City sends notice of additional Clean Air and Clear Water violations to Middle Point Landfill

The Middle Point Landfill has now received an alarming seven environmental violations in just the last year. The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation issued the most recent violation due to leachate entering dry run-off ditches on the east and west sides of the landfill property.

The City also recently received its 4,000^th complaint related to odor at the landfill from the public portal which was established four years ago. The complaints of odor have significantly increased in the past year. The portal is available at https://murfreesborotn.report/ for residents to submit complaints.

In addition, on September 15^th, the City of Murfreesboro sent the owners of Middle Point Landfill notice of additional and continued violations of the Clean Water Act and Clean Air Act. These violations are on top of prior violations that spurred the City to sue Middle Point's owners, Republic Services, Inc. and BFI Waste Systems of Tennessee, LLC, in August 2022.

The additional Clean Water Act notice details new test results showing continued discharges of landfill leachate into the East Fork Stones River, which provides drinking water for Rutherford County and City of Murfreesboro residents. The leachate also contains harmful chemicals, including PFAS. Known as "forever chemicals" these contaminants have been linked to cancer, immune system damage, and reproductive health risks. Forever chemicals do not biodegrade or break down in nature, lingering in the environment for generations. The City has found continuous discharges of leachate that include PFAS, aluminum, and ammonia at outfall sites near the landfill. Contaminants have been found near Walter Hill Recreational Area, a popular destination for local families, and near the intake pipe for the Stones River Water Treatment Plant.

The City has also notified Middle Point Landfill of additional Clean Air Act violations, which include problems with the gas collection wells, excessive emissions, malfunction of the landfill's gas collection system, and issues with reporting the volume of air emissions from the landfill.

The City must give notice of these violations to the landfill, as well as state and federal regulators, before amending its lawsuit to include these violations in the pending litigation. Copies of the latest notices, as well as the previous notices served by the City, are posted on the City's Landfill Information webpage-www.murfreesborotn.gov/landfill

For City News online, visit www.Murfreesborotn.gov.