MO Attorney General Announces Agreement with Bridgeton Landfill

Missouri Attorney General Chris Koster reached a preliminary agreement with Republic Services, the owner of Bridgeton and West Lake Landfills, he said in a press conference Tuesday morning.

The agreement asks for the company to finish construction work that would ultimately place a cap on the south quarry of Bridgeton Landfill by Labor Day, pending weather problems. It also calls for temporary relocation of residents of Spanish Village, Terrisan Reste Mobile Home Park and some residences of the Carrollton Village Condominimums and reimbursement of state agencies for ongoing monitoring and sampling efforts.

The agreement responds to the immediate concerns regarding the odor of the landfill and its subsurface fire, Koster said.

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 “The safety of nearby residents and workers at the Bridgeton Landfill, as well as the protection of natural resources at and around the site are of paramount concern to the state,” he said. “This was an opportunity in best interest of state and has been acted upon.”

Since that time, the odor has worsened in part due to construction to eliminate the odor and contain the fire that has been monitored at the landfill site.

As Koster made his announcement, Reps. Keith English, D-68, and Bill Otto, D-70, stood side-by-side with Koster. 

Rep. English said that the announcement means that this is a move in the right direction. 

"I came here to support and give assistance on a state level," he said. "This is not final. It's a work in progress." 

Rep. English was passionate about the West Lake Landfill issue in previous years as a Florissant City Councilman.

Bridgeton and Maryland Heights residents and other advocates weren’t fully thrilled with the outcome.

Monday, Missouri Coalition for the Environment Safe Energy Director Ed Smith and residents gathered in a media event to request “a seat at the table” to allow affected residents to have more of a say before an official agreement could be reached.

Dawn Chapman, a Maryland Heights resident and co-administrator of the West Lake Landfill Facebook page, previously asked for more real-time data and other sampling information to be made public to make more informed decisions. Following Tuesday’s press conference, she said she was upset that she still didn’t have her seat at the table.

“I didn’t have a say in my safety, and I’m upset,” she said. “I think [Koster] doesn’t understand our part. The general consensus is we’re done talking; we want results.”

Patch earlier reported that Republic Services had begun a relocation program for those living near the Bridgeton Landfill in a one-mile radius with construction scheduled to begin March 20.

Smith showcased a picture with odor complaints as far as Hazelwood and St. Charles.

Chapman said that with the anticipated construction and predicted worst smell, she would have to move her family out of their home and in with another relative. She said her 5-year-old daughter has asthma and maintenance medication isn’t an option.

In a letter to the Missouri Department of Natural Resources, Chief for the Bureau of Environmental Epidemiology Jonathan Garoutte writes, “We have not seen chemical concentrations of public health for short term exposures during the significant well drilling work so far, and our understanding is that this [reinforced concrete pipe] work may produce landfill gas emissions within a comparable range.”

Koster also noted the difference between the odor and dangerous emissions.

“Odor is not the same as harm from toxic pollutants,” he said.

Ed Smith, who stood outside of the media conference, said he hadn’t dived into the information from the attorney general but from initial glances, there’s still not a lot of information being provided to the public.

“This is a decent start, but it needs to be expanded,” Smith said. “Where’s the air testing data and when will that be made available to people?”

On the West Lake Landfill Facebook page, a community meeting has been set for Thursday at Pattonville High School for all of those concerned and wanting more information on the issue.