Illinois EPA Cites Landfill, Haulers and Treatment Plant for Numerous Disposal Related Violations

SPRINGFIELD— The Illinois EPA has cited a landfill, three haulers and a wastewater treatment plant for violations of the Environmental Protection Act, as it relates to solid waste management and proper waste disposal. While several paperwork violations are being alleged, the violations focus on the leachate that the landfill sent to the wastewater treatment plant over the last three years.

Violation notices were sent to the owner and certified operator of Southern Illinois Regional Landfill, Inc. the Village of Elkville’s waste water treatment plant and three area haulers: Freedom Transfer Corporation, Freedom TNT, Inc. and Barr Trucking, Inc.

Proper tracking and reporting of wastes that go into and are removed from a landfill is essential in ensuring the safety of the public and surrounding environment.  In this case, critical types and quantities of wastes were not documented, and required manifests were not completed to track the transport of wastes.  In addition, other required information such as hauler numbers, emergency phone numbers and inspection reports were not included.  These and other violations were identified in March 2011 inspections.

Illinois law requires each cited party to submit a written response to the Illinois EPA, in the form of a proposed Compliance Commitment Agreement, within 45 days of receiving the violation notice.  This submission can include a request for a meeting with the Agency.  The proposal should explain how the alleged violations occurred and propose a resolution for preventing them from recurring, along with a schedule for the completion of the resolution.