Citizens For Clean Water
A Non-Profit Corporation Serving North-Central Arkansas' Twin Lakes Area
A Non-Profit Corporation Serving North-Central Arkansas' Twin Lakes Area
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News
Citizens For Clean Water (CFCW) is a non-profit, non-political organization dedicated and committed to the preservation of our environment with special emphasis on safe and clean water in the beautiful Twin Lakes area of north-central Arkansas.
~ In February, our president and cofounder Bob Cohee passed away. CFCW acknowledges the contributions and leadership that he provided with conviction and integrity. We thank all who have made donations in his memory. We will continue to stay on watch and carry on. ~
- April 9's "Cold, Clear, but not Pure:..." presentation by Tom Aley at ASUMH campus - March 25, 2013
- Action now underway by ADEQ to get landfill properly fixed and closed - March 25, 2013
- NOTICE OF INTENT OF LAWSUIT SENT TO ADEQ - Landfill Update - December 20, 2012
- Letter to ADEQ requesting immediate and permanent closure of NABORS landfill: Update - November 4, 2012
- Letter to ADEQ requesting immediate and permanent closure of NABORS landfill - October 17, 2012
- The 4 Rs: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle and Responsibility - October 9, 2012
- "Silent Spring" published 50 years ago - September 27, 2012
- NABORS Regional Landfill - September 25, 2012
NABORS Regional Landfill - September 25, 2012
We continue to keep a keen eye on the NABORS regional landfill located uncomfortably close to Mountain Home's drinking water intake on Lake Norfork.The landfill is poorly located in a karst topography between two beautiful, world-class fishing lakes surrounded by scenic, forested hills. The landfill has contaminants above the EPA standards in its monitoring wells and has been out of compliance with ADEQ regulations since 2005 while under the managements of RLH, then NWAEDD and now OMSWD.
Further more, the landfill is going broke under its current public management. Trash has been diverted to the landfill at a higher cost to keep the landfill from going broke. Recently NABORS Alliance pushed for and was granted an October 9 special election to vote on a 3/8-cent sales tax to pay for a related $22.6 million bond issue for Baxter County's acquisition of the NABORS Landfill and Hauling Service. Some representing Baxter County have said that if they do not purchase the landfill then an outside company will purchase it and that local control of the landfill will be lost. A company (or government) may make it more profitable (or less costly) by leaving the land and/or water worse off with looser regulations and less over-site.
What they may not be telling you is that, if the landfill defaults on its current $12 million bond, the residents of Baxter County would not be on the hook for either bond and the state should require the proper closing of the landfill. If the bond issue passes then the residents of Baxter County will be on the hook for $22.6 million as well as potential future costs, even for those who do not use this landfill. And there will still be trash pickup fees; currently those using NABORS pay ~$18 per month on average for pickup while others pay ~$20 and their trash is taken to a better facility away from our lakes and waterways.
We believe the better solution for Baxter County, its neighbors and their visitors is to have ADEQ properly close the landfill and enforce all its regulations to ensure that all of our beautiful lakes and waterways are better protected.
"Silent Spring" published 50 years ago - September 27, 2012
This controversal book was written by Rachel Carson, a biologist, popular nature author and nature conservationist. The title refers to the silencing of nature with the indiscriminate use of pesticides and biocides. Constant and massive use of a chemical pesticide/biocide (eg DDT) can devastate the targets' (eg mosquitos) natural predators (eg dragon flies, birds) and their ecosystem. In addition, the target may build a resistance (eg as in Europe) to the pesticide/biocide, reducing its effectiveness when it is really needed (eg mosquito-born epidemics). She is credited with starting the environmental movement.The 4 Rs: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle and Responsibility - October 9, 2012
Citizens, governments and companies need to responsibly reduce, reuse and recycle to lessen the negative impact of landfills. No bag limits and diverting additional trash into landfills fill them further and faster; generating trash to keep a landfill solvent or more profitable will increase its environmental (and financial) liabilities and risks to its environment and inhabitants. Liabilities and risks include keeping the environment "safe" (while open & 30 years after closure) and, with the eventual leakage, have included water and fish consumption advisories, illnesses, lawsuits, evacuations and significant cleanup costs of both the landfill and the environment.What we don't reduce, reuse and recycle will wind up in landfills, incinerators and sewers - eventually finding its way into our land, air and water.
~ 87% of us have access to curbside or drop-off recycling programs.
~ 75% of our garbage is recyclable.
~ 14% of our garbage is recycled.
Our Data Resource page has now expanded Reduce, Reuse & Recycle information with more local recycling information: If you have more information or links you would like to share, please send them to data@cfcwtl.org
Letter to ADEQ requesting immediate and permanent closure of NABORS landfill - October 17, 2012
CFCW recently sent the following letter to the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality's director, Teresa Marks:RE: Request for immediate and permanent closure of NABORS landfill.
October 15, 2012
Dear Teresa,
On October 9, the voters of Baxter County overwhelmingly rejected, by a 4 to 1 margin (4279 against to 1087 for), a proposed 3/8 cent new sales tax that was to be used to secure a 22 million dollar bond issue to purchase the NABORS landfill in their county.
We, the Citizens For Clean Water (CFCW) Board of Directors, hereby request that your agency, ADEQ, TAKE IMMEDIATE STEPS TO PERMANENTLY CLOSE and discontinue the operation and usage of this landfill that lies between and uncomfortably close to our twin lakes.
We believe this solution will be in the best interest of the Baxter County citizens by ensuring the safety of our environment.
Thank you,
Bob Cohee
Bob Cohee, CFCW President and
on behalf of the CFCW Board of Directors
and the CFCW members.
Letter to ADEQ requesting immediate and permanent closure of NABORS landfill: Update - November 4, 2012
The following is ADEQ's reply to our October 15 letter to ADEQ requesting immediate and permanent closure of NABORS landfill, then followed with our reply:-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: Bassett, Karen
To: BOB COHEE
Cc: Marks, Teresa
Sent: Wednesday, October 24, 2012 8:56 AM
Subject: FW: Nabors Landfill
As you may have heard, the Ozark Mountain Solid Waste Management Board voted yesterday to let the facility be put into receivership. It is our understanding that this will most likely be done by counsel representing the bond debt holders. We intend to be an active participant with the receiver and the District to ensure that monies are secured to properly close the waste management units. At this point, we believe that discontinuation of filling the limited remaining permitted air space in Area 1-3 will serve little purpose.
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(Note: This e-mail was sent to Teresa Marks, Director ADEQ, but addressed to Karen Bassett, Deputy Director ADEQ, as she answered the original communication to the Director.)
From: Bob Cohee
To: Teresa Marks
Sent: Monday, October 29, 2012 6:20 AM
Subject: FW: Nabors Landfill
Karen Bassett, Deputy Director ADEQ
Yes, we agree with your last point "that discontinuation of filling the limited remaining permitted air space in Area 1-3 will serve little purpose." , unless the space could be used to take some of the overfill from area 1-2. Continuing to put trash into the ground between our beautiful lakes poses a future risk to the lakes.
It also appears per report in the paper that a request has been made to "OVERFILL" this air space in Area1-3. Doing that will cause it to also be out-of-compliance with your regulations. The current operator of the landfill, Mr. Kincade, said he was leaving his position soon. He has notified the various cities of use of this service and they are looking for an alternate place to dispose of their trash.
Again, we request that your agency, ADEQ, TAKE IMMEDIATE STEPS TO PERMANENTLY CLOSE and discontinue the operation and usage of this landfill that lies between and uncomfortably close to our twin lakes.
Bob Cohee
Bob Cohee, CFCW President and
on behalf of the CFCW Board of Directors
and the CFCW members.
NOTICE OF INTENT OF LAWSUIT SENT TO ADEQ - Landfill Update - December 20, 2012
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------Teresa Marks, Director
5301 Northshore Drive
North Little Rock, AR 72118-5317
(501) 682-0744
Dec 20, 2012
Dear Teresa Marks,
CFCW has continued to monitor the action or lack of action taken by ADEQ regarding the Nabors landfill. We understand that your lack of inaction to enforce regulations on this landfill stem from political/financial reasons, but what we don't understand is why ADEQ continues to sit on the side lines while the environmental situation continues to worsen. Nabors has closed its doors and is no longer taking in trash at this time and is apparently renting its equipment out of the hauling company. Nabors no longer has a viable flow of income and the OMRSWMD does not have the money to make its payments on the current bond and in fact has missed a payment and the OMRSWMD actually voted to default on the bond. The Chairman of the OMRSWDM, Jeff Crockett, told the Baxter Bulletin that uncollected leachate oozing from the landfill into streams that feed Norfork Lake an "environmental nightmare", but doesn't have the finances to transport leachate from the landfill to a treatment plant.
Despite all these financial problems, there are considerable environmental regulation problems at the Nabors landfill. There is still underground water contamination confirmed in several monitoring wells. This has been known since 2005 and is still occurring at present.
Area 1-2 is still not in compliance with your CAO with nothing handled since 2005. It had been the viewpoint of CFCW since 2005 that we would let the landfill operate so that it would have a cash flow and could actually fix the problems at the Nabors landfill. We are now 7 years later and the overfilled areas and contamination are still there and not handled.
CFCW had stopped working on a potential lawsuit to get ADEQ to enforce its own regulations back in Feb 2012 as it seemed that ADEQ was going to take action. However, due to the lack of action taken by ADEQ, CFCW will be revisiting the possibility of taking legal action to get the regulations enforced, with this landfill properly closed, capped and monitored.
There are many in Baxter County who are concerned about this landfill. When it was brought before the voters of Baxter County to become the owners of this landfill, the issue was defeated 4 to 1. It has also been noted that the Arkansas Parks and Tourism commissioner emeritus, Jim Gaston, and the Corp of Engineers have also voiced their concern over the possibility of leachate pollution getting into Norfork Lake.
It is time for ADEQ to stop watching the meltdown and take responsibility for the 8 years of non-compliance to state regulations, before we have a national disaster on our hands.
Thank you,
Bob Cohee, President
FOR; Citizens For Clean Water Board of Directors.
PS: Please advise Gov. Mike Beebe of the possible lawsuit.
CC:
Baxter County Judge elect; Mickey Pendergrass
Senator Johnny Key
State Rep. Kelly Linck
State Rep. Karen Hopper
The Baxter Bulletin
KTLO - Radio
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Action now underway by ADEQ to get landfill properly fixed and closed - March 25, 2013
ADEQ filed a law suit February 12 in the Baxter County Circuit Court against Ozark Mountain Solid Waste District, claiming OMSWD failed to start the fixing and proper closure of the landfill when the trash flow to the Nabors landfill stopped on November 30, 2012. CFCW will continue to monitor the situation.April 9's "Cold, Clear, but not Pure:..." presentation by Tom Aley at ASUMH campus - March 25, 2013
You are invited to come to what will be a very informative and educational presentation by one of the world's best internationally known leaders in hydrology and environmental science.Title: "Cold, Clear, but not Pure: Challenges for restoring and protecting groundwater quality in the Ozarks"
Speaker: Tom Aley, President of the Ozark Underground Laboratory.
Host: "The Hellbenders" - the College Stream Team #821 at ASUMH.
Where: McMullen Lecture Hall in Dryer Hall on the ASU Mountain Home campus.
When: Tuesday, April 9 - a mixer with refreshments begins at 4:30 p.m. with presentation beginning at 5:30 p.m.
- About Tom Aley:
- An internationally known leader in hydrology and environmental science.
- President and Senior Hydrogeologist with the Ozark Underground Laboratory in Protem, Missouri (Taney County).
- Holds B.S. and M.S. degrees from the University of California at Berkeley.
- Nationally certified as a Professional Hydrogeologist.
- Licensed as a Professional Geologist in Arkansas, Missouri, Kentucky and Alabama.
- Specializes in hydrologic interactions of surface and subsurface waters in karst areas such as those that typify most of the Ozarks.
- Works throughout the United States and internationally in hydrologic studies that involve groundwater tracing with fluorescent tracer dyes. Most of these studies are related to groundwater pollution issues.
- Has conducted numerous investigations in the Ozarks during the last 48 years.
