Cancer-causing metal tested at unsafe levels in controversial Tennessee landfill

The site of a Tennessee landfill abandoned by a prominent Nashville entrepreneur in April is now testing positive for unsafe levels of the cancer-causing metal, cadmium.

Groundwater tests at the landfill in Camden, Tenn. in June measured more than five times the acceptable limit for cadmium, alarming residents who already have spent years complaining of nausea, vomiting, foul odors and other health problems they blame on the landfill.

State regulators cautioned last week that they are awaiting new test results to determine whether the readings could be a result of lab error. 

But residents who live next to the landfill, located 90 miles west of Nashville, aren't waiting for the results. 

Drinking water worries

Cindy Wheatley, whose home is across the street from the landfill, installed a double water filter after learning about the latest test readings from a neighbor.

"I don't want to take chances on drinking the water or even giving it to our pets," said Wheatley, who, along with her neighbors, filed suit against the landfill operator last year.

"You sit there and you're afraid you're not doing enough to protect your family and then, maybe, you have something in your water that could hurt all of us," she said. "But nobody is telling us directly."

Investigation:Hazardous landfill, state inaction a toxic mix for Tennessee town

Read more: DA launches criminal investigation into landfill closure

The landfill's leachate – or wastewater line – flows atop the city's main drinking water.

One well testing positive for cadmium is between the landfill and a creek that flows into the source of the city's drinking water. Experts asked by The Tennessean to examine a groundwater report noted the well lies in the path of groundwater flow from the landfill. A second nearby well tested positive for the first time in June for cadmium - though in smaller quantities.

Nashville developer takes over

The 42-acre landfill opened in 2010 next to Wheatley's neighborhood with a permit to accept shredded tires.

Almost immediately after taking over the site under the company name Environmental Waste Solutions, Nashville developer Scott Sohr sought and received permission from the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation to accept "special wastes" – defined as "difficult or dangerous to manage."

Sohr is a partner of Elmington Capital, among the city's biggest commercial real estate firms. His ventures, which also include technology and health care companies, have collectively earned more than $2.4 billion. He had never before owned or operated a landfill.

Soon, Environmental Waste Solutions began accepting "special waste" from the aluminum, coal and railroad industries, along with diesel fuel from a Superfund site.

Landfill owners can charge higher fees for special waste than other household waste, increasing their profits.

Hazardous waste discovered

By 2017, the landfill was found to be a "large quantity generator of hazardous waste" - even though it had not sought a permit for hazardous waste. 

City officials petitioned the EPA to investigate.

Within weeks of a March 2017 Tennessean investigation into the landfill, the site was padlocked and abandoned. Workers left behind two tanker trucks of potentially explosive ammonia and dozens of 250-pound plastic containers containing cadmium sludge left on the site. 

Then, shortly after abandoning the site, Environmental Waste Solutions filed for bankruptcy.

Sohr, the owner, is listed as one of the creditors owed money from the failed venture.

The district attorney in Camden is conducting an investigation into possible criminal charges involving abandoning the site.

The state has since taken over management of the site and the decades-long process of closing the landfill. 

"My concern is our groundwater is polluted," said Camden resident Mike Melton, whose property abuts the landfill. "It's not only going to hurt my property values, it's not good for anyone concerned."

The wastewater report commissioned by state regulators noted there was an "upward trend" since 2014 in levels of cadmium at the site.

State regulators await new tests

Patrick Flood, director of TDEC's Division of Solid Waste Management, cautioned that the recent cadmium reports must be retested to determine whether there were errors in the quality of the samples or lab testing.

The testing for excessive levels of cadmium at one well had high "turbidity" – or silt – levels, which could result in false-positives, according to Flood. Another well that tested positive for cadmium had two duplicate tests conducted at the same time. One did not yield noticeable levels of cadmium, but the other did. Flood said that raised the possibility of a false result. 

"We can't tell what's going on," Flood said, adding. "I think it's a goofy quality control or spill issue."

Two landfill experts who reviewed the groundwater report at the request of The Tennessean noted that the duplicate tests at one site were not actually identical tests. One more stringent test found high levels of cadmium. A different test did not reach the same conclusion.

To be sure whether an initial finding of cadmium, which can cause health effects at first exposure, is impacting local waters, local creeks and waters should immediately be tested, said Mark Quarles, a geologist and landfill expert.

"Groundwater flows into the nearest receiving stream. You should be sampling receiving streams," Quarles said. "That's where people recreate and where the fish and aquatic life are."

The groundwater test commissioned by TDEC in June did not include testing of any creeks, rivers or waterways in close proximity to the landfill.

Reach Anita Wadhwani at 615-259-8092, awadhwani@tennessean.com or on Twitter @AnitaWadhwani