EPA fines Oregon landfill $104,482 for air pollution violations

The Riverbend Landfill in McMinnville, Oregon, has been ordered by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to pay a $104,482 fine and take actions to reduce its pollution emissions under a recent settlement, reports the Statesman Journal.

The municipal solid waste landfill and recycling center is owned and operated by Houston-based Waste Management Inc. and has been in operation since 1982.

Under the federal Clean Air Act, Riverbend Landfill is required to capture the emissions generated as the garbage breaks down. To ensure it is capturing the emissions adequately, Riverbend Landfill is also required to conduct surveys of the surface of the landfill to see if any gases are leaking at least four times per year.

If methane emissions above 500 parts per million are measured, the landfill must take corrective action to ensure those emissions are captured.

In 2018, an EPA inspection found nine separate instances of methane emissions greater than 500 ppm at different areas of the landfill.

As reported by the Stateman Journal, a review of facility records showed that the company's emissions surveys did not find any areas above 500 ppm between 2015 and 2018, including surface emission monitoring studies before and after EPA’s inspection.

Comparing the results from EPA’s inspection and Riverbend Landfill’s surveys, EPA determined that Riverbend Landfill did not conduct adequate surface emission monitoring.

EPA also determined that the company failed to monitor the landfill’s cover integrity monthly, as required. In addition, it failed to perform the required monthly monitoring of an onsite well.

The settlement requires the company to conduct enhanced monitoring, inspection and tracking measures to identify and address emissions.