EPA Allows Waimanalo Gulch Landfill to Reopen
Waimanalo Gulch Landfill is open for business, but it’s limited business.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency that it allowed the landfill to reopen on Friday, acknowledging that the dump’s continued closure could create a public health risk as garbage piles up around the island.
A separate letter provided to Civil Beat by the EPA said while landfill operator Waste Management has “made progress in improving the situation,” the company has not yet completed all of the tasks laid out in the EPA order all parties agreed to earlier this week.
The announcement came in a press release that made clear the approval comes with conditions, specifically that waste placement operations need to be kept at least 50 feet away from the damaged western edge of Cell E6 — the area that failed during heavy rains earlier this month. That damage is to be repaired “as expeditiously as practicable.” A plan for those repairs is due to the EPA within a week.
Waste Management also must submit a revised stormwater contingency plan by Tuesday that describes how water will be managed in the event that heavy rains come while the diversion channel is under construction.
Read the [doc].
Here’s a map of Cell E6:
Source: Environmental Protection Agency
