DOVER ‒ Residents had plenty of questions at a recent pubic hearing about a proposal to expand the Kimble Companies landfill in Dover Township by 23 acres.

The questions centered on smells and dust coming from the landfill, located at 3596 State Route 39 NW, and how high the landfill would go. Other concerns focused on topics unrelated to the proposed expansion, including blasting the company has been doing for its mining operations in that area and safety for motorists traveling on state Route 39 past the landfill entrance.

The meeting, conducted by representatives of the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency, was held at the Dover Public Library. The representatives took questions from the audience.

How much larger would the landfill be?

The current landfill covers 213.4 acres. The solid waste permit that Kimble is seeking would increase the landfill’s permitted space from the current 47 million cubic yards to 65.8 million cubic yards. It would also allow the company to increase the slope of the landfill from a 1 foot rise every 4 feet to a 1 foot rise every 3 feet. If approved, the expansion would increase the life expectancy of the landfill by eight years, from its current 30 years.

The Kimble family has operated the Dover Township landfill since the 1950s.

Following the presentation by Ohio EPA officials, Keith Kimble answered some of the questions raised about his family’s business.

“The point is, we’re not going to increase the amount of any of the activities we’ve been doing as a result of this expansion,” he said. “We have an opportunity to put 10,000 tons per day of solid waste in the landfill. That’s our authorized maximum daily allowable volume. We usually put in around 3,000, so we’re far below what we could put in there. We don’t go over to the East Coast and get solid waste and bring it over here because we philosophically don’t think that’s the right thing do. We could. We don’t.”

Smells coming from the landfill

He spent considerable time talking about the smell coming from the landfill.

Methane gas created by the decomposition of material in the landfill is the chief cause for the smells at the landfill, Ohio EPA officials said. If trash deposited at the landfill is covered with dirt on a regular basis, then gas is the likely cause of any odor. The state of Ohio requires landfill operators to install a gas extraction system to deal with the problem.

The Kimble landfill has had a gas extraction system since 2008, Kimble said. In the past, the gas has been burned off, but now the company is designing and preparing to build a gas facility that will take the methane, purify it and remove any odor-causing gases. The gas will be treated at the plant, compressed and then sent to a Dominion pipeline for use.

He noted that Kimble also uses natural gas to run its trucks.

Kimble said any blasting the company does is for its mining operations. “We like to keep that at a minimum, because it’s expensive. But we do that under the guidance and rigorous controls of the Ohio Division of Mining and Reclamation.”

The company is also working with the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) to improve safety on Route 39, he said.

A safety improvement project is planned this year, Lauren Borell, ODOT public information officer, told The T-R. The project includes lowering the profile of the road to increase sight distance along this stretch roadway. Construction is estimated to begin in July and will include a 45-day closure of the roadway. The project cost is $1.43 million.

What people had to say

A near-capacity crowd attended the forum. Those attending had a variety of responses to what they heard.

“The EPA and Kimbles really don’t care truly about anyone’s concerns or opinions, and this is what they’re doing no matter what,” said Stephanie Murphy, who lives on Horns Lane in Dover Township.

Dave Hottinger, who has lived on Crooked Run Road in Dover Township for the past 50 years, said he thought the forum was informative.

“I was concerned more about how close they were expanding to my house, but it’s not going to change that much for my house,” he said. “They’ve been good to work with to me. Different times if it’s gotten too dusty from their roads. I’ve called them up, and I say, hey, can you get your water truck out. It’s awful dusty here on Crooked Run. Within a half hour usually, they have their water truck out.”

Amy Kaser, who lives on Seibert Hill Road in York Township, said she can smell the landfill if the wind is blowing towards her farm.

“My concern was more how do we help the citizens understand the process and get their concerns addressed,” she said. “If it’s outside of the EPA’s jurisdiction and their ability to handle those kinds of concerns, it is frustrating if you call and leave a message and you don’t get an answer or you don’t understand that just because you call you might not get a return because they don’t have enough information or enough concern to address that particular issue. I can see their frustration.”

The meeting was just one step in the permitting process. No final decision has been made. Written comments can be submitted through Feb. 14 by email at epa.dmwmcomments@epa.ohio.gov or by mail to Ohio EPA DMWM, P.O. Box 1049, Columbus, Ohio 43216-1049, attention Brian Dearth.

Reach Jon at 330-364-8415 or at jon.baker@timesreporter.com.

This article originally appeared on The Times-Reporter: Ohio EPA reps answer questions about planned Kimble landfill expansion