Reader's Viewpoint: Countywide Landfill must be closed, and it must be closed soon
To the Editor:
After reading articles in several newspapers about the Countywide Landfill, I find it all very disturbing to me. I had cancer once, and I do not want to have to go through chemotherapy again because of a landfill that should have been closed.
My property taxes went up about 30 percent this year. If the county would like to buy my house for the market price that the auditor states it is worth, I would start packing.
A man from the EPA told me this summer that the “smell” wasn’t harmful to my health. I wonder if he would like to live around a landfill that was on fire and releasing cancer-causing chemicals in the air. I have grandchildren, a son and daughter-in-law who live in this area.
No one, and I repeat no one, will buy their house or mine. People are being told NOT to buy in Bolivar or Wilkshire area. Friends of mine had a buyer for their home in October, and their Realtor told them the buyer wouldn’t buy their home because of the landfill. This is pretty sad.
The landfill has been given extension upon extension, and it is still operating. What is a homeowner of 31 years to do? Bolivar/Wilkshire used to be a great place to move your family into. Now, homes cannot even be sold.
Who is going to be responsible when the landfill explodes? We need to close it and it needs to be closed now. We write, we complain and we are told it isn’t harmful to us. The landfill operator has been told to clean it up, and all it seems like it has done is “cover” it up.
One expert stated it is the worst he has seen in 10 years. Experts state that it is on fire but the EPA still thinks it is a chemical reaction. I am sure the taxpayers are paying for all of these experts to come here. Maybe that is why my property taxes went up so much. Something has to be done before thousands of people are threatened.
I hope if anything serious happens, that the people responsible for making these decisions to keep this landfill open can put their heads down at night and rest. Something has to be done about this situation, and, as I see it, the only thing that can be done is to close Countywide Landfill and close it soon. It may already be to late.
Debbie Lawver, Bolivar
