The expert panel assembled to study and discuss solutions to the odor concerns at the City of Bristol Landfill has submitted its final report to the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality.
DEQ immediately provided this report to the Virginia Department of Health and the City of Bristol, which owns and operates the landfill. The report includes recommendations to mitigate the ongoing odor concerns associated with the landfill and is available on the City of Bristol website, DEQ’s website, and the Virginia Department of Health website.
Organized by DEQ and supported with emergency funds, the panel was chaired by Mark A. Widdowson, Ph.D., P.E., head of the Charles E. Via Jr. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Virginia Tech.
Virginia Tech created the final technical report that consolidates the recommendations of the expert panel, made up of 10 experts from across North America. Panel member expertise includes backgrounds in geotechnical, geological, geoenvironmental and civil engineering, waste disposal and containment facility permitting and design, solid waste and gas management, landfill environmental systems, liquids management, operations and maintenance, hydrogeotechnical investigations, environmental monitoring studies and static and seismic stability of landfills.
During the two-day meeting in March, the panel, city officials and their consulting engineers inspected the site and discussed the landfill’s history and construction, and operations and mitigation efforts taken to date. The panel evaluated issues related to odor emissions, feasibility of continued operation and landfill closure.
“We are making this report available to the Virginia Department of Health, the City of Bristol and the public immediately to promote continued transparency and awareness,” said DEQ Director Mike Rolband. “We appreciate all the hard work and dedication of the panel members and the city to focus on these important issues and develop this detailed report of recommendations on time. The report, the result of the panel’s careful and thoughtful collaboration, will be crucial to helping the City of Bristol implement practical solutions for these issues going forward.”
For more information on the Bristol Landfill, visit the DEQ website at www.DEQ.Virginia.gov/get-involved/topics-of-interest/bristol-landfill.
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