DEP gives approval for Old Town landfill Concerned residents take steps to appeal

OLD TOWN – The Maine Department of Environmental Protection issued its final approval of the West Old Town Landfill on Friday, one opponents of the dump are sure to appeal.

“I have to base my decision on the environmental aspects of it and the geological aspects, and from that perspective it did meet the test,” DEP Commissioner Dawn Gallagher said on Friday.

Charlie Gibbs, a member of We The People, a group of residents opposed to the landfill, said that he is “absolutely disgusted” with the way the process has gone. “None of us are surprised by this,” he said.

Last November Gallagher began reviewing Casella Waste Systems’ application to increase the height of the landfill and the number of waste streams that will be accepted at the site. On Feb. 17 the DEP tentatively approved the application. After considering an abundance of public comment and testimony in favor of and opposed to the project, Gallagher stuck to her original decision.

The three-way landfill deal between the state, Georgia-Pacific Corp. and Casella was designed to help keep the Old Town paper mill open while addressing the state’s waste disposal problem. The state bought the site from G-P and chose Casella, which runs the Pine Tree Landfill in Hampden, to operate it.

The landfill deal provoked controversy in Old Town and surrounding communities. G-P workers see the transaction as a way to keep the mill open and retain their jobs. Residents opposed to the landfill are concerned about the environmental and health hazards they feel the waste disposal site poses.

To address those concerns, Casella has entered into a written agreement with DEP outside of the application.

Casella has agreed to let DEP take part in testing water samples, to test the wells of residents whose property abut the landfill, to report monthly any complaints they receive as well as responses to those complaints, and to provide the DEP an annual report.

The landfill operator also plans to hire a University of Maine professor to study experimental wet cell technology, which may be more effective in disintegrating waste.

“Whether this technology would even be feasible in Maine, I think we need to take a hard look at,” Don Meagher, Casella’s manager of planning and development said Friday.

One major change was made in the application, Gallagher said.

“We have extended the period for the time of the post closure to be until we are satisfied that everything is okay,” Gallagher said.

Casella will be required to continue monitoring the site even after the 30-year contract is up until the state is positive it is stable.

Meagher said the next step for Casella is to review the license and comments from the state before the company moves forward.

Individuals have 30 days to appeal the DEP decision to the Board of Environmental Protection. The board can then decide whether to hold a hearing to dismiss the appeal or reverse or modify the decision.

“Appealing to the board does not stay the action, so that the company is free to move forward in terms of its construction,” Gallagher said.

We The People already is taking the necessary steps to appeal the decision.

“The actual truth about what’s going on so that the people can have an actual voice to weigh in on [the deal] we haven’t received – not once,” Charlie Gibbs said Friday.

“This is really kind of a sad comment on society to me,” Gallagher said. “We are treating the symptom, which is the landfill, and not the disease, which is our throwaway society. We’ve just got to do a better job of reducing the waste that goes in our waste stream.”

A copy of the license, transcripts from the previous two-day session of public testimony, and the DEP’s response to comments on the project are available at www.maine.gov/dep/.