Perinton Town Board Takes Action on Landfill Issue

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In a press release dated 1/25/18, the Town Board of Perinton announced that they have adopted a set of ten recommendations from the Perinton Conservation Board aimed at resolving issues of odors coming from Waste Management's High Acres Landifll. 

The recommendations are; 

  1. Direct Waste Management to retrofit Cell 11, and all existing and future solid waste disposal areas, to conform with 6 NYCRR 363-7.1(3)(1).
     
  2. High Acres should operate the collection system so that the hydrogen sulfide concentration is less than 10 ppbv above background at the surface of the landfill for odor control and compliance with the NYSDEC one-hour average concentration of hydrogen sulfide not to exceed 0.01ppmv (10ppbv) under 6 NYCRR 257-10.3.
     
  3. Compel monitoring for hydrogen sulfide at any surface scan location where methane readings are at “action-level” conditions of 200 parts per million or greater.
     
  4. Request vertical and horizontal gas collection well monitoring (temperature, oxygen/nitrogen, and pressure) be performed weekly instead of monthly.
     
  5. Direct that Waste Management be required to provide the Perinton Conservation Board with updates on mitigation progress and monitoring at each Perinton Conservation Board meeting. This information would be made public.
     
  6. Request Waste Management to immediately suspend all municipal solid waste (MSW) disposal in Perinton temporarily until WM can demonstrate to the satisfaction of the NYSDEC that all mitigation and compliance measures have been met and demonstrated effective in odor emissions.
     
  7. Have Waste Management support third-party monitoring of local Fairport schools, as directed by the Fairport Superintendent of Schools, for non-methane organic compounds and hydrogen sulfide until such time as the technical data indicate that there is no health concern due to odors from the High Acres landfill.
     
  8. Request that the NYSDEC implement flow-induced vibration requirements that minimize flare-induced vibration occurrences, and compel reporting and resident notification. Require residential/Town notification of gas plant shutdowns exceeding one hour and the potential impacts for odors, vibration, or other potential issues that can immediately impact residents.
     
  9. Request that NYSDEC compel on-site backup power (generator) to operate the gas collection and control system such that a power failure or gas plant shutdown will not affect system control (vacuum) requirements, gas/odor collection and control per Title 5 permit that covers the entire facility (both Perinton and Macedon).
     
  10. The Town of Perinton establish a question and answer resource on the Town website that provides general information about landfills, odors, and odor control. The PCB recommends that the Town engage a third-party consultant who will work with the PCB’s topic outline. Furthermore, the PCB recommends that the consultant compile answers to submitted questions by residents to the Town website. Additionally, a notification should be sent to the residents informing them that this resource is available

While these recommendations were stronger than what had been anticipated, the directors of FAFE, Inc. would like to stress that these are simply recommendations. In order for change to occur, both the DEC and Waste Management need to be on board.