Questions arise about treatment of leachate from Coventry,vermont landfill
Meeting reveals that WET Test not performed at Newport wastewater treatment plant
An alarm bell went off last month when the oversight committee for a landfill located on the edge of Black River in Coventry, Vermont found out that the since 2009 the Newport wastewater treatment plant has not been conducting a Waste Extraction Test (WET) for the leachate that is being delivered from the Coventry landfill site.
A consultation with Brome-missisquoi MP Denis Paradis, who is involved with the International Joint Commission on Trans-border Water, resulted in learning that there could be a problem with the leachate being treated at the municipal wastewater treatment plant in Newport, Vermont. Paradis had been to Coventry to see the landfill operation there when he learned about the situation a few weeks ago. He has spoken to both senators Patrick Leahy and Bernie Sanders concern is about what is being done on this front in Newport.”
Paradis is concerned about the future for the lake that provides potable water for over 200,000 people and for the water table. “We know that the water at the Newport end of the lake is already not drinkable. We want to make sure that the rest of the lake does not get contaminated.” He says the uncertainty of how long the liner in the landfill will last is an issue. If there would be a break in the linings the leachate would seep into the water table as will as the springs and stream that lead to the lake.
Pedro Grondin has been the main operator of the Newport wastewater treatment plant in for about a year-and-a-half but says he has worked at the facility for 13 years. He says that he knows nothing about a WET Test ever being implemented at the facility. He also said that he had never heard of the WET Test until after the February 13 meeting of the
Coventry landfill oversight committee meeting. He explained that he does weekly tests of the water that is being released from the plant into Lake Memphremagog. Amongst the numerous tests he mentioned are the Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD), the Total Suspended Solids (TSS), temperature, PO4 tests for phosphorous toxicity, and the Ph tests to determine the levels of acidity or alkalinity. Admitting that he is not a scientist, he is not sure that results of a WET Test would have any correlation to the results of those that he conducts. He deferred that question to the State Department of Environmental Conservation to gain clarity.
On the subject of receiving more leachate from the Coventry landfill as it expands its capacity, Grondin is adamant that the Newport facility is at maximum capacity and simply could not take any more than is being delivered without a major extension of the existing facility. He is certain that this is a non-issue, adding that Montpelier and Burlington also treat the leachate that is coming from the Coventry landfill operation. Although Orjikh said that she had heard that the city is seeking a new permit that would allow the plant to treat double the amount of leachate, Grondin is not aware of this and doubts that this is true. He suggests that the expansion of waste management is an issue of Casella.
Grondin, understanding why Canadians would have concerned about maintaining clean water, is open to showing officials around the plant. He emphasized that the city of Newport is doing everything possible to ensure the health of the water in the lake within the regulations outlined by the State Department of Environmental Conservation and that the results of all the tests that are undertaken from the facility are demonstrating safe water being released into the lake.
At time of publication neither the Vermont State Department of Environmental Conservation nor Casella have responded to our phone calls.