What is being done to manage the odor?

A number of steps were taken over the past two years to address odor issues:

  • To collect and manage the additional landfill gas, we added more than 140 landfill gas collection wells and made improvements to the existing gas collection system, which sends the gas to one of two onsite flares to be eliminated.
  • To collect and manage the additional liquids, we upgraded the landfill’s wastewater (also known as “leachate”) collection system to handle the additional liquids being generated by the elevated temperatures.
  • Built two large onsite wastewater storage tanks, where the collected leachate is stored before being taken offsite for treatment.
  • Installed a second landfill gas flare on site to handle additional gas capacity and to serve as a backup to the existing flare.
  • Covered approximately  22.3 acres of the landfill with a temporary synthetic liner cap to create an odor control barrier. A vacuum underneath the cap will collect any gas not collected by the wells and sends it to one of the flares to be eliminated.
  • Installed backup generators to provide emergency power to landfill systems in the event of a major power outage in the area.

In summer 2017, Stony Hollow Landfill  continued improvement projects on site:

  • May – July 2017: Continued necessary additions and updates to the gas collection well network, which built on the work done last year and enhance the efficiency of our system. We  had fail safes in place to help control odors during the drilling process. More gas wells mean more control over landfill gases, which can cause odors if not contained in wells or under the vacuum. This work will begin in May and  was completed by early July.
  • July – August 2017: Extended the synthetic cap, which has worked well in helping us contain and control any odors not captured by the well system. This work  began in July and  was completed  in August. The cap will remain in place until the Ohio EPA determines with the appropriate data and testing that the area has stabilized.
  • Continuing Disposal: We will continue to accept waste as normal and do not anticipate any concerns as we operate normally in other sections of the landfill, which are away from the area experiencing the elevated temperatures.