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DEP Approves Increase For Cumberland Landfill Previously Approved For Drill Cuttings
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The Department of Environmental Protection Friday issued a permit to Community Refuse Services Inc. for an increase in average and maximum daily volume at its Cumberland County Landfill in Hopewell and North Newton townships.
Residents expressed concerns about acceptance of Marcellus Shale drill-cutting waste, and DEP concluded that the application was not related to the landfill’s acceptance of drill cuttings. The landfill does not accept liquid waste or frac fluids, and a permit modification was previously issued to accept drill cuttings.
The company’s application, submitted to DEP in March 2010, proposed a 1,000-ton increase in the average daily volume from 1,500 tons to 2,500 tons per day, and an increase in the maximum daily volume of 1,950 tons to 2,950 tons daily. Public meetings, municipal meetings and a public hearing were conducted as part of the application review process. Staff also approved the company’s harms/benefit analysis or environmental assessment.
“Prior to approving this permit, DEP conducted thorough assessments and examinations of the landfill site, the haul route and citizen safety,” DEP South-central Regional Director Rachel Diamond said. “We have concluded that the proposed mitigation measures will adequately protect the environment and the public’s health and safety.”
One of the main concerns voiced during the review process involved the safety of the Amish community and students attending an Amish school along the haul route. The Amish community uses horse-drawn buggies, carts and scooters for travel, which would be shared with the truck traffic.
Community Refuse Services established a transportation compliance plan, which includes a requirement of one-minute spacing between transfer trailers traveling to and from the landfill on the haul route. DEP verified that the compliance plan would adequately address the traffic issue.
Included in the harms/benefit analysis were air quality impact tests, extensive traffic analysis, penalties for truck violations, a noise study, present value analysis, a comparison of vibration analysis and a study of impact fees given to nearby Newburg borough. The benefits include free waste disposal services of up to five 30-gallon bags for North Newton Township residents, free bulk waste cleanup days for the township and unlimited waste disposal services for Newburg.
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9/5/2011 |
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