Pearland Journal - News
Landfill odor causing a stink
| Buzzards attracted to the nearby Blue Ridge Landfill roost on the roof of this Green Valley Estates home. |
By NATALIE TORENTINOS
Like passing dark clouds, incomparable and scary odors have traveled through Jamie Lee’s neighborhood in Shadow Creek Ranch, the smell seeping through the garage, laundry, even the water faucet.
“This morning at 8 a.m. I left to take my daughters to school, and I could barely breathe outside,” Lee said. “It was nauseating.”
“How do we effectively record this and document?” she asked, having filed dozens of complaints with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, suspecting that Blue Ridge Landfill, which sits west of the housing development, was to blame.
Richard Morrison, a Sugar Land attorney representing grass-roots organization Coalition Against Blue Ridge Landfill Expansion, was showered with similar questions July 16 at the Shadow Creek Ranch pool house, where more than 50 residents gathered recently to discuss ongoing litigation between affected citizens and the landfill’s operator, Allied Waste.
Allied Waste filed a landfill permit with the TCEQ in January of 2006, seeking to expand its waste footprint from a maximum of height of 60 feet and 302 acres to 170 feet in height and 784 acres.
The site has been in operation since 1993.
Morrison admitted their chances of beating the waste services company is, at best, 20 to 25 percent.
“They’re hard to beat. Allied will spend $5 million, and we may spend anywhere from $25,000 to $50,000. We’re going against a Fortune 500 company. But our strong point in the land use issue. Allied Waste wants to say it’s industrial. I don’t agree with that: it’s residential.”
Additional issues are geology and drainage –regarding contaminated groundwater and increased flooding, respectively. The landfill is attracting scavenger animals such as vultures, seagulls and rodents.
Morrison showed pictures taken of buzzards perching on the roofs of several homes, located in Green Valley Estates north of the landfill.
A contested case hearing is like a trial, he said, with two judges to overhear arguments over a two-week period. An administrative law judge makes the initial decision, and TCEQ makes the final call. In the event of losing the case, CABRLE may appeal to the Court of Appeals in Austin.
By seeking a settlement with outside parties that include CABRLE, the City of Pearland and three TV stations, Allied Waste delayed the previously scheduled hearing for June 16. The best case scenario for a hearing date, Morrison said, is October or November.
Morrison called the City of Pearland one of CABRLE’s most aggressive allies, though city officials also recognize the case’s “uphill” battle.
“We’re nowhere close to reaching a settlement,” said Pearland City Attorney Darin Coker of talks with Allied Waste. “We hired a lawyer from Austin representing the City, and three different experts are analyzing the permit application.
“The reason this is such an uphill battle is because the TCEQ already said, ‘we don’t have a problem with the permit.’”
The landfill’s height, smell and increased truck traffic are major concerns, Coker said, adding that odor the landfill generates produces a lot of methane gas.
“I’ve been complaining on the TCEQ web site as well,” said Neerag Zambare, a Fort Bend resident. “You can see a lot of complaints for this landfill for smell.”
“This morning at 8 a.m. I left to take my daughters to school, and I could barely breathe outside,” Lee said. “It was nauseating.”
“How do we effectively record this and document?” she asked, having filed dozens of complaints with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, suspecting that Blue Ridge Landfill, which sits west of the housing development, was to blame.
Richard Morrison, a Sugar Land attorney representing grass-roots organization Coalition Against Blue Ridge Landfill Expansion, was showered with similar questions July 16 at the Shadow Creek Ranch pool house, where more than 50 residents gathered recently to discuss ongoing litigation between affected citizens and the landfill’s operator, Allied Waste.
Allied Waste filed a landfill permit with the TCEQ in January of 2006, seeking to expand its waste footprint from a maximum of height of 60 feet and 302 acres to 170 feet in height and 784 acres.
The site has been in operation since 1993.
Morrison admitted their chances of beating the waste services company is, at best, 20 to 25 percent.
“They’re hard to beat. Allied will spend $5 million, and we may spend anywhere from $25,000 to $50,000. We’re going against a Fortune 500 company. But our strong point in the land use issue. Allied Waste wants to say it’s industrial. I don’t agree with that: it’s residential.”
Additional issues are geology and drainage –regarding contaminated groundwater and increased flooding, respectively. The landfill is attracting scavenger animals such as vultures, seagulls and rodents.
Morrison showed pictures taken of buzzards perching on the roofs of several homes, located in Green Valley Estates north of the landfill.
A contested case hearing is like a trial, he said, with two judges to overhear arguments over a two-week period. An administrative law judge makes the initial decision, and TCEQ makes the final call. In the event of losing the case, CABRLE may appeal to the Court of Appeals in Austin.
By seeking a settlement with outside parties that include CABRLE, the City of Pearland and three TV stations, Allied Waste delayed the previously scheduled hearing for June 16. The best case scenario for a hearing date, Morrison said, is October or November.
Morrison called the City of Pearland one of CABRLE’s most aggressive allies, though city officials also recognize the case’s “uphill” battle.
“We’re nowhere close to reaching a settlement,” said Pearland City Attorney Darin Coker of talks with Allied Waste. “We hired a lawyer from Austin representing the City, and three different experts are analyzing the permit application.
“The reason this is such an uphill battle is because the TCEQ already said, ‘we don’t have a problem with the permit.’”
The landfill’s height, smell and increased truck traffic are major concerns, Coker said, adding that odor the landfill generates produces a lot of methane gas.
“I’ve been complaining on the TCEQ web site as well,” said Neerag Zambare, a Fort Bend resident. “You can see a lot of complaints for this landfill for smell.”
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