Earlier this year, the Arkansas Department of Energy and Environment ordered three rounds of air quality tests near the Eco Vista landfill in Tontitown after residents complained of noxious odors and health concerns. A report from the department revealed results from the July testing found unhealthy levels of five potentially toxic chemicals, including benzene and chloroform. Last month, the Arkansas Department of Health - which analyzed those results - recommended more tests. State Representative Steve Unger (R -Springdale), whose district includes part of Tontitown, says the agencies and Waste Management are not doing enough to protect residents. He spoke with Ozarks at Large's Daniel Caruth.
The following is an edited transcript of their conversation:
Daniel Caruth: I know you've supported these quality tests and have called for the landfill's closure in the past. I'm wondering, after hearing more about these tests and what's been found, what do you do with that information? What do these tests tell you?
Steve Unger: I believe in the latest report from the health department, they proposed more testing, which I support. But also, if there is doubt about it coming from the landfill, let us create a perimeter roughly the size of the testing area they used in Tontitown.
They could go to some neighborhood and do testing over the same size footprint and then analyze the results and see the differences. I think they will find there's a difference because I don't know any place that has got the smells and fumes that Tontitown does around the Eco Vista Landfill.
DC: What kind of regulation or oversight is going on with these tests from you guys? I don't know if there is any or what sort of that is supposed to look like.
SU: It should look like enforcement for the state agency that should be looking out for our environment that the complaints of the citizens should be taken seriously. And of course, there have been years of complaints that were simply ignored or an investigator would come out and say, no findings, which to me is the same as ignoring it.
You know, it's just unacceptable. Waste management and Eco Vista have been poor neighbors to the city of Tontitown. They haven't responded to their complaints.
As a matter of fact, there are safety issues involving the possibilities of fires at the landfill where the landfill has not cooperated, which is just unacceptable. Myself and Representative Robin Lundstrum are basically doing everything we can to hold energy and environment and ADQ and waste management accountable. That has been a slippery thing to grab hold of, but we're working on it.
DC: Well, so what recourse, I guess, is there legislatively that you guys are able to hold them accountable? What are the next steps after these tests come out? How can you move forward and address some of these concerns that citizens and that you guys have?
SU: Well, I think the actual next step is to have a burden of proof that the Department of Energy will actually accept. And for me, you know, Occam's razor idea that the simplest solution is usually the right one. And so, unlike ADQ and waste management, I don't believe it's coming from a housing development.
I believe it is coming from the landfill, but let's get a burden of proof that actually our state agency recognizes. And then I would be ready to talk about the next step after that.
DC: What kind of regulations would you like to see were some accountability on the part of Eco Vista and waste management?
SU: I would like to know what the EPA regulations are. And I have reached out to the EPA and have been unsuccessful in getting any real human contact there. But if the fumes in front of the landfill on Arbor Acre Road are actually killing the trees, and I don't know if you've ever been out there, but Eco Vista periodically plants brand new pine trees, and the trees all die. And then they dig out the dead trees and fresh trees.
I mean, that's just ridiculous. And the people in Tontitown all know that this is happening. And so if you've got vapors from a site that is actually killing the trees, that's a sign that something's wrong.
And so, as far as a scientific answer of just how much is too much, I don't know the answer to that. I just like them to do something.
DC: Any ideas of what that something would be? What possible recommendations?
SU: Well, I am leaning into getting a waste-to-energy project up here. And I can say there's interest in that across the state. Waste to energy in one of these is a process called gasification, which doesn't burn anything. It cooks the trash. It produces a byproduct called syngas, which can be used to turn a generator to add electricity to the grid, which we need. There are also gasification plant designs that can allow them to do other things like make an ethanol fuel. And so I think waste to energy is going to be our answer for this is let technology be our friend.
Frankly, we need to go that way in the entire country. You know, I think public awareness is the key. And one of the things I've been saying ever since I took public office is that trash is not just a Tontitown issue. It's a regional issue. It's a state issue. It just so happens up in Northwest Arkansas, the town bearing the burden.
And that's not right. If you've never driven down Arbor Acres Road in town and actually seen the small island of trash where your trash goes, you should go out there and take a look at it. So you have an idea of what the issue is.
Ozarks at Large transcripts are created on a deadline. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. The authoritative record of KUAF programming is the audio record.
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