Washington County landfill agrees to settle alleged environmental violations

CITRONELLE, Ala. (WALA) - State environmental regulators have worked out a deal with the owners of a landfill to resolve alleged violations of environmental regulations.

Under the agreement, which will take effect after a 45-day public comment period, Turkey Trot LLC will pay $14,600 to resolve the dispute. The landfill, which has a Citronelle address but is located just over the line in Washington County, did not admit any of the allegations as part of the settlement.

The action dates to an inspection conducted by the Alabama Department of Environmental Management in October 2022. Inspectors determined that the landfill failed to have six inches of compact earth or alternative cover material. Such cover at the end of each work day, according to ADEM, is necessary in order to “control disease vectors, fires, odors, blown litter, and scavenging.”

The settlement agreement indicates that inspectors found contaminants in a stormwater ditch.

“Blown litter was observed throughout the landfill, including in the stormwater drainage ditch leading to the borrow pit,” the document states.

According to the settlement agreement, EcoSouth Services bought the landfill a month before the ADEM inspection. That company acknowledged “certain operational issues” but confirmed that the alleged violations had been corrected.

Follow-up inspections in December 2022, June 2003 and August 2023 found no problems.

An August inspection found similar issues with a lack over cover. The company responded that it corrected the problem and replaced an employee who was responsible for applying the daily cover. It also indicated that it “has taken multiple steps to correct the alleged violations, including completion of additional training with employees and making personnel changes.”