Gary, Indiana, officials receive violations notice for closed landfill

Officials in the city of Gary, Indiana, received a letter from state officials that included various violations that have taken place at the closed Gary Sanitary Landfill over the last few years, a report by the Northwest Indiana Times says.

A notice of violation was sent to the city on Aug. 3 of last year by the Indiana Department of Environmental Management, the report says, and was based on inspections done on July 31, 2014 and Sept. 2, 2015. The state also sent a proposed order that would call for the city to pay a $6,375 fine, if agreed upon by Gary officials.

The report says the order calls for the city to remove materials state officials claim have been dumped improperly and repair a leachate collection system at the lift station located at the J-Pit, a 114-acre abandoned sand mine, so all pumps are fully operational. According to the report, city officials says no leachate is migrating from the landfill to the J-Pit area and are evaluating design improvement options to the Colfax Lift Station nearby.

Materials used to cover the landfill after its closure in 1997 consisted mostly of sand, the report says. City officials say clay should have been used and is standard at other sites, but a lack of funds has deterred the city from correcting the problem. Other issues, such as removal of recyclable material dumped at the site, have already taken place.

According to the report, state officials also noted the vegetation covering the landfill is not being maintained or controlled. Some patches in the area are barren ground while other have excess vegetation.

The J-Pit was gradually filled under a contract between the city and Beemsterboer Slag Corp., Hammond, Indiana, but residents reported seeing noncompliant fill being dumped without authority oversight. A feasibility study funded by J-Pit revenue is currently in draft form.