Monday, August 11, 2008

Legality of alabama dump site questioned

Lauderdale County, Alabama â€" Complaints about a construction dump site near Killen in Lauderdale County, Alabama, have reached the Alabama Department of Environmental Management. Lauderdale County Health Department officials notified the ADEM about anonymous tips and complaints which accuse Dan Williams, the owner of the site, of using it to illegally dump construction waste. Williams, who also owns a construction company, said he checked with the Health Department, and his use of the site as a dump spot is legal because he’s covering the waste with layers of dirt. In addition he says the construction debris is safe and doesn’t contain asbestos or any other harmful materials. However Scott Hughes, an ADEM spokesperson, says that covering up the debris constitutes disposal, which is illegal when it doesn’t occur at a designated landfill. In addition, Hughes said he doubts that the Heath Department issued permission for what Williams is doing, as Alabama law requires that such waste be disposed of at designated landfill sites only, and Williams’ site does not qualify. Hughes says that budget cuts have made investigation of illegal waste disposal and other relevant matters more difficult recently, as inspectors have not been able to thoroughly or promptly investigate all sites in the state when complaints are received. In fact, it could be up to three months before an inspector can visit the dump site owned by Dan Williams. The site owned by Williams may be free from hazardous wastes, but dump sites where asbestos and other harmful waste has been disposed of can cause serious environmental impact, which may be exacerbated by the slow response time of Alabama state inspectors. Hughes says, “When it rains on these dumps, storm water runs off and has the potential to impact local creeks. They can serve as mosquito vectors, which can carry certain viruses, and, from an aesthetic standpoint, there’s the fact that they’re just not pleasing to the eye.” The problem of slow complaint response times may be alleviated somewhat, as a recently solid waste and recycling management act approved $7 million to improve recycling programs and make other changes in the state. A proportion of the money will go towards hiring more state inspectors to reduce the backlog of sites to be inspected. In addition, around $2 million has been designated for use in cleaning up illegal dump sites. (Source: Asbestos and Mesothelioma News)

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