HTN: Residents Protest Landfill Changes

At a public hearing at Lewiston-Porter High School yesterday afternoon, the operators of the Northeast's only commercial hazardous waste landfill were the subjects of much criticism. Fourteen people spoke, drilling CWM Chemical Services and the state Department of Environmental Conservation about a proposal to redesign the cap on its active landfill. CWM officials are seeking the state's permission to install a thinner cap on the Town of Porter landfill. The proposal allows CWM to bury an extra two-and-a-half-feet of waste in the open portions of the active 47-acre landfill, while not rising above the current height restriction. According to CWM, the change provides better environmental protection and is technologically superior.