Ohio EPA addresses rotten-egg smell near Lafarge demolition debris landfill

Staff report

LORDSTOWN

The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency had a public meeting this week in the village regarding complaints of a rotten-eggs smell emanating from the Lafarge Lordstown Construction Recovery Landfill on Palmyra Road.

Dina Pierce, Ohio EPA spokeswoman, said her agency, the Trumbull County Board of Health, and the Mahoning Trumbull Air Pollution Control Agency have received nearly 180 complaints from 21 people since Jan. 14.

The Ohio EPA has been working with the company to address the problem and hopes to have an agreement in place within a few weeks to correct it, Pierce said.

Once the agreement is in place, it will “take some time” to implement it, she said.

The smell comes from hydrogen sulfide at the landfill. The smell is not uncommon for landfills. It frequently is associated with drywall and storm-water, she said.

There have been some spikes in the levels of hydrogen sulfide detected at the facility, but the levels detected are not deemed to be a health hazard, Pierce said.

Different people have different levels of sensitivity to the smell, and it can cause nausea or headaches in some people. It’s a nuisance that can prevent people from enjoying the outdoors at their homes, she added.

The smell is a violation, and the company has had a few other violations, such as dust, she said. The Ohio EPA is addressing all those issues, she said.

Pierce asks that the public continue to contact the state EPA and the Mahoning Trumbull Air Pollution Control Agency to report the smells and even to update officials if the smells diminish.

She asks that anyone reporting information about the smells provide specific information about the time and date of the smell and the location.

An email address to use for the Mahoning Trumbull Air Pollution Control Agency is air@ychd.com, and a phone number for the Ohio EPA odor hot line in Twinsburg is 330-963-1212.