Residents urge county, KDHE to act on industrial-waste dumping near Iris Road

A group of Coffey County residents and landowners told the Coffey County Commission on July 2025 that industrial-waste disposal on property near Iris Road (the Hodges property) is producing offensive odors, thousands of flies and signs of possible surface-water contamination.

The speakers said commercial waste, hauled from across Kansas and neighboring states, is being applied to fields and to a reclaimed rock quarry without adequate testing, monitoring or consideration of local geology. ‘‘We had white, grease‑like residue on surface seeps, an odor like rancid grease and thousands of flies,’’ said Art Friend, who organized the public comments and showed photos of seeps and white films on quarry ponds. Residents reported finding many small wormlike organisms in puddles that followed an application event.

The presenters said they have asked KDHE (Kansas Department of Health and Environment) to sample and monitor nearby surface water and to clarify what it considers a ‘‘nuisance.’’ They said KDHE staff have visited the site but that KDHE’s approval process for some industrial disposal sites in Coffey County has proceeded without submission of the usual FWP‑905 and FWP‑906 paperwork or with only minimal documentation, according to information the speakers cited from KDHE responses.

Why this matters: Presenters said the dump site drains to nearby detention ponds and Frog Creek watershed features used for fishing and recreation; they worry runoff or groundwater seeps from shallow soils overlying rock ledges could carry contaminants off‑site to ponds and downstream waterbodies, posing long‑term costs for neighbors and public resources.

Speakers described two kinds of concern: visible surface effects (odors, white film, flies, dead or discolored organisms in seeps and quarry ponds) and hydrogeologic risk tied to shallow bedrock. Presenters cited National Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) soil mapping showing much of the parcel has shallow lithic bedrock at about 40–60 inches, which can force groundwater to flow at or near the surface. They also noted an apparent lack of routine load‑by‑load testing: ‘‘There is typically one sample taken and then every load thereafter is assumed to be the same,’’ Eric (identified in the public presentation) said; presenters said private lab testing would cost several hundred dollars per sample and that KDHE has not committed to systematic sampling at the site.

Speakers asked the commission to press KDHE for greater oversight and for short‑term sampling to determine whether contaminants are leaving the site. ‘‘We’d like engagement from the Coffey County Commissioners with KDHE to address lack of oversight and ongoing impacts to neighbors,’’ Friend said.

Commission response and next steps: Commissioners discussed options and agreed to pursue a coordinated approach with KDHE. County staff said they will meet with the county counselor and KDHE contacts and draft a letter urging KDHE engagement and clarifying recordkeeping and testing expectations. Commissioner remarks indicated the county sees KDHE as the primary regulator and said the commission can ‘‘lean on them heavily’’ to obtain more timely, specific monitoring and to clarify enforcement criteria such as the technical definition of ‘‘saturated ground’’ and of a regulatory nuisance.

Context and background: Presenters distinguished the industrial waste at issue from federally regulated biosolids (40 CFR 503), saying biosolids programs have stricter monitoring. They underscored that the currently described industrial wastes have lower N‑P‑K percentages and require large volumes to be agronomically meaningful, a practice they said is being used as a ‘‘beneficial use’’ justification without sufficient local oversight. They cited NRCS soil and depth‑to‑bedrock data, local evidence of wet‑weather seeps and KDHE correspondence about past approvals.

Ending: Commissioners did not order an immediate enforcement action at the meeting but asked staff to coordinate with the county counselor and KDHE, and to follow up with residents. Presenters urged on‑site inspections and short‑term sampling to establish a baseline and determine whether contamination or unacceptable nuisance conditions exist.