Hudson County Landfill Is About To Get Extra Stinky, DEP Says

HUDSON COUNTY, NJ — We’ll smell you later, landfill.

As a project to fix the malodourous, “rotten egg” smell at Keegan Landfill off Bergen Avenue in Kearny kicks off this week, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) is advising nearby residents that things are probably going to get worse before they get better.

According to the NJDEP, hydrogen sulfide odors are likely to increase when contractors for the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority (NJSEA) begin digging vertical wells at the landfill on Tuesday, July 30.

Work is expected to last about 10 days, and will take place between 7 a.m. and 5:30 p.m., the NJSEA stated in an update about the project.

The work is part of the NJSEA’s plan to solve lingering hydrogen sulfide odors at the property, which have caused hundreds of complaints from local residents since the NJDEP first caught wind of the situation in December.

“We had to cancel barbecues in the summertime because of the smell,” a fed up resident told NJTV News earlier this year about the landfill, which is owned by the NJSEA.

According to state officials, hydrogen sulfide is a colorless gas that has a “rotten egg” odor. It has a very low odor-threshold, meaning that some people may be able to smell it at levels much lower than the regulatory standard.

What’s the suspected cause of the stench? Construction and demolition debris containing gypsum wallboard, combined with “excessive” rainfall, the NJSEA theorizes.

The landfill has stopped accepting these materials as it continues to “work cooperatively with the NJDEP to resolve the problem,” officials said.

The NJSEA previously reached an administrative consent order with the NJDEP to create a continuous monitoring system to detect hydrogen sulfide emissions from Keegan Landfill. The NJSEA has also agreed to construct a temporary gas collection and control system until a “more permanent system” can be built, state officials said.

NJDEP officials have approved NJSEA’s design and issued permits for installation of the system, which began on June 24 and is planned to be completed by Sept. 17.

“The DEP takes protection of public health and community concerns about hydrogen sulfide odors very seriously,” NJDEP Commissioner Catherine McCabe, said. “While hydrogen sulfide odors are likely to increase during the construction of this system, it is anticipated that, when complete, the system will assist in eliminating hydrogen sulfide odors from Keegan Landfill.”

The effort to fix the smelly odors at the Kearny landfill may not be enough to satisfy some residents, however, including mayor Al Santos.

“We don’t want to live with constant emissions of hydrogen sulfide, even at a lower level,” Santos told NJ.com earlier this month.

In February, the township launched a petition that demanded closure of the landfill. According to its authors:

“The state-owned and operated landfill is polluting our air with hydrogen sulfide and causing harm to our environment and health. Kearny demands closure of the Keegan Landfill with an impermeable cap and gas collection system. We will not stop until this stops.”

POSSIBLE HEALTH EFFECTS

New Jersey uses a “conservative” hydrogen sulfide regulatory threshold of 30 parts per billion, averaged over a 30-minute period as measured at or beyond a landfill property line.

Exposure to low concentrations of hydrogen sulfide in excess of the state’s standard has the potential to cause eye, nose, or throat irritation, headaches, and nausea. It may also cause difficulty breathing for some individuals with respiratory problems, such as asthmatics, officials said.

The exact amount of hydrogen sulfide wafting from the landfill isn't easy to pin down, state officials said.

According to the NJDEP:

“Between May 15 and July 22, 2019, the average of hydrogen sulfide emissions from Keegan Landfill were between 0.96 ppb and 3.30 ppb, below the regulatory standard of 30 ppb over 30 minutes and below the Minimal Risk Levels observed by the New Jersey Department of Health, which means that the levels of hydrogen sulfide recorded to date are not known to cause adverse health effects. However, exceedances of the 30-minute, 30 ppb regulatory standard were detected on multiple occasions between 30.3 ppb and 828 ppb.”

The NJDEP is taking enforcement action with respect to the above test results, officials said.

Anyone who is adversely impacted by hydrogen sulfide odors can contact the DEP’s hotline at 1-877-WARN DEP (877-927-6337) or report a complaint through the DEP’s WARN DEP mobile application.

Read a NJDEP “fact sheet” about the landfill.

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