Dive summary:
- Concern is rising along with the temperature under the Bridgeton Landfill in St. Louis, as the Fire Department said temperatures in one section of the landfill have reached 190 degrees and parts of the ground have already started to collapse.
- Wells have been drilled in the landfill to deal with the build up of heat, but now noxious fumes are escaping through the holes.
- The Missouri Department of Natural Resources first noticed a problem in January 2011 when monitoring equipment indicated high levels of carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide and low levels of methane and oxygen, indications of a subsurface fire believed to be 100 to 150 feet below the surface.
From the article:
Pattonville fire officials are concerned about rising underground temperatures at a north St. Louis County landfill and an odor that’s generating complaints from people who live and work in the area.
Matt LaVanchy, assistant chief of the Pattonville Fire Department, said temperatures in one section of the inactive Bridgeton Sanitary Landfill have reached 190 degrees and a 40-foot section of ground has collapsed. ...
Noxious fumes that are bothering residents come from wells drilled in the landfill to deal with the buildup of heat, he said.
