Schuylkill County officials formally stepped up their opposition to a landfill plan they say could leave nearby communities facing risks for years to come, according to The Republican-Herald.
Letters made public at the commissioners' Aug. 19 meeting show the county asked the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection to reject two pending requests: a permit modification for the Blythe Recycling and Demolition Site Landfill and a permit renewal for Natural Soil Products.
Here's what to know
A central issue in the BRADS dispute is leachate, a polluted liquid created when water passes through waste and picks up contaminants.
Commissioners Larry Padora, Barron L. "Boots" Hetherington, and Gary J. Hess are asking DEP to deny BRADS' request for a major permit change.
That change would make truck hauling the primary method for handling that liquid rather than sending it through the pipeline connected to the Schuylkill Valley Sewer Authority.
In the county's view, that change would expose St. Clair and nearby areas to avoidable danger.
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The commissioners' letter also described a troubling record at the landfill, including odor issues, failed sump valves, litter blown off-site, and an unreported fire.
Commissioners also used the meeting to challenge Natural Soil Products.
In a five-page letter to DEP Program Manager Roger Bellas, they asked that NSP's municipal waste processing permit renewal be denied and included a petition signed by nearly 60 nearby residential property owners.
County officials said NSP accumulated 87 DEP violations between 2007 and 2025.
They also raised concerns about building expansions they say occurred without permits from 2015 through 2021.
More background
The dispute centers on odors, truck traffic, contamination fears, and whether the companies involved are following rules enacted to protect public health.
County officials say BRADS was first approved with a system that sent leachate by pipeline to the sewer authority. The commissioners argue the turn toward trucking is due to cost disputes, not to an engineering failure.
They say that putting more leachate on the road increases the risk of spills reaching highways or waterways, with potential impacts on drivers, nearby residents, and local ecosystems.
Officials also alleged that NSP's operation may have moved beyond its original approval.
County records, as summarized by The Republican-Herald, showed a 1992 zoning permit for a "leaf and yard waste composting facility only," while the site now also handles municipal sewage sludge composting.
The board separately objected to NSP's request to extend compost drying times from 30 days to as many as 75 days, warning that longer holding periods could worsen odor and pest problems.
What's being done?
By submitting their objections in writing, the county has created a formal record urging the DEP to reject both the BRADS permit modification and the NSP renewal.
The petition opposing NSP's request demonstrated that nearby property owners are documenting concerns about odors and nuisances.
For BRADS, commissioners cited repeated violations and argued that safer disposal infrastructure is already in place. For NSP, they cited zoning concerns, building changes, and years of violations.
The next move rests with the DEP, which will decide whether either company receives approval to move forward under the requested terms.
"The safest and most convenient method of leachate disposal is to convey the leachate to SVSA, in accordance with permit requirements," the letter said.
"An accident can occur with a leachate truck and the leachate spills on the highway or spills into a stream. These are potential risks that can easily be avoided with the direct disposal of leachate to SVSA."
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