Harford County landfill neighbors don’t trust report, source says

Harford County (Map, News) - Neighbors of Harford County’s landfill say that its problems go far deeper than the 56 safety and environmental violations addressed in an independent study last week, and that they don’t trust the study’s source.

Millersville-based Maryland Environmental Services conducted the review in response to neighbors’ complaints, and found a long list of unsafe, inefficient or environmentally unsound practices at the Scarboro Landfill in northern Harford County.

But some of the same neighbors say the study didn’t go far enough, because it claims the county is adequately addressing any problems with leachate — water and chemicals seeping out from the garbage.

“They’re denying that leachate is a problem, but people are having big problems with their wells,” said Diane Burrier, who joined her neighbors in creating a Web site, stopthedump.net, to document their quarrel with the landfill.

“We’ve taken pictures where you can just see this brown garbage juice leaking out onto the horse trails,” said Karen Martin, who had to install a $6,000 filtration system for her well because of elevated levels of cadmium and gasoline additives.

Martin said she was glad to see some changes being made: County spokesman Robert Thomas said the county would no longer allow J.M. Huber Chemicals to dump abrasive powders that becomes airborne as dust, irritate skin and foul machine parts. Martin blamed the dust for giving her daughter an unusual rash and aggravating her family’s allergies.

Worries remained about Harford’s plans to eventually expand the landfill to twice its current size, and what effects that would have on the existing leachate.

“It will create a juicer effect, squeezing out even more toxic stuff that not only goes into our drinking water, but also goes into Deer Creek, and that becomes drinking water for Bel Air, Aberdeen and the rest of the county,” said Kevin Kitts, who lives near the landfill on Scarboro Road.

The source of the report was also a concern, since MES is currently run by former Harford County Executive Jim Harkins.

“Why would I trust any report, especially one put out by the county executive who let this happen,” Kitts said.

An MES spokeswoman said Harkins had no role in writing the report.

The county’s 56-point “action plan” for fixing MES’ concerns would now take precedence over expanding the landfill, Thomas said.

msantoni@baltimoreexaminer.com

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