Legal PR: The Simon Law Firm’s Environmental Attorneys Comment on Suit Against A&L Salvage Landfill

NEWS RELEASE

March 12, 2010

The Simon Law Firm’s Environmental Attorneys Comment on Suit Against A&L Salvage Landfill

Ohio attorney general cites immediate threat to public health in suit against owners of Lisbon, Ohio, facility

ST. LOUIS—The Ohio attorney general has filed a 20-count complaint and preliminary injunction against the owners of A&L Salvage Landfill in Lisbon. The landfill has a long history of odor complaints and hydrogen sulfide emissions exceeding the recommended safety level and is suspected of harboring subsurface fires.

The suit was filed on March 10 against A&L Salvage, Amato Properties LLC, Jack Amato, Jeffrey Aldrich and the Amato Family Trust of East Liverpool. The Ohio AG and Ohio Environmental Protection Agency issued a joint news release explaining that the suit was filed because of the immediate threat to public health, enjoyment and the environment posed by the facility.

The environmental lawsuit seeks an order that would require the landfill owners to cover the landfill waste with a foot of soil within the next six weeks. It also asks for civil penalties to be imposed for a wide range of alleged violations, including:

• Failure to manage surface water and discharge into a nearby creek
• Failure to apply weekly debris cover
• Failure to implement a monitoring plan for explosive gas

The landfill has been closed for a year, but problems persist. The odor of hydrogen sulfide is worsening, and temperature readings indicate the presence of subsurface fires.

Environmental lawyer Todd Hageman notes, “Neighborhood air monitors have recorded hydrogen sulfide readings as high as 110 parts per billion, far above the human odor threshold of 0.5 ppb. The failure to manage surface water magnifies H2S production and the lack of cover allows the gas to escape. Subsurface fires will aggravate gas production and escape issues.”

Hydrogen sulfide, which smells like rotten eggs, may trigger such physical symptoms as burning eyes, sore throat, nosebleeds and respiratory problems.

The Simon Law Firm, based in St. Louis, represents people who have lost the use and enjoyment of their property or been hurt as a result of environmental and landfill waste and odors. The firm has represented more than 700 individual clients in claims arising from the negligent operation of landfills. For more information, contact Todd Hageman by calling 877-767-3108 or e-mailing THageman@simonlawpc.com.

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