{"id":884006,"date":"2026-10-16T05:44:21","date_gmt":"2026-10-16T05:44:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/884006\/"},"modified":"2026-10-16T05:44:21","modified_gmt":"2026-10-16T05:44:21","slug":"safe-air-and-water-zimmer-landfill-neighbors-still-report-chronic-illnesses","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/884006\/","title":{"rendered":"‘Safe’ air and water? Zimmer landfill neighbors still report chronic illnesses"},"content":{"rendered":"

WASHINGTON TOWNSHIP, Ohio \u2014 Neighbors of a coal ash landfill near Moscow insist that a foul smell continues to make them sick, despite claims from state and local agencies that the odor poses no health risk.<\/p>\n

Now Clermont County officials are set to hire an independent firm to conduct air and water testing near the Washington Township landfill to get answers.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, attorneys for the nation\u2019s leading legal nonprofit, Earthjustice, have spoken to residents about their symptoms and are investigating whether pollution is to blame.<\/p>\n

\"This<\/p>\n

Lot Tan <\/p>\n

This landfill in Washington Township stores waste from the former Zimmer coal plant near Moscow and the Miami Fort plant in North Bend.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe do have a lot of friends that have cancer now that we don\u2019t know if it\u2019s related to this because no one will test anything to tell them where it’s coming from,\u201d resident Rhonda Brittain said. \u201cSo, we don\u2019t know if it\u2019s in our water supply.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rhonda Brittain and her husband Brian live across the street from the landfill site, which is owned by Texas-based Vistra Corp.<\/p>\n

Coal waste from the now-retired William H. Zimmer plant on the Ohio River<\/a>\u00a0is buried at the landfill. It also accepts truckloads of scrubber sludge from the Miami Fort plant in Hamilton County, which Vistra also owns.<\/p>\n

The landfill was once a dairy farm. In the mid-1980s, then Cincinnati Gas & Electric Co. converted the Zimmer plant from nuclear power to coal. It began buying up family farms a few miles away to build a landfill for leftover coal ash with a large perimeter around it. <\/p>\n

WATCH: Neighbors blame sickness on air, water near coal ash landfill<\/p>\n

“Safe” air, water near landfill still making neighbors sick, they say. <\/p>\n

The Clermont County auditor\u2019s site lists the total parcel size at 1,453 acres, with the landfill surrounded by deep tree cover, which residents and local officials say makes it difficult to know what is happening there.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen a power plant burns coal to generate electricity, it creates a lot of pollution from what\u2019s in the coal and the burning process … they have to strip out a lot of that waste, the sulphur, and other heavy metals,\u201d Earthjustice deputy managing attorney for the Midwest Thom Cmar said. \u201cIt ends up in this sludge \u2026 and in recent years (Vistra Corp.) Dynegy has been dumping that scrubber sludge at the Zimmer landfill site.\u201d<\/p>\n

Residents describe the hydrogen sulfide odor from the landfill as a rotten-egg or sewage smell, which is often worse in the mornings and evenings, on weekends, and during rain, humidity and fog. <\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Maddy Schmidt <\/p>\n

A pond at the Zimmer landfill in Washington Township.<\/p>\n

It can be toxic at high levels, and exposure to low concentrations may irritate the eyes, nose or throat, cause difficulty breathing, headaches, tiredness and balance problems, according to the U.S. EPA website.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll we can do is follow the evidence and see where it goes, but there are reasons to be concerned that the waste that is being dumped at the Zimmer site is not being handled up to the higher standards,\u201d Cmar said. \u201cMoscow is a rural area. It\u2019s not a high-income area. The people who live there are not people who have a lot of political or socioeconomic power, and I don\u2019t think that\u2019s a coincidence.\u201d<\/p>\n

Residents have complained about the smell for years and believe it causes them to have intense nausea, diarrhea, stomach problems, headaches, breathing issues and rashes.<\/p>\n

The WCPO 9 I-Team first reported on the stench in 2023<\/a>, after residents closed house windows, abandoned porch sitting and avoided driving past the landfill. <\/p>\n

\"Residents<\/p>\n

Maddy Schmidt <\/p>\n

Residents Carla Benjamin and John Jones complained about the stench from the Zimmer landfill in April 2023.<\/p>\n

The I-Team reported on the odor again last May<\/a>, after residents complained the smell had worsened. That prompted the Ohio EPA and Southwest Ohio Air Quality Agency to conduct testing<\/a> around the landfill this summer and fall.<\/p>\n

Air testers drove around the perimeter of the site during weekday work hours to monitor for hydrogen sulfide and noted occasional faint sulfur odors, according to their reports. <\/p>\n

Afterward, the Ohio EPA consulted with the Ohio Department of Health, which determined the odor did not pose a health concern.<\/p>\n

But many complained the testing wasn\u2019t done properly.<\/p>\n

\"Thom<\/p>\n

Lot Tan <\/p>\n

Thom Cmar, deputy managing attorney for the Midwest regional office of Earthjustice, has spoken to neighbors of the Zimmer landfill about their sicknesses and symptoms.<\/p>\n

“They are coming at the exact opposite time that any of us have told them that the smell is so overwhelming,\u201d Rhonda Brittain said. \u201cAnd where they\u2019re going to is not where anyone ever smells it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cmar agreed and questioned whether the state and local agencies had tested properly.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re sending people out during the day to essentially just drive around the perimeter of the landfill \u2026 and they\u2019ve been testing in the middle of the day despite the fact that a lot of the local residents have been saying that on nights and weekends and other times is when the smell is the worst, and when they experience the worst health effects,” Cmar said.<\/p>\n

Even local officials appeared to be unsatisfied with these test results. <\/p>\n

\"Southwest<\/p>\n

Courtesy: Ohio EPA <\/p>\n

Southwest Ohio Air Quality Agency conducted hydrogen sulfide testing around the perimeter of the Zimmer landfill in summer and fall 2026.<\/p>\n

Clermont County Commissioner David Painter said the county\u2019s air quality team met last Friday and decided to hire an independent contractor to do \u201cmore robust\u201d air and water testing near the landfill.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ll try to gain samples obviously late in the evening and through the night and during the morning hours and afternoons. We\u2019ll take samples \u2026 so we can get a better represented look at what those levels really are,\u201d Painter said. \u201cI want to get to the bottom of it too; this has been a long time.\u201d<\/p>\n

But residents want the air and water testing done at the landfill site. <\/p>\n

The Washington Township Board of Trustees sent Vistra a letter in September requesting access to the landfill to take water samples, but a Vistra spokesperson declined.<\/p>\n

\"Clermont<\/p>\n

Lot Tan <\/p>\n

Clermont County Commissioner David Painter said the county will hire an independent consultant to test air and water near the Zimmer landfill in Washington Township.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhile we understand the request, the property is an active, working landfill, with ongoing operations and protocols designed to maintain safety and compliance. Therefore, we cannot provide third-party access to the landfill property for independent sampling,\u201d corporate affairs manager Caroline Atkins wrote on Sept. 21 to the township.<\/p>\n

The Ohio EPA took a water sample from Little Indian Creek near the Brittain\u2019s property in September, and a spokesperson said, \u201cAll results show water in the creek meeting state and federal water standards.\u201d<\/p>\n

But Cmar questioned why the OEPA tested so far downstream, roughly one mile away from the potential source of contamination.<\/p>\n

\"Texas-based<\/p>\n

Lot Tan <\/p>\n

Texas-based Vistra Corp. closed the William H. Zimmer Power Station, near Moscow, in May 2022, but coal ash is still stored at the Zimmer landfill roughly a mile away.<\/p>\n

\u201cEven that test showed slightly elevated levels of sulfates, magnesium, and calcium. These are chemicals that we would associate with scrubber waste,\u201d Cmar said. \u201cBy the time it\u2019s gotten a mile downstream, and gotten to that point, it\u2019s probably been pretty heavily diluted.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cmar would like to see the Ohio EPA do additional testing, much closer or at the landfill.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat would be our primary area of concern … testing that creek and getting a better picture much closer to the source. Is there evidence of pollution getting into the water?\u201d Cmar said. \u201cAt high enough levels it certainly could be dangerous to aquatic life and to people for sure.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Zimmer landfill was originally constructed on top of Little Indian Creek, at the headwaters, where it flows downstream into the community, Cmar said.<\/p>\n

\"Brian<\/p>\n

Lot Tan <\/p>\n

Brian and Rhonda Brittain test for heavy metals in Little Indian Creek, which flows from the Zimmer landfill to their property across the street.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf there aren\u2019t adequate protections in place to keep the waste away from the groundwater near the creek or if there are spills directly into the creek itself, that could mean pollution is entering that creek and heading downstream,\u201d Cmar said.<\/p>\n

The Brittains also discovered, through making public records requests to Washington Township, a monitoring test conducted by the U.S. EPA at the landfill in 2017.<\/p>\n

The U.S. EPA found hydrogen sulfide at the Zimmer landfill at levels high enough to create a potential \u201cacute human health hazard.\u201d According to an email with the study, those high levels were not present off-site; however, the U.S. EPA noted it was only a snapshot and could change under different conditions.<\/p>\n

Cmar is not aware of any action taken by the state or federal EPA following those 2017 findings, or subsequent monitoring studies.<\/p>\n

\u201cLook at their 2017 air testing; it was high, and then they just did nothing,\u201d Brian Brittain said. <\/p>\n

\"Washington<\/p>\n

Maddy Schmidt <\/p>\n

Then Washington Township trustees Dennis Cooper and Dave Peters asked for relief from the stench at Zimmer landfill in 2023.<\/p>\n

A Vistra spokesperson said the company is continuing to manage and mitigate odors at the site. It has made many upgrades to pond aeration systems, carbon filtration systems and perimeter air neutralization.<\/p>\n

Ohio EPA inspectors visited the Zimmer landfill May 12. They said the company had isolated the odor source to a pipe that carries leachate from an older section of the landfill where the material includes flue gas desulfurization waste, and the smell is not coming from the Miami Fort material.<\/p>\n

Vistra also created a website with more information about the Zimmer landfill<\/a>, including a section about what material is being transported from Miami Fort.<\/p>\n

\"Luminant<\/p>\n

Ray Pfeffer <\/p>\n

Luminant Miami Fort Station in North Bend, Hamilton County.<\/p>\n

\u201cOlder landfill sections include a mixture of fly ash, bottom ash, and stabilized FGD byproducts, among other materials associated with coal-fired power generation. Newer landfill sections include stabilized FGD byproducts, along with inert (non-hazardous and odorless) material from the nearby operational Miami Fort Power Plant \u2026 No coal ash is currently transported from the Miami Fort facility to the landfill,\u201d according to the website.<\/p>\n

Vistra\u2019s subsidiary, Luminant, also has a website with groundwater testing reports<\/a>. It shows that lithium was most recently detected at significant levels above groundwater standards during monitoring in August and February 2026.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey have no financial interest, they have no stake in this community \u2026 and no particular reason why they will do more than the bare minimum unless someone tells them that they have to do more,\u201d Cmar said. \u201cThere is certainly a potential for folks who live near the facility to be considering a lawsuit if the evidence shows there are high levels of pollution that are entering the water and the air at the site.\u201d<\/p>\n

Painter, who recently toured the landfill with Ohio Rep. Adam Bird, also believes that Vistra could do more to mitigate the odor.<\/p>\n

\u201cI believe that smell could be engineered away and not be nearly as detrimental to the citizens that are around. In fact, Rep. Bird asked Vistra and the engineers that were on site at the time to actually prepare a cost for a project like that, but I\u2019ve talked to him recently, within the last week, and he has not heard back from them,\u201d Painter said. \u201cSo he is willing to take a look at that for possible capital funding if they bring that forward.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"WASHINGTON TOWNSHIP, Ohio \u2014 Neighbors of a coal ash landfill near Moscow insist that a foul smell continues…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":884007,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[47],"tags":[192,79],"class_list":["post-884006","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-environment","tag-environment","tag-science"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/884006","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=884006"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/884006\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/884007"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=884006"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=884006"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=884006"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}