EPA expects to wrap up at the landfill in March

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WBRC) - The Environmental Protection Agency says they expect to continue work at the landfill in St. Clair County until the end of March. On-scene Coordinator Subash Patel says they are still bringing in a lot of soil on site to suppress the fire and fill in all of the gaps to ensure it does not reignite.

They are still monitoring the air quality on-site and nearby and they say the levels are steadily improving.

Monday the Alabama Department of Environmental Management says approximately 150 loads of dirt were brought to the site as they continue grading and filling the western and northern portions. ADEM also says the smoke has decreased but there is still an odor coming from the landfill.

Leaders in St. Clair County have also noticed how huge trucks coming in every day have started to take a toll on the roads nearby. The EPA says they plan to work with state and county to get them fixed but their top priority right now is getting the fire extinguished.

“There’s no doubt that the roads are being impacted by the activities that we are doing to extinguish the fire,” says Patel. “That’s just something we will have to address.”

The landfill is more than 15 acres and with the fire burning underground in a lot of places the EPA is working to ensure they are not missing any spots that could still be burning.

“That’s why we’re using so much soil at the site to make sure that we fill in all those gaps,” says Patel. “We’re trying to extinguish the oxygen that may be captured in the cells. We’re hoping that there won’t be any more oxygen left and that will keep the fire from igniting again. That’s why we’re here and focused on getting rid of the threat so hopefully, this situation will not occur again.”

To learn more about the progress at the landfill visit this website, or the EPA website.

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