Greenville moves ahead on landfill improvements

GREENVILLE – Town officials agreed Wednesday to press forward with corrective actions which they hope will extend the life of the landfill.

The town is under pressure from the state Department of Environmental Protection to close the facility even though it was designed for about 30 more years of use.

Since the landfill is contaminating groundwater, the DEP has told the town it must file a closing plan in three years.

If the town can show improvement in the quality of the groundwater at the landfill within the next three years, DEP officials have said they would entertain giving the town more time to use the facility.

“We believe over a three-year span that we’ll show improved water quality,” Town Manager John Simko said Thursday.

Simko said there is a perception among some local residents that the groundwater contamination is affecting the public water supply, but that is not the case. There is no impact on the drinking water because there is no drinking water supply near the landfill, he said.

“We have consistently, in our groundwater testing, shown that we meet the state of Maine clean drinking water parameters,” Simko said. The results, however, do not meet DEP standards. The state agency has said there is no immediate threat from the contamination to a water body, yet the contamination is not acceptable under landfill regulations.

The town already has taken several measures to improve the situation, according to Simko. He said about 70 percent of the proposed corrective actions have been completed, including improved management of the facility, litter control and better erosion practices.

The two corrective actions remaining to be done include placing a plastic liner over the municipal solid waste pile to reduce water runoff and to discontinue burning brush and clean wood at the landfill. Both actions will be implemented in the near future as approved this week by selectmen.

A compliance inspection conducted this week by Shawn Small of Civil Engineering Services of Brewer, who attended Wednesday’s meeting, was well-received. Small told selectmen that the general condition of the landfill was the best he had ever seen it, Simko said.

Along with the corrective actions, Simko said, the town will take a hard look at how the town manages its waste stream. An ad hoc committee will be appointed to study the town’s future options and to determine the best way to do business.

“Eventually we’ll have to do a different operation, but at least we have three years to determine what would be the most cost-effective and efficient way,” Simko said.