Odors from landfill leave businesses crying foul

Foul odors emanating from the Central Landfill in Johnston have reached beyond the borders of the town, amid concerns from some local businesses that the smell may be keeping customers away.
Since early October, residents in Johnston have been complaining about the rotten-egg smell wafting through the air from the landfill at 65 Shun Pike. The R.I. Department of Environmental Management has been monitoring the site since then and has found that the R.I. Resource Recovery Corporation, the quasi-public agency that manages the landfill, has not been in compliance with odor regulations, said Janet Coit, director of the DEM.
An odor violation is issued when an odor that is determined to be objectionable is detected beyond the property line of the facility. Since Oct. 12, the DEM has found the landfill noncompliant with the odor regulations on six days, with the most recent date documented on Nov. 28, the DEM said.
The department is deciding whether or not to fine the agency, but first just wants the odor to be eliminated, Coit said.
On Dec. 7, the General Assembly announced it is forming a special House commission, led by Rep. Stephen R. Ucci, D-Johnston, to investigate ways to end the smell.
“We should see what works at other landfills and insist that RIRRC take the steps necessary to fix this problem and avoid similar situations from now on,” he said in a news release.
The resource-recovery agency has said the odors have been caused in part by rainwater clogging underground pipes that draw gases away from the landfill. The agency outlined a plan to address them. The DEM said it agreed with the actions and “encouraged” the corporation to continue to communicate with the public about the progress. The resource-recovery agency will address the matter by using soil to cap more of the landfill, by installing more gas-collection wells and by working to clear flooded gas-collection pipes and wells.
But neighbors and others still don’t understand why the smell is so strong and can reach beyond the town’s borders.
The Alpine Country Club, 251 Pippin Orchard Rd. in Cranston, is nearly 2.5 miles southwest of the Central Landfill. Liane Boucher, director of sales for the country club, says the smell is usually worse in November but this year it’s especially bad.
“It’s horrendous and depending on the way the wind is blowing, some days are worse than others,” she said. Boucher, like other business owners and employees, is concerned a recent drop in business may be at least partly due to the odor but can’t say so for sure.
At Gianfranco’s Ristorante & Bar, 183 George Waterman Rd., co-owner Vinny Messina says the smell has been the talk of the Johnston bar and also wonders if it is the reason for a recent decline in business.
“[The odor] is the main topic of discussion of the people who do come in here,” he said.
His sister-in-law, Christina Illiano, who was visiting the restaurant from her North Providence home, said she smells the odor where she lives and believes it has exacerbated her asthma.
Sen. John J. Tassoni Jr., D-North Smithfield, said staying out of Johnston can’t help everyone eager to get away from the smell.
“Obviously, they’re not doing enough or the right things,” he said. “I got a number of calls and emails from residents over the holiday weekend complaining about the odor and they live five to 10 miles away.”
Tassoni recently called on the governor and the DEM to do something immediately to quell the smell, even though he didn’t know what that action could be.
“They’ve got to get to the bottom of whatever it is,” Tassoni said.
The governor’s office did not immediately return calls seeking comment.
Michael J. OConnell, executive director of Resource Recovery Corporation, said the corporation is working with the DEM to alleviate the smell, but he said it’s not a quick fix. And it won’t be until mid-December until he thinks they’ll have the smell under control.
OConnell says the agency spends $3 million to $5 million a year on trying to keep odors within regulation.
The DEM has been inspecting the Central Landfill twice a week and measuring the levels of gas.
OConnell, who said his office is about 500 feet from the landfill, said the fumes are not enough to make someone sick, but might irritate a current condition
“From everything that I’ve read, it’s an irritant,” OConnell said. “It’s objectionable really and horrendous but from a health sense, I don’t think it causes issues.”
But Dr. Michael Fine, Rhode Island health director, said “hydrogen-sulfide fumes can cause nausea, itchy eyes, breathing difficulties or throat irritations.”
Coit said there is no magic cure to immediately eliminate the odors. •

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