ST CLAIR, Pa. — For years, the people of St. Clair have been living with what some say is an unbearable smell.
"You can't even sit outside with this smell, and it does give me pains in my stomach," said Judith Stednitz Julian, St. Clair Councilman.
"Right down the hill from this landfill is our little league field, our football field where all of our children are playing on playgrounds; you know, I drive down by there every day; there's odors; it's terrible," said Angel Matulevich, St. Clair.
The source of these smells is a landfill in Blythe Township, just 2.5 miles away from St. Clair.
For years, residents have raised concerns about the landfill called Blythe Recycling and Demolition site.
"This is not the first time we've battled against these forces of environmental harm," said Richard Tomko, Mayor of St. Clair.
And some of these concerns have to do with large trucks driving through small-town roads.
"This consistent flow of heavy trucks have led to congestion, safety hazards, and vehicle maintenance problems, all of which put our residents at risk," said William Dempsey, St. Clair Police Chief.
DEP representatives throughout the meeting emphasized their efforts to manage the landfill.
"We are fulfilling our job to regulate the landfill, we've put them on notice for numerous violations and while again I can emphasize that none of us are happy with how long it's taken, there will be repercussions for them," said Roger Bellas, DEP Waste Management Program Manager.
However, years of frustration from the people of St. Clair were clear throughout the meeting.
"The people of St. Clair have already paid their price," added Mayor Tomko.
The landfill's permit to operate needs to be renewed by January 2025 if the DEP decides it can choose not to renew.