Dump trucks empty their loads, on the backside of the Rhea County Landfill in Dayton, Tenn., while birds flock around a bounty of trash. Residents, within a mile or two of the landfill, have expressed concerns about the smells and possibility of water contamination near the site.
Photo by Kimberly McMillianDAYTON, Tenn. — For Mary Mitchell, the absence of a refreshing daily drink from her backyard well has left a bad taste in her mouth.
Mitchell, who lives near the Rhea County Landfill on Smyrna Road, had her water tested by a Chattanooga-based environmental group and the analysis showed E. coli bacterial contamination, she said.
Her well water previously was “cold and real good” because it ran over limestone rock, she said.
Several landfill-area residents have expressed concern for their health, whether from contaminated water or the odor of methane gas emanating from the site.
Mitchell and fellow residents William and Brenda Yost and Earl Howard said they have suffered nosebleeds possibly related to the gas, and William Yost said the smell comes through his home’s ventilation system during his late-night TV watching and on rainy days.