Win! Keegan Landfill Will Permanently – Nightmare May Be Coming to an End

The Keegan Landfill to be capped and permanently closed. Governor Murphy made an announcement yesterday on WBGO, stating the NJSEA and Kearny are working toward a settlement that will result in the permanent closure of capping the Keegan Landfill. According the Mayor Santos, tons of soil will be replaced on the landfill, the west side of the landfill will be capped within a year and the east side will be capped by 2021.

“The Keegan Landfill is finally closing. This is a big win for the environment and a victory for Mayor Santos and the people who have been fighting this. We are on a path to end this horrible nightmare for the people of Kearny. People could barely breathe in their own homes because of the hydrogen sulfide coming from the sewage sludge NJSEA illegally dumped there. It is good that this toxic nightmare will soon be over, however we need to make sure the site is properly cleaned up,” said Jeff Tittel, Director of the New Jersey Sierra Club. “This is an early Christmas gift for the environment and for the people of Kearny. Now we must hold NJSEA accountable for cleaning up their mess.”

In September, a Hudson County judge ruled that the Keegan Landfill in Kearny must close permanently because it presents a “clear and immediate danger”. Last month, the NJSEA filed an appeal to reopen the Keegan Landfill. Since March of 2018, the landfill has been emitting hydrogen sulfide odors.

“It’s important that the Kearny will finally get the cleanup but it has taken way too long. Taxpayers also should not have been suing a government agency that was polluting their town. Instead, the DEP should have stepped up and done their job by closing the landfill. If it wasn’t for all of the public pressure, the recent agreement for closure would have not happened.  Since Roxbury, the legislature passed laws that allowed DEP to shut down the landfill. DEP could have required NJSEA to start a full cleanup and remediation process months ago,” said Tittel. “Now the it is critical for the town to move forward on a proper cleanup plan that will remove the nasty chemicals and on site like Hydrogen sulfide.”

After several inspections by DEP officials, violations have been issued to New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority for dumping liquid sewage sludge material at the Keegan Landfill in Kearny. The NJSEA has already been fined for the excessive hydrogen sulfide emissions. They have also been cited for allowing illegal dumping of sewage at the landfill. Rotting drywall is also a major contributor to hydrogen sulfide gas emissions. People living just a mile away from the Keegan Landfill are basically living in homes that smell like rotten eggs. This is just one of many families in Kearny who have suffered from the foul stench of the landfill.

“In Roxbury, after hundreds of complaints about noxious sulfur odors from homeowners whose properties surrounded the Fenimore landfill, the NJDEP declared a health emergency and seized control of the landfill. The DEP should have enforced the same laws to clean up the Keegan landfill. What happened in Roxbury is similar to what happened in Kearny, however the DEP did not learn from that mistake. DEP need to make sure they don’t make the same mistake again, we do not want to have another toxic nightmare like this,” said Jeff Tittel, Director of the New Jersey Sierra Club. “The closure of Keegan Landfill is an early Christmas gift for the environment and the people of Kearny. It is critical that they deserve a full clean up, they have been waiting long enough.”