More of N.J. landfill known for rotten egg smell will be capped in 2025, officials say

A New Jersey waste collector will start covering more of its landfill in Atlantic County early next year, attempting to control odors that have upset residents and become the subject of a federal lawsuit.
In February, the Atlantic County Utilities Authority will begin capping 16 acres of its landfill at its Egg Harbor Township facility. The project is being funded through $7 million awarded by county commissioners earlier this month.
The authority has separately this fall also added 12,400 linear feet of pipeline, 12,000 linear feet of airline and two dewatering sumps that all contribute to improved gas collection efficiency.
The project also will help the authority reduce the generation of leachate and improve stormwater quality, the authority said.
Authority President Matthew DeNafo expects the project will be completed five years ahead of schedule, allowing the authority to continue offering the lowest tipping fees in New Jersey.
“These investments are more than just figures,” said DeNafo. “They will significantly increase gas collection capacity today and into the future as more waste is buried.”
Atlantic County commissioners agreed to appropriate $7 million from the American Rescue Plan toward the project. An email from NJ Advance Media to Atlantic County officials for comment was not immediately returned.
Authority officials had planned on capping the uncovered 16 acres for some time. DeNafo shared plans for the project earlier this year during a town hall in Absecon while answering questions about the smell emanating from the facility.
The authority also intends to open a new facility in 2025 that will repurpose landfill gases for powering homes, businesses and waste-collection vehicles.
Dozens of residents living in Bel Air Lakes, a retirement community in the city at the landfill’s base, filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court in May. The litigation alleges the homeowners have been subjected to excessive levels of hydrogen sulfide seeping into their cars and homes. Some have contributed the gases to illnesses.
The landfill is at the authority’s Environmental Park in Egg Harbor Township, located about 8 miles from Atlantic City. The authority has managed the landfill since the early 1990s, anticipating it will reach capacity by early 2029.
Records show the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection has issued multiple non-compliance notices over the smell since at least 2016. That year, the agency and authority entered a management agreement to address various environmental compliance matters, one of which included landfill gas emissions.
The authority links the smell to weather conditions as thousands of pounds of waste break down inside the landfill. The smell is usually stronger in colder months, when cooler air keeps gases from rising.
The landfill now has 120 wells, 51 one of which were installed this year.
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Eric Conklin may be reached at [email protected].