By Briana Vannozzi
Correspondent
This is what capping a landfill looks like. Acres upon acres- 19 to be exact- of geothermal liner being placed atop waste about 30 feet deep.
“So basically you have the liner to act as a moisture barrier. It also acts as a way of basically sealing the landfill to allow us to concentrate the drawing of any gases that we have,” said Pedersen.
Those gases are also referred to as H2S or hydrogen sulfide. It’s responsible for the rotten egg-like smell residents complained of for months and generated by moisture getting into the debris. Capping it will block any additional water from seeping in says Pedersen.
“It will eliminate the generation of H2S by drying out the landfill by pulling the gases and the moisture out eliminating any additional infiltration,” said Pedersen.
Pedersen was brought in by the state DEP with an important mission. Fix the outgassing at Fenimore. Ensure the safety of it’s neighbors and get it capped.
“It’s a number one priority for the department and I know for the Commissioner, and we are going to do that. We will ensure that we have contained it. We are going to and are in the process of mitigating it and ultimately we will turn it off,” said Pedersen.
The problem he says, started after developer SEP bought and reopened the landfill in 2010- with their own intentions to cap it and create a solar farm. It had been shut with no reports of hazardous fumes or complaints from neighbors for nearly 30 years. SEP began charging construction companies for materials being dumped there. Pedersen says that debris lead to the current problem.
“There was the ability to bring material in by SEP there were current permits and orders that were in place currently we have tried to compel compliance with those and that’s currently with the attorney generals office being dealt with,” said Pedersen.
The state stepped in via an emergency order to seize the land in the summer of 2013. Critics of both the DEP and SEP plan claim the state is attempting to cover up exactly what’s in the soil. And they worry about hard-to-detect groundwater contamination. DEP says all tests have come back normal.
“Once the liner is placed and the wicking materials are put in we then put another 12 inches of this cushion material on top of that,” said Pedersen.
Anecdotally, neighbors tell us the smells have improved. But we wanted to know, would they feel safe living here?
“I am a Jersey resident and yes I would,” said Pedersen.
DEP will be handling the long term operation and maintenance here. The gases extracted are filtered through a system with thermal oxidizers and a scrubber that works to convert it into non-toxic salt water. Pedersen says he understands residents’ concerns and he and his crew are working hard to get this done quickly and correctly.
Standing here directly on top of the landfill, there’s virtually no smell at all. The DEP says all the liner will be complete by the end of the month and the clean fill and top soil will be down by the end of the year.