MEADVILLE – The Department of Environmental Protection has denied a municipal waste landfill permit application sought by Tri-County Landfill Inc. in Mercer County. A major factor in DEP’s decision was the potential for the landfill to create a bird hazard to aircraft using the nearby Grove City Airport.
DEP reached a similar conclusion based on comparable concerns when the department denied Tri-County’s previous permit application Oct. 4, 2001.
The term “bird hazard” is defined as an increase in the likelihood of bird/aircraft collisions that may cause damage to the aircraft or injury to its occupants.
“Our review found that Tri-County’s permit application left unresolved questions about public safety regarding the operation of this facility so close to the airport,” DEP Northwest Regional Director Kelly Burch said.
The department hired a consultant with expertise in bird control to evaluate the bird strike issue during the harms/benefit review of the landfill permit application process. The consultant could not state conclusively there would be no additional risk, meaning public safety issues remained if the project went forward.
Federal regulations provide that landfills are prohibited within 5,000 feet from airport runways used by piston-powered aircraft and 10,000 feet of airport runways used by turbine-powered aircraft unless the operator can demonstrate the landfills are designed and operated so they do not pose a bird hazard to aircraft.
In its permit application, Tri-County proposed conducting landfill operations so waste would be disposed of only during nighttime hours in an attempt to address concerns about the potential for bird strikes, which the consultant reviewed.
The compliance history of Tri-County and other related companies also played a role in the decision to deny the latest permit application.
During the permitting process, landfill operators must demonstrate that proposed landfill construction or expansion projects would generate social and economic benefits that clearly outweigh potential environmental harms. This environmental assessment, commonly called a harms-benefits test, is the initial screening mechanism before a full technical review.
Tri-County Landfill submitted its most recent permit application for the construction and operation of a municipal waste landfill in Liberty and Pine townships in Mercer County on Aug. 23, 2004. The company previously operated a landfill at this same location, but that landfill closed in 1990. Tri-County currently operates a municipal waste transfer station at the site.