Leatherdog Lane Landfill, East Yorkshire

The request was partially successful.

Dear Environment Agency,
Please give details of the number of complaints about this tip received each year since January 2010 relating to the following items
1. Smells
2. Litter blowing from the site
3. Tip related road traffic
4. Pollution of adjacent watercourses
Also please give details of measures in place with an indication of action taken to deal with contraventions of requirements
1. In relation to Landfill Gas control
2. The commissioning date of the flare stack
3. The completion and submission of maintenance reports for the flare stack and gas collection measures.
4. Measurement results for dioxin content of the flare stack emissions
Finally what is the measured remaining void capacity of the tip to comply with planning consents?

Yours faithfully,

John Jessop

Enquiries, Unit, Environment Agency

Thank you for contacting the Environment Agency.

 

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Enquiries, Unit, Environment Agency

Dear John,

Thank you for your enquiry regarding information on Leatherdog Lane Landfill.

For your information, I have passed your query to our local External Relations Team (Planning and Corporate Services) for advice. They will check whether we hold this information and they will be in touch with you shortly.

The External Relations team have 20 working days from the date we receive your enquiry to provide a response, and they will get this to you as soon as possible.

Should you wish to contact them in the meantime, their details are below. Please quote your Enquiry Ref 120216/SC02 in your correspondence with us.

External Relations
Planning and Corporate Services
Environment Agency
North East Region
Yorkshire & Humberside Area
Phoenix House
Global Avenue
LEEDS
LS11 8PG
Tel: 03708 506506

If we can be of further assistance, please contact us again.

Kind Regards,

Simon Cutts
Customer Service Advisor
National Customer Contact Centre
Part of National Operations
Environment Agency
i www.environment-agency.gov.uk/
( 03708 506506

show quoted sections

Orr, Diana, Environment Agency

Our Ref: RFI/2012/21561

Dear John

I refer to your request for information of 15 February 2012.

We aim to reply to requests for information within 10 working days in line
with our Customer Charter. However, if we are experiencing high workloads
it may take up to 20 working days, although we will always try to let you
know if this is the case.

At present I expect to be able to reply to your enquiry by 14 March 2012.

yours sincerely

Diana Orr

External Relations

Internal: 7282521

External: 01904 822521

Information in this message may be confidential and may be legally
privileged. If you have received this message by mistake, please notify
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Orr, Diana, Environment Agency

1 Attachment

 
 
 
 
 
Our Ref: RFI/2012/21561                         

Your Ref:   150212                                         

Dear Mr Jessop

RE: Leatherdog Land Landfill East Yorkshire
Thank you for your enquiry dated 15 February 2012.

Complaint history

 

Calls received by the Environment Agency can be dealt with in a number of
ways. We do not attend all incidents called through to us. For incidents
we do not attend we cannot always take a view as to whether it is a
justified complaint i.e. we cannot always say whether an odour complaint
is justified as originating from a site we regulate. Where we do attend we
can make a judgement as to whether the site is the cause of an issue.

 

2010

1. Odour – none received

2. Litter – one complaint, this was not confirmed when the incident was
attended

3. Tip related road traffic – none. Note we do not control the number of
vehicles visiting the site, type of vehicles used, route used or times
vehicles visit the site. However mud originating from vehicles leaving the
site does fall within our remit.

4. Pollution of adjacent watercourses - none

 

2011

There are a large number of incidents potentially relating to the site for
this year.  For 2011, calls to our incident number for the categories
requested were:

 

Odour 203
Litter 25
Water pollution 16
Issues relating to mud on roads/vehicle movements 17

 

1. Odour – 6 substantiated complaints

2. Litter – 8 substantiated complaints

3. Tip related road traffic. We have had 3 substantiated complaints
relating to mud affecting nearby roads.

4. Pollution of adjacent watercourses – no substantiated complaints.

 

 Also please give details of measures in place with an indication of

     action taken to deal with contraventions of requirements

1. In relation to Landfill Gas control

A new landfill gas management scheme for the site was agreed last year. To
include full extraction across all parts of the site. Odours relating to
landfill gas were identified on site inspection reports for the site and
recorded where appropriate as breaches of the permit. Failure to start the
installation of the new gas management scheme resulted in a warning letter
being sent to the then permit holder on the 15^th November 2011. The
installation of new gas extraction infrastructure started shortly
afterwards.

 

2. The commissioning date of the flare stack

The flare was commissioned in late January 2012.

 

3. The completion and submission of maintenance reports for the flare
stack and gas collection measures.

There is no requirement to submit maintenance reports for the flare stack.
The operator must instead monitor on an annual basis the emissions from
the flare. Installation of gas extraction wells into the waste is subject
to third party design and construction supervision, the results are sent
to us.

    

4. Measurement results for dioxin content of the flare stack

Emissions

There is no requirement in the sites permit to monitor the Dioxin content
of flare emissions.

    

Finally what is the measured remaining void capacity of the tip to

comply with planning consents?

The planning consent is a matter for the East Riding of Yorkshire council,
any queries regarding it should be addressed to them.

This information is provided subject to the attached notice which we
advise that you should read.

We would be really grateful if you could spare five minutes to help us
improve our service. Please click on the link below and fill in our survey
– we use every piece of feedback we receive.

[1]https://web.questback.com/isa/qbv.dll/SQ...

If you require any further help, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Yours sincerely,

DIANA ORR

EXTERNAL RELATIONS

01904 822521

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Dear Orr, Diana,

Thank you for your reply to my enquiry. However I find some of the response unsatisfactory. The emissions from the flare stack are of particular concern and I draw your attention to Environment Agency document "Guidance on Landfill Gas Flaring"
Within the document is a paragraph requiring first level monitoring of the flare performance using continuous methods viz -

First level monitoring should be carried out on a
continuous and logged basis, with telemetry, since
it provides the basic information needed for
controlling the flare and demonstrates the degree
of operation. The data obtained also allow the gas
field to be balanced and controlled.
Second level monitoring is necessary periodically or
when there is some significant change in the
composition of the landfill gas or method of
operation of the flare. This may occur, for example,
when a new phase of a site is brought on-line or the
plant is newly commissioned or re-commissioned
after a change of location. It provides more
information about the completeness of combustion,
the main combustion products and the major
emissions. This should typically be carried out
annually, dependent on the presence of population
centres or other environmentally sensitive areas and
provided that the plant is maintained according to
the manufacturer’s recommendations. Second level
monitoring is targeted at good indicators of
potentially hazardous components in flare emissions.
Such frequency and selection of trace species would
also be subject to the findings of the environmental
impact assessment from requirement No. 7.

Is the first level monitoring mentioned above being carried out and is the EA monitoring the results?

Additionally Appendix 3 of the document specifies that regulators visits should ensure the operational effectiveness of the flarestack with maintenance records being made available to the inspector.

I would like to clarify the final part of my request which has been neatly sidestepped. Please answer the question "What is the remaining capacity of the void"? I mentioned planning consents to give you the opportunity to give an answer based on the permiited height of the tip. In the circumstances I will accept the 8 metre height presently being used by the EA.

I await your response.

Yours sincerely,

John Jessop

Orr, Diana, Environment Agency

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Our Ref: RFI/2012/21561 FO
 
Dear Mr Jessop
 
I refer to your email of 17 March 2012. 
 
We aim to reply to requests for information within 10 working days in line
with our Customer Charter.  However, if we are experiencing high workloads
it may take up to 20 working days, although we will always try to let you
know if this is the case.
 
At present I expect to be able to reply to your enquiry by 17 April 2012.
 
yours sincerely,
 
Diana Orr
External Relations
Internal: 7282521
External: 01904 822521
 
 
 
 

Information in this message may be confidential and may be legally
privileged. If you have received this message by mistake, please notify
the sender immediately, delete it and do not copy it to anyone else.

 

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under the Freedom of Information Act, Data Protection Act or for
litigation.  Email messages and attachments sent to or from any
Environment Agency address may also be accessed by someone other than the
sender or recipient, for business purposes.

 

If we have sent you information and you wish to use it please read our
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Orr, Diana, Environment Agency

1 Attachment

 
 
 
 
 
Our Ref: RFI/2012/21561 FO                         

Your Ref:    190312                                        

Dear Mr Jessop

RE: Leatherdog Landfill East Yorkshire
Thank you for your enquiry dated 17 March 2012.  Please find our response
below:

Q - Thank you for your reply to my enquiry. However I find some of the

     response unsatisfactory. The emissions from the flare stack are of

     particular concern and I draw your attention to Environment Agency

     document "Guidance on Landfill Gas Flaring"

     Within the document is a paragraph requiring first level monitoring

     of the flare performance using continuous methods viz -

    

     _ First level monitoring should be carried out on a

     continuous and logged basis, with telemetry, since

     it provides the basic information needed for

     controlling the flare and demonstrates the degree

     of operation. The data obtained also allow the gas

     field to be balanced and controlled.

     _ Second level monitoring is necessary periodically or

     when there is some significant change in the

     composition of the landfill gas or method of

     operation of the flare. This may occur, for example,

     when a new phase of a site is brought on-line or the

     plant is newly commissioned or re-commissioned

     after a change of location. It provides more

     information about the completeness of combustion,

     the main combustion products and the major

     emissions. This should typically be carried out

     annually, dependent on the presence of population

     centres or other environmentally sensitive areas and

     provided that the plant is maintained according to

     the manufacturer’s recommendations. Second level

     monitoring is targeted at good indicators of

     potentially hazardous components in flare emissions.

     Such frequency and selection of trace species would

     also be subject to the findings of the environmental

     impact assessment from requirement No. 7.

    

     Is the first level monitoring mentioned above being carried out and

     is the EA monitoring the results?

    

     Additionally Appendix 3 of the document specifies that regulators

     visits should ensure the operational effectiveness of the

     flarestack with maintenance records being made available to the

     inspector.

 

A - The document quoted above is guidance; its recommendations are not
specified directly in the sites permit. With reference to the 1^st level
monitoring mentioned above this information is not reported as a matter of
course to us.

 

You are correct in your view that this kind of information is important
for the efficient balancing and management of the gas field. The gas
management system will continue to be balanced by the operator on an
ongoing basis. We do not routinely get involved in this work but do audit
gas management systems at landfill site when necessary, this is something
we may consider doing at this site.

 

The operator will have to monitor and report levels of various trace gas
components in the emissions from the flare (as specified in the permit).
This is done on an annual basis. As the flare effectively became
operational this year we naturally will expect emission monitoring to take
place sometime this year. This information will be reported to us and
there is no reason why it should not be made available to you if you wish
to see it.

 

The flare has been running continuously since commissioning started, apart
from during planned downtime due to maintenance work or when the
additional gas extraction was connected in February.

    

Q -     I would like to clarify the final part of my request which has
been

     neatly sidestepped. Please answer the question "What is the

     remaining capacity of the void"? I mentioned planning consents to

     give you the opportunity to give an answer based on the permiited

     height of the tip. In the circumstances I will accept the 8 metre

     height presently being used by the EA.

 

A -The Environment Agency permit does not specify an 8 metre limit on
waste heights. Our permit refers to a plan showing a maximum finished
height of 14 metres above ordinance datum. This being the maximum height
of the site after the settlement of the waste mass is complete. The City
Plant Ltd response to our enforcement notice of the 30^th January 2012
specified a remaining capacity (after the current redistribution of waste
is complete) of 152,000 cubic metres.

 

This information is provided subject to the attached notice which we
advise that you should read.

If you require any further help, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Yours sincerely

 

Diana Orr
External Relations Team (Yorkshire Area)
 
Tel: 01904 822521 (Internal 7 28 2521)
Email: [1][email address]
 
Environment Agency
Phoenix House
Global Avenue
Leeds  LS11 8PG

Information in this message may be confidential and may be legally
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Dear Orr, Diana,
In relation to your statement above that the Environment Agency specifies a maximum finished height of 14 metres above ordinance datum, please clarify whether this is the height immediately post capping or after a specified period and if so what the effect of any settlement period should be, viz how much it will settle.
It would appear that the height of the older and capped parts of the tip were roughly in line with the planning consent of 8 metres but when the original management were replaced and the current management/consultant personnel became involved (in various company guises) this completed part was deliberately uncapped. Following this uncapping (under the monitoring of the site by your agency officer), vast quantities of new waste were deliberately poured onto the site until the height soared to almost three times that of the planning consent. This was and still is vastly higher than even your 14 metre limit.at the beginning of the very significant increase in complaints.
You should also be aware that I have had email copy of a local residents communication to yourself correcting some false information given out regarding pollution of local watercourses, therefore you may like to reconsider your response.

Yours sincerely,

John Jessop

Orr, Diana, Environment Agency

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Our Ref: RFI/2012/21561 FO1
 
Dear Mr Jessop
 
I refer to your email of 21 April 2012. 
 
We aim to reply to requests for information within 10 working days in line
with our Customer Charter.  However, if we are experiencing high workloads
it may take up to 20 working days, although we will always try to let you
know if this is the case.
 
At present I expect to be able to reply to your enquiry by 21 May 2012.
 
yours sincerely
 
Diana Orr
External Relations
Internal: 7282521
External: 01904 822521
 
 
 
 

Information in this message may be confidential and may be legally
privileged. If you have received this message by mistake, please notify
the sender immediately, delete it and do not copy it to anyone else.

 

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sender or recipient, for business purposes.

 

If we have sent you information and you wish to use it please read our
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Orr, Diana, Environment Agency

1 Attachment

 
 
 
 
Our Ref: RFI/2012/21561 fo                         

Your Ref:        210412                                    

Dear Mr Jessop

RE: Leatherdog Landfill East Yorkshire

Thank you for your enquiry dated 21 April 2012.  Please find our response
below:

q  -In relation to your statement above that the Environment
Agencyspecifies a maximum finished height of 14 metres above
ordinancedatum, please clarify whether this is the height immediately post
capping or after a specified period and if so what the effect of any
settlement period should be, viz how much it will settle. 

It would appear that the height of the older and capped parts of the tip
were roughly in line with the planning consent of 8 metres

but when the original management were replaced and the current
management/consultant personnel became involved (in various companyguises)
this completed part was deliberately uncapped. Following this uncapping
(under the monitoring of the site by your agency officer), vast
quantities of new waste were deliberately poured onto the site until the
height soared to almost three times that ofthe planning consent. This was
and still is vastly higher than even your 14 metre limit.at the beginning
of the very significant

increase in complaints. You should also be aware that I have had email
copy of a local residents communication to yourself correcting some false
information given out regarding pollution of local watercourses,
therefore you may like to reconsider your response.

 

a - This is the height of the landfill post settlement. Rates of
settlements vary but it can be in the region of 20 – 30 years before the
majority of settlement has occurred. The operator of the site has used
different rates of settlement depending on the age of the waste. Ranging
from 10 to 25% settlement rates.

 

This information is provided subject to the attached notice which we
advise that you should read.

If you require any further help, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Yours sincerely

Diana Orr
External Relations Team (Yorkshire Area)
 
Tel: 01904 822521 (Internal 7 28 2521)
Email: [1][email address]
 
Environment Agency
Phoenix House
Global Avenue
Leeds  LS11 8PG
 

 

 

Information in this message may be confidential and may be legally
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Environment Agency address may also be accessed by someone other than the
sender or recipient, for business purposes.

 

If we have sent you information and you wish to use it please read our
terms and conditions which you can get by calling us on 08708 506 506. 
Find out more about the Environment Agency at
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John Jessop left an annotation ()

There appears to be an unsatisfactory system of information exchange between site monitoring and public relations. Perhaps naively I am under the impression the EA exist to look after the environment and act in conjunction with the local authority to control environmentally damaging activities.
In my opinion this is not happening at the Leatherdog Lane Landfill.

Michael Ryan left an annotation ()

Alan Dalton, the Environment Agency's Regional Board Member for the North East Region was concerned at way that the EA failed to deal effectively with the concerns of residents about adverse effects of landfill sites and incinerators.

He was ignored and sidelined by the EA and then dismissed by Michael Meacher. More details in The Guardian of 12 September 2001 and his Obituary just two years after his dismissal (by Fax) on 19 December 2001:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2001/s...

Burning Issues, 12 Sept 2001

Dalton was appointed to the board of Britain's biggest quango, with its 10,500 workforce, in January 1999 by Meacher to inject new thinking, but says he has failed and attacks a "culture of secrecy and defensiveness". He says the agency has lost its way in its role of cutting air, water and ground pollution.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/2003/dec/...

Alan James Patrick Dalton, environmental campaigner, born May 30 1946; died December 11 2003