WRIGHTSVILLE, Pa. — According to documents from the Department of Environmental Protection, Modern Landfill had discharged wastewater into Kreutz Creek that violated state standards set in 2017.
“We’re seeing a lot of violations that have been going on for years," said Ted Evgeniadis.
Evgeniadis is the Lower Susquehanna riverkeeper and has been taking samples of Kreutz Creek since 2020. He says he’s seen numerous chemical compounds in the water.
“We’re seeing elevated levels of boron, nitrates are very high, manganese is also very high, and there’s also traces of uranium and lithium," he said. "We’re also seeing very high levels of PFAS.”
In order to comply with the DEP’s discharge requirements, Modern Landfill is implementing a new $23 million water treatment facility by mid-2023. The facility will use a process known as reverse osmosis to filter out boron and nitrates from the wastewater. However, the landfill’s solution has its detractors.
“Whether this new $20 million leachate treatment system will handle all these new materials, one doesn’t know," said John Bowser, a retired physicist.
Bowser has been vocal about the pollution of Kreutz Creek, which runs through his property. FOX43 interviewed him back in July when Lower Windsor Township notified residents about the toxic substances in the water.
He says he’s not confident the new landfill treatment center will clean the water.
“I asked Republic Services point blank, ‘will this treat arsenic, uranium, lithium, manganese, and a host of other things, including PFAS’s," Bowser said. "And they said, ‘Well, we don’t know, it wasn’t designed for that.'”
Bowser and Evgeniadis say Modern Landfill needs the proper equipment in order to stop polluting Kreutz Creek.
“We need to make sure that whatever it is that they’re going to do that it treats everything and that we have a healthier creek for now and into the future," said Evgeniadis.
FOX43 reached out to Modern Landfill for comment on the story. They released a statement saying they care for the environment and their neighbors, and that they’ll remain transparent on how they conduct business.