EPA entering final stages at St. Clair County landfill

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WBRC) - Officials with the Environmental Protection Agency say they have started placing grass at the landfill site in Moody, which means they are entering the wrap-up phase.

The EPA will use the grass as erosion control to ensure things like heavy rainfall won’t wash away all the dirt they used to smother the fire.

On-Scene Coordinator Subash Patel says they are still monitoring the air quality, and the levels are steadily improving. They’ve also noticed some of the chemicals and contaminants that were present when they collected data in January are gone.

Patel says they also have enough soil on site to finish suffocating the fire, so residents can expect to see fewer trucks coming in and out of their neighborhood.

“We are starting to grass the site in areas that are complete,” says Patel. “So in the southern entrance if you go in you’ll start seeing seeds and straw around the landfill mounds. Air quality has gotten much better and they won’t have as many trucks driving in the area as they did before.”

He says they expect to be done using heavy equipment by the end of the month. But, the EPA could remain on site until early April to ensure the grass is growing correctly and there is no threat of erosion.

To learn more about the EPA’s work at the landfill, visit https://response.epa.gov/site/site_profile.aspx?site_id=15907

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