Westmoreland Sanitary Landfill in Rostraver fined more than $62K for violations

The Westmoreland Sanitary Landfill in Rostraver will need to make changes and report progress to the public after being fined $62,475 by the state Department of Environmental Protection for breaking state rules.

The DEP fined the landfill for violating the state Solid Waste Management Act and Clean Streams Law.

Violations included on- and off-site mud and dirt tracking, inadequate stormwater controls, off-site odors, uncovered or insufficiently covered slopes, the presence of litter and poor site maintenance, and issues with the secondary containment of the leachate storage area.

It’s at least the third time the landfill has been fined in the past four years.

The landfill, operated by Noble Environmental, was fined $24,000 in 2020 and $25,000 in 2021 for violations.

Last year, the landfill was cited by the DEP for leachate that leaked from the facility and made its way into Speers Run. Leachate is liquid that picks up contamination when it comes into contact with waste material.

Messages and emails seeking comment Monday from Noble and Rostraver officials weren’t immediately returned.

What happens next

The consent order and agreement, signed by the DEP and the Westmoreland Sanitary Landfill, requires the landfill to make corrective moves and put measures in place to prevent future problems.

A statement from the DEP noted the agreement covers existing issues from previous agreements and violations documented in August 2022 and January and February of this year.

The DEP is currently reviewing applications for an air quality plan and waste permit modification that were submitted by the landfill last year. The plans include a leachate evaporator system, which would replace the landfill’s current method of disposing of leachate via truck.

The agreement also requires the landfill to get a third-party audit to evaluate the waste handling and operating systems, as well as air quality and surface water protective systems. Operators also are required to implement and audit a DEP-approved environmental management system to make sure the landfill stays within state rules in the next three years.

In a statement, DEP Southwest Regional Director Jim Miller said that the agency documented violations and listened to community concerns about the operation of the landfill.

“We have insisted on a number of requirements through this agreement to improve operations,” Miller said. “The third-party audit and environmental management systems include robust reporting so the public can verify the landfill’s progress.”