Letter to the Editor: Ignoring major aspect

According to the magazine Waste Management World, https://waste-management-world.com, “Landfill fires emit a toxic cocktail of ‘Most Wanted’ fugitive gases including formaldehyde, hydrogen cyanide, hydrogen sulfide, nitrogen oxides and many others (OEPA, 2006).” We could find nothing on the internet, the fire department’s website, or Waste Connection’s Wasco County Landfill website regarding the fire or any precautions the community should take to avoid breathing this toxic smoke. We own the orchard adjacent to the landfill and we know people living very close by; no one was notified.

Waste Connections, the operator of the landfill, is required by DEQ permit to “immediately and thoroughly extinguish fires,” and “the permittee must provide water in sufficient quantities for fire protection” (sections 9.23 and 9.24).

The fire chief and a Waste Connections employee came to us looking for a continuous supply of water from our irrigation source to fight the fire, since “their supply was limited.”

Waste Connections paid for airplanes to douse the fire with water and foam, but not for over 12 hours after the fire was discovered. And, they called off the airplanes before the fire was extinguished.

We were again engulfed in toxic smoke Sunday morning.

There are over 8,300 landfill fires a year in the U.S. The fire was an accident, but not something unexpected. The preparedness and response by Waste Connections was inept at best, and unless corrected threatens the health of the community.

Gary Wade

The Dalles