Westmoreland Sanitary Landfill fined more than $62K by Pennsylvania DEP

The Westmoreland Sanitary Landfill in Rostraver Township, Pennsylvania, has been fined $62,475 by the state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) for violating the state Solid Waste Management Act and Clean Streams Law.

As reported by the Tribune-Review, violations included on- and off-site mud and dirt tracking, inadequate stormwater controls, off-site odors, uncovered or insufficiently covered slopes, the presence of litter and poor site maintenance and issues with the secondary containment of the leachate storage area.

These violations represent the third time the landfill has been fined in the past four years.

The landfill, operated by Noble Environmental, was fined $24,000 in 2020 and $25,000 in 2021 for violations. Last year, the landfill was cited by the DEP for leachate that leaked from the facility into Speers Run. 

The consent order and agreement (COA) requires the landfill to make corrective moves and put measures in place to prevent future problems.

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In a statement from the DEP, the agency says the landfill is to complete “outstanding corrective actions,” which include construction, reporting, and prompt operation of leachate conveyance, pretreatment and disposal systems upon receipt of a DEP permitting approval and proper application of daily cover.

The landfill is also required to implement a corrective action plan to prevent sediment pollution and tracking and to ensure adequate daily cover and vegetation on slopes.

The COA also requires a third-party environmental audit to evaluate the waste handling and operating systems, as well as air quality and surface water protective systems at the landfill. In addition, the landfill must select and implement a DEP-approved environmental management system to help the landfill comply with Pennsylvania laws and regulations and DEP permits over the next three years.

“DEP has documented violations and listened to community concerns about the operation of this facility, and we have insisted on a number of requirements through this agreement to improve operations,” DEP Southwest Regional Director Jim Miller says. “The third-party audit and environmental management systems include robust reporting so the public can verify the landfill’s progress.”