Anderson Landfill

The DTG-Anderson Landfill began operation in 1997 as a construction and demolition debris landfill. The site was originally owned by Ron Anderson and was known as the Anderson Landfill. This facility was originally permitted under Chapter 173-304 of the Washington Administrative Code (WAC) by the Yakima Health District (YHD).

In 2007, following promulgation of WAC 173-350, the facility obtained a permit from YHD for the operation of a Limited Purpose Landfill (LPL). The original LPL permit was issued in 2007 and authorized a 61 acre landfill footprint.

In 2015, YHD issued a permit modification that authorized expansion of the landfill footprint to 125 acres.

In 2019, the facility was purchased by DTG-Recycle, Inc., a subsidiary of DTG Enterprises Holdings, Inc. The landfill is unlined.

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) were detected in ambient air and in landfill gas at the facility in December 2021 and confirmed in July 2022. Benzene and naphthalene were detected in ambient air at concentrations exceeding outdoor air quality standards under the Model Toxics Control Act (MTCA).

In 2023, Ecology and the two parties responsible for cleanup, East Mountain Investments, Inc. and DTG Enterprises, Inc. negotiated an agreed order for cleanup work at the site. An Agreed Order is a legal agreement between Ecology and the Potentially Liable Persons (PLPs) outlining the expectations, process, and schedule for site cleanup. The order requires delineation of hazardous compounds in gas originating in the waste and groundwater monitoring to identify if hazardous compounds have reached groundwater.

In March 2023, contractors working for DTG identified temperatures greater than 500ºF at a depth of 10 feet below the landfill’s surface. These high temperatures as well as gas readings collected from within the landfill indicate fire beneath the surface. Additional investigation in September 2023 and subsequent gas monitoring identified high temperatures and gas readings that indicate a fire that at extends from a depth of approximately 10 feet to at least 40 feet below the landfill’s surface. The fire is in the same area that the agreed order intends to investigate.

As of late December 2023, DTG completed application of a soil cap in the fire area. The intent of the soil cap is to reduce emission of combustion products from the landfill and to suppression oxygen within the waste to smother the fire. Ecology is working with the YHD, who has jurisdiction over the landfill’s operating permit, to review the effectiveness of the soil cap in suppression of oxygen and extinguishment of the fire. The effectiveness of the soil cap in reducing emissions of combustion products from the landfill will be evaluated as part of the agreed order.

The investigation required by the agreed order cannot be conducted safely until the fire is extinguished and temperatures within the landfill have returned to normal. Therefore, the work required by the agreed order has been postponed until the fire has been addressed. The next steps for this site include creation and implementation of a fire suppression plan.