Missouri Pass Landfill notifying residents of possible increased methane problems

KSDK -- A Maryland Heights area landfill, closed for nearly 15 years, mailed out letters to nearby residents about the possibility of increased exposure to methane gas, the Department of Natural Resources said Monday.

The Missouri Pass Landfill, the group overseeing the landfill in the 2500 block of Adie Road, is notifying all residents and business owners within 1,500 feet of methane monitoring probes. The letters, dated February 2, began arriving in mailboxes last week. The company said it will follow up with door-to-door visits and provide property owners with an explosive gas meter to measure methane levels in the air.

According to the Department of Natural Resources, methane is a byproduct of the decomposition of waste and is explosive at concentrations between five and 15 percent by volume. State regulations limit methane at landfill property boundaries to 2.5 percent by volume.

The landfill sits on an 85-acre site and has a 71-acre footprint. Though it closed in 1996, landfill operators are working with the DNR to maintain methane detection and extraction and must notify property owners of elevated levels of methane of a 30-year post-closure period.

Missouri Pass Landfill had to notify 30 land owners of elevated methane levels in September 2008. Those property owners received the notification letter from last week, as well as 129 new property owners.

The DNR advises residents and business owners to dial 9-1-1 as a precaution if they can smell gas, or to contact the DNR's Solid Waste Management Program at 800-361-4827 or 573-751-5401.