Yuma county landfill agrees to pay air permit fine

Officials for the South Yuma (Ariz.) County Landfill have agreed to pay $70,000 for failure to obtain an air quality permit.

The Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) and Arizona Attorney General’s office said in a press release that the municipal solid waste landfill failed to obtain an air quality permit from 2000 until 2009.

The Yuma landfill was cited after a 2009 ADEQ inspection determined that officials underestimated the amount of methane and other gases released when it calculated its design capacity and amount of waste it would be receiving at the landfill.

The design capacity calculation determines if a facility is subject to federal air pollution requirements for municipal solid waste facilities. Facilities over a certain size must obtain a major source air permit, which contains provisions for monitoring the level of gas generation connected with decomposing waste.

In early 2010 the Yuma landfill was issued an air quality permit and returned to compliance. The consent judgment is subject to court approval.