TAYLOR - Students at two Riverside schools returned to classes this morning, a day after more than 1,000 of them were evacuated due to the infiltration of a potentially fatal gas into school buildings.
Meanwhile, the landfill responsible for the gas emissions said it has corrected the problems, beating a court-ordered deadline of 8 tonight. Traces of the odor produced by the gas returned to the school buildings by late morning, but school and state officials determined there was no risk to students.
Lackawanna County Court Judge Robert Mazzoni ordered Environmental and Recycling Services Inc. (ERSI) to meet state Department of Environmental Protection requirements outlined in a court order issued Wednesday afternoon. The judge ordered ERSI to have at least 12 gas monitoring wells online and connected to a flare at the site to stem the strong rotten egg-like odor. DEP officials say the smell is being caused by hydrogen sulfide, a gas that can be fatal in high concentrations.
ERSI met the conditions of the court order by 1 a.m. today, site manager Nick Genova said. He said the company had met "90 percent" of the requirements before the order was issued.
This morning, two flares were ignited to burn off excess gas and all wells drilled to expose the sources of the gas had been filled, Mr. Genova said. He attributed Wednesday's overpowering stench to the drilling, which increased emissions.
Mr. Genova thanked DEP and the public for their "understanding and cooperation" while ERSI corrected the problem. He promised the company would continue to work with DEP to ensure the gas emissions do not return.
"God willing, we've fixed the problem and we won't have any more," he said.
Mark Carmon, DEP spokesman, said the agency was pleased with ERSI's progress, but the company still will face a stiff financial penalty and intense scrutiny in coming months. Over the next few days, he said, DEP will monitor air quality at both schools and in surrounding neighborhoods each morning and afternoon. DEP personnel were overseeing adjustments to the gas-burning flares today, Mr. Carmon said.
"We'll see what happens," Mr. Carmon said. "It may not solve the entire problem, but we hope it will be a significant contributing factor to stopping the odors.
"There will be a financial penalty, but in these situations we like to get the problem solved before deciding on a penalty. There will be a penalty, and it will be significant."
Enraged residents packed a Borough Council meeting Wednesday night and demanded action. Neighbors have complained about the landfill odor for months, but Wednesday's closings of Riverside Junior-Senior High School and West Elementary gave a sense of urgency to what had been mostly a neighborhood nuisance.
Adjacent to the old Amity Landfill property, ERSI sits about a half-mile from the schools. It is strictly for construction and demolition debris and not municipal waste. From September through mid-November, DEP officials verified odor complaints on 17 days.
There were no obvious odors in the area this morning as students returned to classes, but by 11 a.m., traces of the odor had returned.
DEP officials tested air in both schools and determined there was no risk to students, Riverside Superintendent Sal Luzio, Ed.D., said. He said there were no plans to send students home early.
Attendance was down at the high school today, Dr. Luzio said. On a normal day, absenteeism is just over 2.5 percent, he said. Today, about 7 percent of high school students stayed home, he said. Attendance was up at West Elementary, however. There are usually 27 students absent on a given day, Dr. Luzio said. Only 23 missed school today.
As of press time, no students or staff had complained of sickness from the odor, Dr. Luzio and other administrators said.
A colorless gas that smells like rotten eggs, hydrogen sulfide can cause eye, throat and lung irritation in low concentrations, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. Exposure to high concentrations of the gas can be fatal, but Mr. Carmon said current levels are "significantly lower" than the health-based eight-hour exposure limits. Hydrogen sulfide is most dangerous in enclosed areas.
Taylor Borough Manager Daniel P. Zeleniak said he was pleased with the ERSI's quick progress but said it's too early to comment on the corrective measures until he knows the problem is fixed - and not just temporarily.
Mayor Richard Bowen said the matter should not be a black eye on the borough and said he's sure people are still proud to live in Taylor.
Borough Landfill Inspector James Schiavo said he will continue to monitor the odor problem. The odor is a recent problem, he said, and has been difficult to document. Mr. Schiavo said he would often receive a complaint and, by the time he drove to the resident's home or business, the odor would usually be gone.
"There was no trend to the odor. It would come and go fast and usually in the early morning or the early evening," said Mr. Schiavo, who also sits on the Riverside School Board.
Dr. Luzio said he was thankful for DEP's quick, demanding response to the odor problems at the schools. He said he believes the school closings pushed the lingering issue to a head.
"I guess what we did here pushed the envelope," he said. "Thank goodness, we pushed the envelope and something got done."