Odors from Lake Co. landfill force residents from their homes

Waste Management Inc. is attempting to corral increased gas odor from its Countryside Landfill near Grayslake, which some nearby residents found so offensive they departed their homes on Thanksgiving Day.

Lake County Health Department officials plan to issue a violation notice because of the foul smell wafting miles from the property, which is near routes 120 and 83. Officials said they believe above-average precipitation from January through June helped create the problems.

Stench complaints largely have come from the Prairie Crossing subdivision in Grayslake, which borders the landfill. The smell also has drifted over the Fields of Ambria subdivision near Midlothian Road in Mundelein and to Libertyville's west side.

Lake County Board member Diana O'Kelly of Mundelein said she's fielded at least 35 complaints about the landfill. She said the odor was so rank on Thanksgiving Day that some residents were forced to leave their Prairie Crossing houses.

"It always smells by the landfill, but this is exceptional," said O'Kelly, who checked Prairie Crossing while her Thanksgiving dinner cooked.

Waste Management spokesman William Plunkett said crews will work through the weekend to fix Countryside. He said it's hoped the odor is contained within one to two weeks.

Plunkett said another 10 gas collection wells are being installed at the site. He said the new gas recovery wells will be connected to a wider pipe network designed to minimize odors.

"We are working as fast as we can to correct it," Plunkett said. "We have brought out a team of well drillers from outside the area who specialize in this work."

In a memo issued Monday, Lake County solid waste unit coordinator Michael Kuhn says Countryside Landfill's response to the violation notice and a review by the an enforcement decision group will dictate if further action is necessary.

Representatives from the state attorney general's office and Environmental Protection Agency are part of Lake County's enforcement group. State and federal EPA officials visited landfill to assess the problems Nov. 26.

Kuhn detailed some of the major resident concerns lodged with the health department.

"Some complaints from residents reported sore throats, headaches, nausea and respiratory problems when odors were present," Kuhn wrote.

Anthony Smithson, director of environmental health services for Lake County,

said Countryside's problems likely are a result of the highest average precipitation from January through June since 1885, as recorded by the Illinois State Water Survey.

More water than usual became trapped in the dump's trash and created the less-than-pleasant gas smell, triggering the first round of odor complaints in September. Smithson said Countryside then worked on improving its gas collection system.

"Things were OK for a period of time," said Smithson, "and then the odors began to creep up in the past few weeks."

Odor gripes resumed Nov. 11 and were received periodically for the rest of the month, Lake County officials said.

Lake County Board member Melinda Bush of Grayslake said she's hopeful the gas smell in her area decreases soon.