This incredibly impactful Letter to the Editor by Gene Katapski points out that contaminants from the landfill are not contained within the landfill. Hard to attract new businesses to the Keystone Industrial Park when this is what employees have to endure.
Landfill’s effects
Editor:
Face coverings due to COVID-19 are old news for employees who work in the Keystone Industrial Park, some 2,500 feet from Keystone Sanitary Landfill. Their walk from a vehicle to their place of employment can be quite nauseating at times.
On days when the stench is particularly noticeable, landfill officials attempt to mask the smell by spraying industrial-strength deodorizer via tanker trucks. This liquid deodorizer then becomes airborne, travels and settles on surfaces. Employees in the industrial park making the trek to their vehicle must clean eyeglasses and windshields for clear vision.
Is this not positive proof that contaminants from the landfill are not contained within landfill boundaries? How far do airborne particles, too small to see but still breathable, travel? Do these contaminants settle on water supplies and home gardens and become consumed? For reference, the drinking water at Dunmore Reservoir No. 1 is only 800 feet from the landfill.
It is obvious that not only should Keystone’s expansion request be denied, but the landfill should be capped as soon as possible.
GENE KATAPSKI
MOUNT COBB