Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, May 22, 1990 TAG: 9005220529
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B-3 EDITION: EVENING
SOURCE: MARY BISHOP STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
The leaks, at two manholes and a stand pipe on the dump's western end, are not a danger to people living nearby, said Cynthia Bailey, director of the state's Department of Waste Management.
However, Bailey said, the gas levels are high enough to ignite if sparks are generated at the site.
The private dump near Clifton Forge was forced to shut down May 10. A circuit judge, echoing concerns of state agencies, ordered the dump closed until it can control pollution and obey environmental laws.
John Ely, director of enforcement for the department, marked the methane leak sites with flags Saturday, Bailey said.
Members of her staff will be checking gas levels around Bolivia Lumber, a company on the dump's western border, and at Oakland Church, a historic Presbyterian Church across Virginia 696 from the landfill. Services are held at the church only twice a year, and the next service is set for Sunday.
The Rev. James Kennedy, Presbyterian minister for several area churches, will be briefed by state officials and decide by mid-week whether the service will be held.
Bailey said she and her staff are close to devising a plan of action for how to deal with the dump's environmental problems. Kim-Stan's attorney said last week the company is broke and cannot comply with the judge's order.
The state has been surveying the site and searching for sources of material to cover the garbage, Bailey said.
Safety issues are taking priority now over Kim-Stan's failure to comply with the judge's orders, she said. More than a week ago, the dump was supposed to have stopped all pollution, pumped all toxic waters from the site, and furnished the state with 1989 and 1990 data on ground water.
The state could take Kim-Stan to court and charge the company with contempt, but if Kim-Stan is correct in its assertion that it is broke, "we don't think that would be very fruitful," Bailey said. She added, "We're not necessarily convinced that they don't have any assets."
Scott Trucking of New Castle recently filed suit in Alleghany County Circuit Court for $17,900 it claims Kim-Stan owes for hauling dirt and crushed stone to the landfill. A New Jersey-based environmental firm that trucked waters from Kim-Stan sued the landfill early this month for $232,600 in unpaid bills.
by CNB