ADEM holds hearing on Dothan landfill permit renewal as neighbors raise PFAS, graves and nuisance concerns

The Alabama Department of Environmental Management held a public hearing June 25, 2025, in Dothan on a proposed renewal and modification of the City of Dothan Sanitary Landfill permit (permit number 35-06). ADEM staff described an expansion of the facility and monitoring and operating conditions, and residents and environmental advocates testified about alleged groundwater contamination, PFAS in nearby waterways and the desecration of graves on or near the site.

ADEM land-division representative Isabel Bella summarized the agency’s preliminary determination and the terms of the draft permit, saying the department found the proposal "in compliance with the applicable state and federal solid waste disposal requirements and thus protective of public health and the environment." She said the modification would expand the facility to 506.67 acres, increase the municipal solid-waste (MSW) disposal area to 74.1 acres and the construction-and-demolition (C&D) disposal area to 14.1 acres. The draft would keep the landfill’s maximum average daily tonnage at 400 tons per day and, if issued, the permit would be valid for 10 years.

Bella said the permittee had requested variances from ADEM administrative code provisions, including a request related to maximum final grade limits that would allow 3:1 final slopes for a 20.5-acre MSW expansion instead of the 4:1 (25 percent) maximum. Bella also said the permittee was approved to operate two working faces — one for MSW and one for C&D waste — and that the draft permit would require a composite liner and leachate collection system, semiannual groundwater monitoring and quarterly explosive-gas monitoring. She advised the public that ADEM will consider both oral testimony and written comments submitted before the close of the public comment period and that the agency will post the final decision and responses to comments to its e-file system.

Speakers at the hearing expressed several concerns about public health and past operations. David Delvecchio, who said he owns property adjoining the landfill, described long-standing disputes with the city and criticized commissioners for what he characterized as a lack of public discussion. "I started my conversation with bam," Delvecchio said, referring to the regular early-morning arrivals of trucks, and added that the site produces nuisance conditions such as birds and litter.

Michael Mullen, who identified himself as the Choctawchee Riverkeeper, told the hearing that samples collected downstream of Ennis Road showed PFAS levels "as high as 270 parts per trillion," and urged the city and ADEM to plan for capture or treatment of those compounds even if current regulations do not yet require it. "If the city has set aside, allegedly set aside funds to take care of pollution from the landfill, they ought to be doing that," Mullen said.

Michael Delvecchio, speaking for his family and neighbors, said a neighbor reported a smelly, tainted waterway behind her house that he said had not been investigated since an earlier hearing. "It's been over a month, May 29, and she said no one has contacted her," he said, urging ADEM to address existing complaints before approving an expansion.

Bobby Lewis, a longtime Webb Road resident who said he has had health issues he ties to the landfill, alleged historical wrongdoing and raised the issue of graves on or near the site. "ADM and the city lied," Lewis said, summarizing prior court rulings he cited, and added, "Dothan shouldn't be in the landfill business." Lewis and other speakers said they had pursued legal routes previously and that some neighbors have unusable wells.

ADEM staff and the hearing officer reminded speakers that the department’s consideration is limited to whether the application meets statutory and regulatory requirements. The hearing record will include all oral testimony and written comments received; the public comment period was announced to close at 5 p.m. July 31, 2025. After reviewing the record, the department will issue a final decision and post responses to comments.

The hearing was the second public hearing for this permit application; ADEM posted notice on its website and notified parties on its email distribution list. The department advised those with extensive technical material to submit it in writing for inclusion in the record.