More checks at Pinewood landfill might not pay off, adviser says

Extra checks to detect leaks at a hazardous waste landfill in rural Sumter County are a costly step that won’t guarantee better protection against them, consultant David Hagen told lawmakers Wednesday.

“This is a very well-maintained landfill,” he told a legislative panel. “It really comes down to the choices and risk management the state of South Carolina wants to take.”

The landfill has 200 test wells to monitor conditions underground.

Hagen, a hydrogeologist, estimated a synthetic liner installed as protection against leaks when the landfill’s oldest section opened in 1978 will last between 50 and 100 years. Newer sections are double-lined.

Members of the panel looking at ways to prevent leaks of toxic material are mulling what more environmental protection, if any, is necessary.

More steps may be required “to give everybody peace of mind,” said State Sen. Kevin Johnson, D-Clarendon.

The landfill near Pinewood, a 45-minute drive southeast of Columbia, stopped taking in industrial waste such as PCBs, mercury and solvents in 2000.

Concern persists that water polluted by toxins stored there will leak eventually into nearby Lake Marion. The 110,00-acre lake is a major source of drinking water and recreation.

Panel members plan to listen to groups with those concerns later.

State officials are exploring a new approach to supervising the landfill as money put up by former operator Safety Kleen runs low.

Hagen’s review was commissioned by state environmental officials as an outside look at landfill conditions.

This story was originally published May 27, 2015 at 12:12 PM.