Resident urges continued fight against proposed Scott County landfill, warns of water contamination risk

Caroline, a McCreary County resident, told the fiscal court on April 9 that a proposed, large landfill in neighboring Scott County poses a direct threat to Bear Creek and downstream drinking water for McCreary and Pulaski counties. "Landfills leak," she said. "What they leak is what's called leachate, which is loaded with PFAS, asbestos — you name it." She urged residents to visit cumberlandclear.org, sign petitions and attend public forums opposing the project.

Caroline said organizers have held multiple public forums — including one in Scott County that drew more than 400 people — and that local groups have repeatedly raised concerns about testing and oversight. "At landfills, they're only tested about once a year and only for self-reporting," she said, arguing that regulators rely on the landfill operator to call for monitoring. "That's the most untrustworthy business on Earth to pick up the phone and say, 'Hey, TDEC, we may be poisoning something.'"

County Attorney Austin Rice and other court members praised the public activism. Judge/moderator (the meeting chair) said court representatives recently met with federal staff and a congressional office to seek broader assistance; he warned that once contamination is in the system, "it's too late." The court confirmed it has joined a local coalition opposing the landfill and encouraged continued community engagement.

Speakers at the public comment session cited specific worries about public health and tourism if contaminants reach the Big South Fork watershed and suggested residents would face high household costs for additional filtration if contamination occurred. Caroline estimated home filtration costs at about $10,000 for systems she said would be needed to remove PFAS and similar contaminants.

The fiscal court did not take formal action on the landfill during the meeting; court members acknowledged the comments, thanked speakers for the update and said they are coordinating with representatives and local partners. The public was directed to cumberlandclear.org for petitions and information about upcoming events and volunteer opportunities.