SPRINGDALE, Ark. — On Dec. 1, the Arkansas Pollution Control and Ecology Commission (APCEC) denied the City of Tontitown's appeal to stop the expansion of a landfill they say is polluting their land.
In March, state regulators approved an expansion of the Eco-Vista landfill, but a month later the City of Tontitown filed an appeal with the APCEC, stating that the air and water quality was being impacted by the landfill and that trash from haulers littered the streets.
Residents also insist the expansion permit be denied because fires frequently break out at the landfill.
In October, an administrative judge gave a recommended decision saying plans to expand the Eco-Vista landfill should continue despite the residents' concerns.
The recommended decision reads, "There are no material facts in dispute regarding the applicability of Rule 22.203(C) to the issues raised by Individual Plaintiffs and grants summary judgment in favor of Eco Vista on this issue."
Tontitown mayor Angela Russell said she was not surprised by the commission’s decision, and said the city plans to file another appeal. “I don't want my citizens sick. I want my citizens healthy ... and to get that done, that landfill has to close down,” Russell said.
Rhonda Dudna, who has lived in Tontitown for more than 30 years, is one of the citizens who spoke at the meeting.
She said she came prepared to make a statement for her city; after her comments, she donned a Halloween gas mask and stood in the back of the room holding a sign that said “[Waste Mange and Eco-Vista are] killing me slowly.”
The judge said in his order the Tontitown City Council's original decision to expand the landfill back in 2017 stands, despite attempts to later revoke the original decision.
The landfill was first permitted in 1979, and now totals 609 acres, including a 147-acre municipal solid waste landfill and a 60-acre construction and demolition debris landfill, composting area, recycling drop-off station, landfill gas-to-energy facility, and certified wildlife habitat area.
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