bill Turcan, the Luzerne Borough representative on the board and one of the members who toured the landfill, said the authority has never been disbanded, but has been inactive for years. DEP wants the authority to repair the entrance gate to limit access and to address the condition, he said.

Others who took the tour were Geno Leoni of West Wyoming, Paul Keating of Kingston, and Dave Stochla, Edwardsville.

Neglect all over the landfill

A recent visit to the landfill shows rampant signs of neglect – inside and out. The former administration building has been ransacked. Windows are smashed, broken glass is scattered about. File cabinets have been toppled and files are strewn about the floor.

Graffiti is on almost every wall and there is evidence that several fires have been set.

Outside, overgrown weeds cover the building and the sign on Keating Street is barely visible. The front gate is gone, allowing access to the site.

Garbage – including mattresses -- is dumped on the grounds and there is evidence that the site is used by ATV riders and for drinking parties. Shotgun shells litter the ground, which is marked by vehicle tracks.

It cost the state more than $1 million to close the site – to cover the mountain and cap it. Methane gas vents were installed and DEP conducts annual testing of the site. DEP contends the West Side Landfill Authority is still a viable entity.

DEP has informed the towns that because of their obligation, no member municipality can withdraw from the authority “to escape its obligations.”

William Tomayko, program manager, waste management program at DEP, informed the towns that as a result of the authority’s “current disorganized status,” DEP will hold the municipalities responsible for the landfill. He said the state would take judicial sanctions if necessary to force the towns to address the concerns.

Tomayko, in a letter dated Dec. 12, 2007, and sent to all municipalities, detailed some of the problems at the landfill site:

“As you are aware, the DEP has been monitoring illegal activities such as unauthorized access, the use of all-terrain vehicles and the illegal dumping and burning of waste at the former West Side Landfill,” Tomayko wrote. “Each of these activities is an unlawful act and creates actual and potential problems, such as an increase in exposed waste, damage to the landfill vegetative cover, and vandalism. In addition, the gate at the former landfill access road has been pushed down and the site is readily accessible with no security measures in place, presenting environmental and liability concerns.”

Joe and Alice Palischak, who live on State Street – the main road leading to Keating Street and the landfill entrance – still have questions about the condition of the site. They were there before the tractor-trailers started passing their home at all hours of the day and night in the mid-1980s and they are still there.

“Those trucks would make our house shake so much, my mother-in-law’s IV tube would pop out,” Alice Palischak said. “So we got involved and it was a long battle. We still wonder what’s buried in that mountain.”

But, the DEP’s annual test results look promising, Carmon said. Samples are taken from the soil and the water in the leachate pool.

Once the landfill is secured and cleaned up, development might follow, he said. The site will never be used as a landfill again and Carmon mentioned a former Superfund site that is now a housing development.

“Who knows what the future holds?” Carmon said. “But I think we’re starting to move in the right direction.”

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