Latonia residents who live near the old Covington landfill, which was located at the corner of Decoursey Avenue and 43rd Street, will begin receiving free gas monitors from state and local officials today, following detection of elevated methane levels at a house near the site.
“Teams from the state Department for Environmental Protection and the City – including Fire and Code Enforcement officials — will be visiting homes this afternoon and evening and Saturday morning to distribute the monitors and a letter of explanation and answer any questions,” reads a city announcement sent out on Friday.
A statement from the Kentucky Energy and Environment Cabinet explained the situation that prompted the monitor distribution.
In July, state officials “learned of an underground methane gas leak into a Covington residence from the old Covington Landfill located at the Bill Cappel Sports Complex,” a statement from the cabinet reads.
“The Energy and Environment’s Emergency Response Branch, the Division of Waste Management (DWM), Kenton County Emergency Management, Covington Fire Department and City of Covington personnel coordinated a rapid response which resulted in the installation of a vapor extraction system in the home, which has addressed the issue,” the statement goes on to say.
The monitors resemble common carbon monoxide detectors for home use. Although the officials believe it’s unlikely the gas has moved into nearby homes, the monitors are being distributed ‘out of an abundance of caution,’ the statement reads.
The Division of Waste Management is in contact with “contractors to discuss interim remedial measures for methane migration at the landfill site and is soliciting proposals to remediate the landfill cap,” the letter concludes.
Residents with questions can contact Adam Fritsch at the Cabinet of Energy and Environment’s Florence Regional Office at (859) 525-4923. They can also contact Jimmy Adams, Covington’s deputy fire chief of operations, at (859) 292-2343.