Hearing set on Rostraver landfill permit to dump treated leachate into river

A Penn Township environmental organization is opposing a draft permit the state has issued to a Rostraver landfill operator that wants to pipe treated leachate from its garbage dump into the Monongahela River.

“Our main concern is with the leachate runoff. Are they going to process it properly?” asked Gillian Graber, executive director of Protect PT, which had opposed the Westmoreland Sanitary Landfill’s proposed leachate management system at a September 2022 public hearing.

Landfill operator Noble Environmental Corp. of Pittsburgh wants to pump the treated leachate from its sanitary landfill into a pipe discharging into nearby Speers Run, which flows into the river near the Belle Vernon Bridge.

The state Department of Environmental Protection will hear the public’s opinion on the proposed draft permit during a public hearing from 6 to 8:30 p.m. March 20. at the Rostraver Central Fire Department social hall at 1100 Fells Church Road

The DEP will consider the comments in determining whether changes to the draft permit are warranted, said Lauren Camarda, a DEP spokeswoman.

The application for the National Pollution Discharge Elimination draft permit may be revised and another public hearing held, or the permit will be issued, Camarda said.

If approved, Noble Environmental would need to apply for and receive a permit to build and operate a wastewater treatment system, as well as obtain an amended permit for a revised leachate management plan.

Leachate is created by rain water and groundwater that filters through the landfill waste and produces a polluted liquid.

Its chemical composition depends upon the waste in the landfill and the age of the waste that has been stored in the landfill, according to the Science Direct publication.

Ro Rozier, a spokeswoman for Noble Environmental, could not be reached for comment.

The Westmoreland Sanitary Landfill has been dealing with the leachate problem from the landfill for several years. Noble Environmental was fined $69,000 in October 2020 for leachate leakage and other violations. It also was cited by the DEP for leachate leaks that polluted Speers Run.

Piping the treated leachate from the landfill to Speers Run, which flows near the Tyrol Boulevard entrance to the landfill, would eliminate the need for Noble Environmental to haul leachate and condensate to a wastewater treatment plant.

The state had fined Noble Environmental about five years ago for pumping its leachate into the Belle Vernon Sewage Authority plant, which discharges treated wastewater into the river.

Noble Environmental agreed to pay a $24,000 fine and reduce the amount of waste it generates by closing up part of the landfill’s open area and installing an evaporator and other treatment equipment.

Protect PT plans a meeting that is open to the public at 7 p.m. March 13 at Monessen High School, 1245 State Road, to discuss Noble Environmental’s application for the permit to discharge the leachate into Speers Run and the river. Protect PT and Three Rivers Waterkeepers representatives will attend.

“It could not process it enough at the Belle Vernon sewage treatment plant. I don’t see how this plan can be any different,” Graber said.

Noble Environmental also was fined about $62,470 in November 2023 for violating the state Clean Streams Law and the Solid Waste Management Act.

Among the violations that included inadequate stormwater controls and off-site odors were issues with the secondary containment of the leachate storage area.