Landfill ordered to control blowing dust
DEC has been investigating Rensselaer dump
The state Department of Environmental Conservation has ordered the S.A. Dunn Landfill to do something immediately about the issue of sand and dust blowing from its Rensselaer facility.
The department said it received reports Wednesday of blowing dust around the 99-acre landfill, and began investigating the “nature and extent of the dust.” As a result, it has directed the landfill operators to immediately hydroseed sand piles at the facility to ensure the sand remains contained at the site.
“DEC will not tolerate these latest violations at the Dunn Landfill,” DEC Commissioner Basil Seggos said Thursday.
The landfill has been under DEC investigation for some time, following repeated complaints of landfill gases seeping into nearby neighborhoods and the city school district campus.
The dump opened in 2015 at the longtime sand and gravel mine off of Partition Street, and accepts construction and demolition debris, including gypsum drywall, which contains sulfur compounds. When the drywall decomposes it releases hydrogen sulfide — a pungent landfill gas.
Residents and children at the nearby district schools have been unable to stand the smell. Last month, roughly 50 residents showed up to a Rensselaer school board meeting to air their concerns about the stench, as well as noise, dust and fumes from the more than 50,000 trucks that have used the facility since it opened.
DEC directed the landfill to improve operations and reduce odors at the facility. In addition to new gas collection and cover system requirements and enhanced odor monitoring, it deployed four H2S monitors at the perimeter of the landfill to determine whether it was emitting excessive levels of hydrogen sulfide.
DEC said Thursday it will continue to monitor the landfill to ensure “the community and environment are protected.”