TONTITOWN, Ark — The Waste Management Eco-Vista Landfill in Tontitown is moving ahead with its expansion after getting the go-ahead from an Arkansas commission, despite being a source of ongoing tension.
State regulators approved a permit for the landfill to expand in March, and a month later, the City of Tontitown filed an appeal with the Arkansas Pollution Control and Ecology Commission. And as the city waits for a hearing on that appeal, the commission will allow waste management to continue expanding the part of the landfill where construction and demolition waste will be dumped.
“It is extremely frustrating, especially since they're not even, in my opinion, abiding by their own rules. And I just I don't understand that. Where's the protection for the citizens? Who is protecting the people in Tontitown in the surrounding area from the gases and the vapors?” Asked Mayor Angela Russell.
Mayor Russell lives next to the landfill, and in Nov 2022, the city passed a resolution withdrawing its support for the landfill expansion.
“Where is the protection for the citizens in all of this?” she asked.
Mark Calcagni also lives near the landfill and is part of a group of citizens who hired an attorney to file their own appeal to the pollution control and ecology commission.
“We've been smelling gas, and that's what the concern is: the health, safety, and the environment. Arkansas —the natural state— shouldn't be that way. It's kind of like David versus Goliath. You know, we're David but we have a rock,” said Mark Calcagni.
The landfill has also filed plans for another expansion to dump more household trash… Kenneth Lovett, who's also part of the citizen group, says that creates even more concerns.
“We have vapors all the time that we smell, but we don't have regulations that cover it, we have trouble getting ADEQ to understand that it's a serious situation and to get the proper equipment in here to get it tested,” said Kenneth Lovett.
We reached out to Waste Management for comment, and the company said that it is pleased with the Arkansas Pollution Control and Ecology Commission's decision. It goes on to say that “The commission’s action to lift the stay allows WM to reopen the class four landfill to customers and continue to support the infrastructure growth in Northwest Arkansas.”
The public input meeting for the landfill expansion on household trash is at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, May 25th at St. Joseph Church in Tontitown.
Download the 5NEWS app on your smartphone:
Stream 5NEWS 24/7 on the 5+ app: How to watch the 5+ app on your streaming device
To report a typo or grammatical error, please email KFSMDigitalTeam@tegna.com and detail which story you're referring to.