Colorado Supreme Court orders La Plata County to clean up toxic landfill

The Colorado Supreme Court has ruled that La Plata County will be responsible for cleaning up toxic chemicals that have been leaching out of the Bayfield landfill.

As reported by The Durango Herald, La Plata County owns the landfill, which was used as a dump for municipal solid waste for years before it closed more than 25 years ago.

In 2004 and 2005, groundwater monitoring showed elevated levels of vinyl chloride—a chemical that can cause an array of illnesses—at the site.

After a decade of remediation efforts, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) said the county needed to expand its remediation efforts. The county initially resisted, but the Supreme Court’s June 7 decision ultimately sided with CDPHE.

“[CDPHE] still has the authority to bring an enforcement action against the county, as an owner or operator of an allegedly non-compliant, abandoned landfill,” the court’s decision said.

“While we are disappointed, La Plata County respects the decision of the court,” said Chuck Stevens, La Plata County manager. “We will evaluate our options to ensure the best outcomes for the citizens of La Plata County.”

The Bayfield landfill is home to 100,000 cubic yards of municipal waste, located on about 15 of the site’s 32 acres, according to a 2015 report in The Durango Herald.

The site opened in the 1950s and operated until 1994, when it was replaced with the current transfer station. In the mid-2000s, elevated vinyl chloride was detected in two of four groundwater monitoring wells near the site.

Extremely high levels of vinyl chloride can damage the liver, lungs, kidneys, nerves and heart, among other adverse health reactions, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Buried refuse was emitting gas, which transmitted vinyl chloride into groundwater flowing toward County Road 223 and the east half of the Lions Club gun range, reports The Durango Herald.