SCOTT COUNTY, Ky. (LEX 18)– Years of frustration boiled over at a meeting regarding concerns about a northern Scott County landfill.
The meeting at Scott County High School came after a 30 day period where people could voice their concerns to the judge executive’s office about the landfill.
Scott County’s Fiscal Court is currently considering an amendment to the county waste management plan that presents two options. The first option would be to try and stop the disposal of waste at the site. The other option involves greatly reducing the capacity for disposal of waste generated in and out of the county.
Many of the concerns from citizens are regarding the strong stench of the landfill, which some people say they can smell from nearly 10 miles away.
Other concerns include the long-term environmental impact of the waste, the danger posed by trucks going in and out of the site, and the amount of waste going in from outside counties. In the first quarter of 2016, the intake from Fayette County jumped from almost 3,700 tons to more than 50,000 tons, filling the landfill much faster than before.
“They’re frustrated. It’s obvious. This meeting is a reflection of the court and myself trying to give some remedy to that issue,” said Joe Covington, Scott County Judge Executive.
LEX 18 first started reporting on the Central Kentucky Landfill earlier this year when the state issued an order placing parameters on the site. Just last year alone, 150 people filed 440 complaints about the smell coming from the landfill.
Since then, the state has done an air quality test, finding that there is no health risk with the smell, but it is considered a nuisance.
“They continue with this atrocious behavior, and if their past behavior is any indication of future behavior, they should have no business here in Scott County because we don’t want them here,” said Scott County resident Christy Jamison.
The company that owns the landfill cites many factors for why the odor is becoming an issue. In a past interview with Lex 18, the COO said it is mostly the inability to extract methane gas, something he admits could have been addressed sooner.
That COO, Greg Elkins, did not respond to several phone calls from Lex 18 Wednesday night.
The Fiscal Court will now have 15 days to respond to public comments. After that, the court can choose to move forward with adopting the amendment or not.
Here's a look at the turnout in Scott County for the public meeting regarding concerns about the landfill. The county has received hundreds of complaints about the smell that comes from it @LEX18News pic.twitter.com/QjdqRA7bAP
— Conor McCue (@Conor_WLEX) May 30, 2019
