TENNESSEE CLEAN WATER NETWORK - PRESS RELEASE

Thirty-One Percent of TN Landfills Leak
New report finds some accept special radioactive waste

FOR IMMEDIATE  RELEASE:
May 17, 2007
        Contacts:
Rachael Bliss, TCWN
865-522-7007 (o), 865-964-5616 (c)
Rachael@tcwn.org

Diane D'Arrigo, NIRS
202-841-8588 (c), dianed@nirs.org  

(Kingsport, TN) TN Clean Water Network pointed to Hawkins County’s Carter Valley
Landfill today as an example of the TN Department of Environment and Conversation’s
(TDEC) lack of control over leaking landfills contaminating our ground and surface
water.  This announcement came on the heels of a report by the Nuclear Information
and Resource Service showing the State of Tennessee is a leader in licensing
processors that can release radioactive materials into our municipal landfills. 

“Thirty-one percent of our landfills are leaking,” stated Rachael Bliss, TCWN
Director of Community Organizing.  “Radioactive waste should not be accepted in our
municipal dumps since TDEC has already demonstrated their inability to properly
protect our water and communities from toxic landfill leachate.” 

Last year, statistics from TDEC showed of the 225 permitted landfills across the
state, 69 or 31% were leaking.  Landfill leachate, contaminates drinking water
sources like groundwater and surface water with toxic pollutants that are known to
cause birth defects, cancer, learning disabilities and other health problems. 

"People around regular trash landfills will be shocked to learn that radioactive
contamination from nuclear weapons production is ending up there, either directly
released by DOE or via brokers and processors," Stated Diane D'Arrigo, Nuclear
Information and Resource Service.

D’Arrigo is one author of the recently released report, Out of Control — On Purpose:
DOE's Dispersal of Radioactive Waste into Landfills and Consumer Products.  The
report was commissioned to track if and how the Department of Energy (DOE) releases
some of the low radioactive wastes from nuclear bomb production.  

The report found the State of Tennessee is a leader in licensing processors that can
release radioactive materials into our municipal landfills.   

There are four Class I landfills authorized to receive such wastes:  Chestnut Ridge
in Anderson County, North Shelby County, Middle Point in Rutherford County, and
Carter Valley in Hawkins County.

“TDEC’s data from 2006 shows 44% of Class I landfills are leaking.”  Stated Mark
Quarles P.G. Globally Green Consulting.  Quarles notes that 54 of the 122 (44%)
permitted Class I landfills are leaking despite Class I landfills being held to the
highest design standards.

Moreover, 15 of the 38 active Class I Municipal Landfills are leaking.  This means
approximately 40% of TN’s landfills that are held to the highest existing design
standards and are actively accepting waste are leaking.

Local residents who prided themselves on the clean water from private wells before
the Carter Valley Landfill began operations, finally took up a petition to receive
utility district water when people downstream from the landfill discovered their
wells were contaminated.  

TDEC issued civil fines and penalties at Carter’s Valley Landfill in October 2006
after 2005 groundwater monitoring found contamination in the groundwater.

Additionally, TCWN found that of the 69 landfills across the state known to be
leaking, TDEC required corrective action for groundwater contamination at less than
5 of those landfills, including Dickson County, Sevier County, City of McKenzie, and
Smelter Services Class 2 landfill in Mt. Pleasant. 

Action needed by the Department to control Tennessee’s leaking landfills include the
regulation of landfills according to TDEC’s Division of Solid Waste Management.
Among these regulations are remediation of groundwater contamination, monitoring
groundwater and methane gas.  Another step in this process is requiring the 69
leaking landfills to come into compliance with TDEC’s regulations. 

“Consistent and efficient enforcement of landfill regulations can prevent an entire
community’s exposure to toxic leachate through ground and surface water.”  Concluded
Bliss. 

Dickson County’s landfill received national attention for what is believed to be the
community’s exposure to trichloroethene from leachate in drinking water supplies
causing birth defects.  The contamination occurred despite the landfill being built
under stringent EPA guidelines and the old landfill’s closure in 2003.

For more information visit www.tcwn.org

To read Out of Control — On Purpose: DOE's Dispersal of Radioactive Waste into
Landfills and Consumer Products visit:
http://www.nirs.org/radwaste/outofcontrol/outofcontrol.htm  For the press release
visit: http://www.nirs.org/press/05-14-2007/1