Report: Methane a risk at closed landfill

Tuesday, Feb. 10, 1998 | 10:22 a.m.

A 36-year-old unlined landfill on Sunrise Mountain containing dangerous levels of methane gas prompted the federal Bureau of Land Management to investigate how it was closed.

A BLM consultant wrote a report detailing the escaping methane gas, which was found to exceed the lower explosive limit in trenches dug at one area of the site.

Dynamac Corp., of Rockville, Md., also criticized the failure to monitor ground water after the dump was closed five years ago. The dump is filled with more than 46 million cubic feet of trash ranging from household garbage to chemically-contaminated sewage sludge.

The report called for immediate action on methane, which can migrate through the dump horizontally and upward, collecting in nearby structures to create an explosive hazard.

During an Oct. 2 visit, Dynamac representatives found the gas levels at some areas "alarmingly high." There was no evidence that ground water had been monitored, as required in the dump closure plan.

The Clark County Health District, which oversees the landfill, disputed some of the report's findings, including that the methane was at a level dangerous enough to explode.

A small number of homeowners near the landfill, concerned about safety and property values, have hired attorney Lamond Mills and say they plan to take legal action.

The unlined landfill opened in 1962, becoming the area's municipal garbage dump. It closed in 1993 to avoid stricter federal regulations. Southern Nevada's current dump is located at Apex.

The county leased 720 acres from the BLM for the dump. The landfill operator was DUMPCo., owned by Silver State Disposal Service. The lease expired in May 1994 for part of the landfill, but the BLM has not accepted the land back. The rest of the lease expires in 2002.