Local landfill identified as source of “rotten egg” smell in Lady’s Island neighborhood
The South Carolina Department of Environmental Services has identified a landfill as the likely source of a “rotten egg” smell that has been plaguing nearby residents.
Staff members with the DES have visited the Barnwell Landfill in northern Lady’s Island and identified a hydrogen sulfide odor coming from the site. Hydrogen sulfide is a colorless gas with a distinctive “rotten egg” smell that is produced in the breakdown of organic matter.
In recent months, residents have noted a potent increase in the severity and frequency of a smell many describe as either “septic” or “sulfur,” according to previous reporting from The Island Packet.
According to records obtained by The Island Packet, the DES had also responded to odor complaints in January, and identified the landfill as the source of an odor consistent with hydrogen sulfide. At that time, the agency requested that the Barnwell Landfill operator reduce the uncovered area where waste is unloaded and place clean soil on top of the landfill to reduce the smell.
Recently, DES staff have made multiple visits to the landfill following a period of heavy rainfall that exacerbated the odor issue. The agency can’t verify that all odor issues in the surrounding neighborhood are the result of the landfill, though staff could tie the smell to the dump during some of those visits, according to DES spokesperson Laura Renwick.
In a previous statement to The Island Packet, Patti Hamilton, a spokesperson for the owner of the landfill owner Coastal Waste & Recycling, said the company did not believe they were the source of the odor. She said that to be “proactive community partners” they had increased the material used to cover the landfill, which is used to prevent odors. At time of publication for this story, the company did not respond to any further requests for comment.
Most often people are exposed to hydrogen sulfide by breathing it, and it’s common for landfills to occasionally emit enough for people nearby to notice, according to the DES. Even so, exposure at low levels can lead to watering eyes, irritability, symptoms consistent with asthma and headaches.
Barnwell Landfill accepts construction and demolition debris, according to the landfill operator Coastal Waste & Recycling. A common source of hydrogen sulfide gas is the breakdown of materials containing the mineral gypsum, a common component of drywall, as well as organic material’s that can include grass trimmings and animal waste.
What happened?
Resident have for years noticed intermittent issues with a smell coming from the landfill. In recent months, the odor has worsened.
Residents are most impacted by the odor in the mornings, and it typically dissipates by the afternoon, only to return when they wake up the next day, according to previous reporting by The Island Packet. The occurrence of the smell in the night and morning is consistent with hydrogen sulfide that’s emitted from landfills.
During a storm event in late August, the landfill experienced erosion on the side and cover soil, which was put in place to alleviate issues with smells emanating from the landfill, according to Renwick. Rain was then able to reach the trash in the landfill, which can lead to the production of more hydrogen sulfide.
Conditions in landfills are generally very conducive to the production of the hydrogen sulfide, which can increase when things are crushed or become wet with rainwater. In fact, periods of heavy rainfall often lead to higher levels of the compound in the days and weeks after a significant rainfall event.
The Lowcountry saw significant rainfall over the course of the summer, according to previous reporting from The Island Packet. During a 40 day period from mid-July through August, the region experienced some of the heaviest rainfall events since the 1990s. The rain left the ground soaked and unable to absorb more water.
What’s being done?
Renwick said that the landfill staff have used new equipment to replace the cover soil on the landfill and to help prevent and control runoff. Landfill staff are sometimes joined by DES staff during morning trips through the neighborhood to assess the severity of the smell and the efficacy of their mitigation efforts.
The DES has also requested that the landfill begin to voluntarily monitor concentrations of hydrogen sulfide in the area.
The Island Packet reached out to Coastal Waste & Recycling to ask if they planned to implement hydrogen sulfide monitoring and they did not respond by time of publication.
