Cahaba Riverkeeper started testing water from Environmental Landfill in February

TRUSSVILLE, Ala. —

Environmental experts are worried about high levels of unnatural chemicals seeping out of the Environmental Landfill near Moody, which has been smoldering for months.

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, acceptable levels of these 'forever chemicals' are four parts per trillion and below.

Readings for some substances leaking from this landfill are eighty times higher, based on samples tested by the Cahaba Riverkeeper.

The landfill fire ignited on Black Friday last November.

It took several months and 62 million pounds of dirt to smother the flames and smoke.

However, during the process of extinguishing the fire, the Cahaba Riverkeeper began testing the water runoff from the mountain of buried burning debris.

What they have found as recently as July 14, are consistent levels of PFAS or what are known as :forever chemicals.:

“They were used in firefighting foam and Teflon, stain-resistant coatings, and carpeting. And all across the country, water systems are trying to grapple with how to remove these kinds of substances from the water,” Cahaba Riverkeeper spokesperson David Butler said.

Butler claimed their water samples prove there was unpermitted debris being dumped on the site, which is prompting these chemicals to flow into area creeks and ponds.

The Alabama Department of Environmental Management has proposed a $250,000 penalty against the landfill’s operator.