Beech Tree News Network

Paid experts claim salt cake and bag dust are not considered hazardous material.  

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“If all of y’all think it is such a good idea and safe, come on down and I’ll sell you a piece of property and you can live by the landfill.”  –Bruce White, addressing the comments made by paid experts.  

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“If this landfill is allowed to open, Butler County will be the only county in the state with three landfills."  –Rebecca  Raymer. 

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Owl’s Head Alloys, Inc. has proposed to construct and operate a new residual landfill at KY 70 near Gardner Lane Road, Morgantown, KY 42261 with a total permit boundary area of 72 acres.  Within this acreage, a waste disposal area of 4.1 acres is proposed.  In addition to the waste disposal area, the permit boundary includes borrow areas and facility operations. 

The waste proposed to be disposed of is industrial solid waste generated from aluminum recycling, consisting of salt cake (98%) and bag house dust (2%) generated from the Owl’s Head Alloys, Inc., a facility in Bowling Green, KY.  Owl’s Head proposes to bring in an estimated 190 tons of industrial solid waste per day to Butler County.  

A legally-required public hearing was held on Friday, May 6, at 4:30 p.m. at the Butler County High School Auditorium by the Division of Waste Management, Solid Waste Branch of Frankfort, KY.   Danny Anderson was the moderator, along with a court reporter and official timer.  Each speaker was given 5 minutes to comment on the proposed landfill.   

David Bradford (far left) is Chairman of Owl's Head Alloys Inc.

Six paid experts, including architects, engineers, geologists, environmental consultants, and archeologists gave their opinions concerning the landfill.  They had no concerns about the impact on the county, water supply, or residents.  According to their statements, salt cake and bag dust are not considered hazardous material.  However, the Department of Transportation classifies those items as hazardous waste and requires special tarps and signage. 

Frank House, President of Butler County Stop the Landfill, read a letter he had written to the governor stating his concerns and opposition regarding the landfill.  Among the concerns expressed by House was the fact that the landfill would be within one mile of Butler County High School and two miles from the courthouse door.  He cited the "Blue Line Stream" that comes out from the OHA proposed site - Renfrow Creek Tributary #7 - that empties into Renfrow Creek and ultimately into the Green River approximately 200 feet above the community's water intake.  

The next speaker was Morgantown City Council member Dionne Cannon Meritt.  Her childhood home sits across the street from Real Alloy.  She talked about the smog and smell that occurs every day between 4:00 and 5:00 p.m.  She spoke and shared a letter from her mother, Sarah Cannon.  She spoke of things rusting faster than normal.  The plant, then known as IMCO, paid to have their satellite dish painted, replaced their gutters, and had their vehicles washed on a regular basis.  Sarah Cannon, who also spoke, noted that the transformers that were provided by WRECC rusted faster and IMCO had to purchase their own.  Cannon also expressed concerns about the number of people working at IMCO and those living close by dying of cancer.  

Lee Williams talked about his work experience dealing with OSHA and CSHO and said that Frankfort is forgetting the human factor in making their decision.  He pointed out that our community does not have the resources to help when something goes wrong.   “It is not an if, but when,” according to Williams. 

Rhoda Chism, RN, was next on the agenda.  She said that according to the EPA the shovels used for digging samples at the proposed landfill had to go through a rigorous cleaning process using soaps and acids.  In Europe, salt cake and bag dust are not allowed to be dumped anywhere.  They are required to send them through another process to reuse the salt cake.  "We don’t do this in the United States because of the cost," said Chism.  She shared several Butler County health statistics.  Life expectancy for Butler County residents is 73 while Kentucky is 75.1.  Our child mortality rate is double the Kentucky average.  In the last few years, 737 cases of Acute Myeloid flt3 mutation Leukemia (a very rare form) occurred in the United States, two of them were in Butler County.  Cancer cases are at 596 and Warren County has 528.  

Rebecca Raymer, Vice-Chair of Butler County Stop The Landfill, proposed 15-plus questions to be addressed.  What happens if the liner fails? How will we know if it fails?  She also reported that bag house dust is a carcinogen.  

“If this landfill is allowed to open, Butler County will be the only county in the state with three landfills,” said Raymer. 

Butler County Judge/Executive Tim Flener stated he was against the landfill and that the current legislation provides no accountability and gives the county no say in these matters. 

Bruce White, who owned 75 acres that joined the old landfill that Bowling Green owned, sold field dirt to help reclaim the land.  He hunted on the land as well.  According to White, Bowling Green started using a process to take human waste sewage sludge, heated it to 1800 degrees, and then spread it as fertilizer for the property.  White claims that the heat killed bacteria, but did not kill the viruses therein (HIV, pneumonia, flu, etc.).  These viruses were encapsulated and when the shell, to say, wears away, we may be faced with these live viruses in our groundwater, according to White.  He said that it is also his belief that there is at least one, unsealed, underground coal mine on the property.  White, a realtor,  stated that he did not believe that the City of Bowling Green had offered the landfill to Butler County in good faith, by denying easements and timber rights, which Owl’s Head received.  

In closing, White turned to the experts and made the following statement:  “If all of y’all think it is such a good idea and safe, come on down and I’ll sell you a piece of property and you can live by the landfill.”  

Ross McFadyen read a quote from EPA stating that “Once a reaction starts, it builds.  It gets wet and makes gasses; hydrogen ammonia chloride… let’s put it somewhere else because you’re always going to fail to keep water out.”  

Robert Cunningham spoke concerning the loss of his child to one of the rarest forms of cancer.  

“My boy fought hard for 3 years but eventually succumbed to his illness,” said Cunningham.  Cunningham stated he is strongly against the landfill. 

Fourth District Magistrate David Whittinghill pointed out that Real Alloy currently is accepting this same waste from seven or eight states.  

Several others spoke including, Karen McFadyen, Penny Wallace, Beth Rose, Jana Rose, Laura Jenson, Telisa Phelps, and others.  

A final determination (e.g. approval or denial) regarding the application, and a Response to Comments document, will be issued following May 12, 2022, the end of the public comment period in accordance with 401 KAR 47:140.  A final determination should not be expected any sooner than July of 2022.

Written and verbal comments received during the public comment periods, including those provided at the public hearing, will be described and responded to in writing in the form of a Response to Comments (RTC) document.  Upon issuance, access to the RTC will be here: http://dep.gateway.ky.gov/eSearch/Search_Al_Detail.aspx?AgencyID=163490.