Data collected at landfill Amount and direction of escaping gases monitored

HAMPDEN – Officials at Pine Tree Landfill continued to collect raw data Monday as a partial shutdown of the facility’s gas extraction system moved into its second week.

The shutdown, scheduled to end next Monday, is designed to identify the amount and direction of gases escaping from the conventional landfill, the oldest portion of the facility that was constructed in 1975. The gas extraction system in the newer sections of the landfill remains operational.

It’s too early to draw any conclusions from the data collected so far, though gas pressure in the conventional landfill hasn’t changed as quickly as anticipated, Cyndi Darling of the state Department of Environmental Protection said Monday.

Weather also has proven a factor in the data collection, Don Meagher, manager of planning and development for Casella Waste Systems Inc., which owns the landfill, said Monday.

“The pressure from the landfill is so slight, it is very much affected by changes in barometric pressure,” he said.

Thunderstorms over the past week have also caused the data recording system to be shut off for brief periods to avoid damage, Meagher said.

No odor complaints have been reported during the shutdown, and odor will continue to be monitored at and around the landfill, he said.

The shutdown could be extended if further data collection is deemed beneficial, Meagher said. The landfill’s environmental engineering firm will issue a report on the findings this fall, after meeting with town and DEP officials, he said.

The shutdown is part of the landfill’s corrective action plan, which includes drilling monitoring wells and installing gas detection equipment on the perimeter of the landfill to track down gases that are escaping from the conventional layer.

Some gases, including odorless methane, have been detected in surrounding soil and groundwater, particularly to the east of the landfill.