Aug. 8
Republic Services of Southern Nevada -- the current operator of the
Sunrise Mountain Landfill in Clark County, Nev. -- has agreed to pay a $1
million civil fine to resolve alleged violations of the Clean Water Act,
according to the Justice Department and the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency.
Republic Services also will build and operate a comprehensive remedy for the
site.
The consent decree, filed Aug. 7 in U.S. District Court in Las Vegas,
requires Republic Services of Southern Nevada to put in place extensive
storm water controls, an armored engineered cover, a methane gas collection
system, and groundwater monitoring.
The settlement will ensure effective long-term control of the landfill,
which contains more than 49 million cubic yards of waste, according to the
government. The remedy, which is expected to take two years to build, will
be designed to withstand a 200-year storm and is expected to cost more than
$36 million. Upon completion, the remedy should prevent the release of 14
million pounds of contaminants annually, including storm water pollutants,
methane gas and landfill leachate.
Sunrise Landfill, a 440-acre closed municipal solid waste landfill, is three
miles outside of Las Vegas. The landfill cover failed during a series of
storms in September 1998, sending waste into the Las Vegas Wash, which
discharges directly into Lake Mead -- a primary drinking water resource for
southern Nevada as well as the lower Colorado River, the Phoenix
metropolitan area and southern California.
The landfill was operated on behalf of the county by entities related to
Republic Services of Southern Nevada from the 1950s through 1993, according
to the Justice Department and EPA. Following the landfill cover failure in
1998, the EPA ordered Republic Dumpco, a company related to Republic
Services of Southern Nevada, and the Clark County Public Works Department to
correct violations of the federal clean water laws and immediately stabilize
the site.
Sunrise Mountain Landfill is unlined and contains more than 49-million cubic
yards of waste.
The proposed consent decree is subject to a 30-day public comment period and
approval by the federal court. A copy of the consent decree is available on
the Justice Department Web site at www.usdoj.gov/enrd/open.html.
Contact Waste News senior reporter Bruce Geiselman at (330) 865-6172 or
bgeiselman@crain.com
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