EPA tests show air quality near burning stump dump in Northwest Arkansas 'good'

BELLA VISTA -- Air quality testing conducted near an underground fire at an old stump dump in Northwest Arkansas showed "good" results, but one state official said residents in the immediate area still need to use caution.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recently completed three days of particulate matter testing near the fire's site on Trafalgar Road in Bella Vista. The agency had four monitoring locations within one-fourth of a mile of the fire site.

Particulate matter monitoring measures the amount of solid and liquid droplets -- such as ash, dust and smoke -- in the air. The amount provides a snapshot of the air quality and how it might affect health, according to the Arkansas Department of Health.

An air quality index of zero to 50 is considered "good," according to the EPA. The agency's results did not show a reading of higher than 38 on any of the three testing days. The testing was conducted Feb. 10-12.

Air monitoring also was done for specific chemicals. Results from that monitoring are expected in the next couple of weeks, said Donnally Davis with the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality.

There are no immediate plans for more air quality monitoring by the EPA, Davis said.

Residents in the area still need to be cautious of their health, said Meg Mirivel with the Department of Health.

"Our recommendation to take any needed precautions when residents see or smell smoke still stands," she said. "Those precautions include limiting outside activity and running your air system and keeping your air filter clean. People should talk with their doctor or health care provider if they or their loved ones are experiencing symptoms and follow their provider's advice."

The state also continues to monitor the air at two locations near the fire. An unhealthy reading in December prompted the state to caution everyone within a half-mile radius of the 8000 block of Trafalgar Road to avoid prolonged or heavy exertion outdoors.

Smoke may still be present even when monitors read the air quality as "good" or "moderate," Davis said.

U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., on Tuesday asked the EPA for about $15 million to help snuff out the underground fire at the abandoned dump, a Cotton spokesman said.

Cotton said his main concerns are public health, accountability and costs associated with the cleanup and extinguishing of the fire. Federal assistance is necessary because cost estimates to extinguish the fire and clean up the site exceed the $7.9 million that the state has available in its response fund, Davis has previously said.

The cost of the work could be between $21 million and $39 million, Gov. Asa Hutchinson has said.

"ADEQ is continuing to work with EPA and other federal officials to secure federal funding," Davis said. "Several options have been discussed with EPA, but at this time the state has not received any financial assistance."

Steve Vance lives on the opposite side of Bella Vista, away from the fire. The situation, though, is still a concern, he said.

"I don't know what the resolution is. I'll leave that to the professionals," he said. "We have cancer drugs. We put a man on the moon. Surely we can get that fire out. It's just a question of money."

Firefighters were sent July 29 to the area on Trafalgar Road, where they spotted smoke and what appeared to be the remains of a brush fire, said Steve Sims, Bella Vista fire chief. Fire Department personnel have said the fire may be burning more than 50 or 60 feet underground.

Tom Judson, the Bella Vista Property Owners Association's chief operating officer, said the association operated the dump for tree and yard waste on leased land from December 2003 to 2016, after which the dump site was covered with soil.

Nobody monitored the site the last few years it was open, but staff members would remove trash when possible, Judson said. The dump was closed Dec. 31, 2016, according to Bella Vista's website. The property is now owned by Brown's Tree Care.

Metro on 02/17/2019