Hinton Landfill Information

C.M. Hinton Landfill

3175 Elm Grove Road
972-205-3670
Monday - Friday, 8:00 am - 4:30 pm
Saturday, 8:00 am - 3:00 pm
Sunday, Closed
Rowlett residents will be allowed to dispose of debris, without charge, twice within a calendar year at the Hinton Landfill by obtaining a Landfill Pass (pdf)  from the City of Rowlett.  Hours of operation can be impacted during rain events due to landfill road conditions, Please call 972.205.3670 for more information.

Josie Duron
City of Garland
Environmental Waste Services
972-205-3673

Your Rowlett City Council and City staff have pledged to provide all of the information available on the C.M. Hinton Landfill, which is owned and operated by the City of Garland. The governing body for municipal solid waste is the Texas State Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ). They work hand-in-hand with the Environmental Protection Agency to ensure compliance with all state regulations and laws.

We hope that on this page you will find the links to TCEQ permits, inspection reports, and any other documents or files useful to quickly and easily keep you up to date. Please check back often, new information will be added frequently.

*Update - November 2016*

A new 24-hour Odor Complaint Hotline has been established by the City of Garland for citizens to leave a recorded message about their landfill concerns. The City of Garland will respond those messages during normal business hours, Monday - Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Hinton Landfill Odor 24-Hour Complaint Hotline: 972-205-3677

The Garland Health Department now oversees environmental compliance for the landfill and responds to complaints individually. No changes to the waste accepted or the landfill operations have occurred. The City of Garland believes that any increase in emission of odor-causing chemicals from the landfill is due to weather conditions such as stagnant air, wind speed and direction. They are aware of this issue and are considering options to help minimize the odor.

Long term solutions may include an increase in the number of landfill gas extraction wells that capture and burn off the odor-causing chemicals. This project, which is projected to exceed $1 million in cost, requires Garland City Council approval. The earliest construction would begin is spring 2017. In the interim, other proposals to minimize the odor are being discussed by the city’s third party engineering consultant. Please visit the website for updates.

*Update - February, 2013*

Here is the final report of the Dougherty Sprague Enterprises, Inc. air sampling event conducted in October, 2012.
Final Report (PDF)

*Update - May 14, 2011*

Here are the results of the Dougherty Sprague Enterprises, Inc. air sampling event conducted on May 14, 2011.

Test Results (PDF)
Summation of Test Results (PDF)

*Update - April 16, 2011*

Here are the results of the Dougherty Sprague Enterprises, Inc. air sampling event conducted on April 16, 2011. The next sampling will occur the week of May 14, 2011, when weather conditions are favorable.

Test Results (PDF)
Summation of Test Results (PDF)

*Update - March 31, 2011*

Here are the results of the Dougherty Sprague Enterprises, Inc. air sampling event conducted on March 31, 2011. The next sampling will occur the week of April 16, 2011, when weather conditions are favorable.

Test Results (PDF)
Summation of Test Results (PDF)

*Update - March 14, 2011*

 The extension of the Hinton Landfill Gas Collection Control System (GCCS) was under construction between January 3, 2011 and January 26, 2011. The additional eight (8) GCCS wells started operating on January 26, 2011.

*Update - March 8, 2011*

Here are the results of the Dougherty Sprague Enterprises, Inc. air sampling event conducted on January 28, 2011. The next sampling will occur the week of March 7, 2011, when weather conditions are favorable.
Test Results (PDF)
Summation of Test Results (PDF)

*Update - January 20, 2011*

Here are the results of the December Dougherty Sprague Enterprises, Inc. air sampling event conducted on December 12-13. The next sampling will occur the week of January 23, 2011, when weather conditions are favorable.

Test Results (PDF)
Summation of Test Results (PDF)

*Update - December 16, 2010*

Dougherty Sprague Enterprises Inc. conducted the first of six Air Sampling events for this fiscal year on December 12-13 at Community Park. Preliminary information was that they smelled odor, had a methane reading maximum of about 155 parts per million, and did not detect any measurable levels of Hydrogen Sulfide. It will be about another ten days before the laboratory results are available.

*Update - December 1, 2010*

On Monday, November 29, a Waterview HOA Board Member and Rowlett City Manager Lynda Humble met with Garland City Manager Bill Dollar and Deputy City Manager Martin Glenn regarding the smell at the Hinton Landfill. Here is a summary from that meeting:

  • · At the 12/7 Council meeting, Garland City Council will award a $200,000 contract for the construction of 8 additional methane gas wells. This will increase the number of existing wells by 50%. The construction of these wells will begin in early January and will take approximately 3 weeks to complete. The construction of these gas wells is a recommendation from a study commissioned by the City of Garland to find a solution to reduce the smell coming from the landfill.
  • · TCEQ has conducted 2 surprise inspections since September due to odor complaints. There were no violations identified by TCEQ. In addition to taking samples, they looked at the cover, which is 6 – 12 inches of dirt placed over the garbage on a nightly basis, to ensure that it is being appropriately applied and evaluated that wastewater sludge was being disposed of properly.
  • · The Waterview representative gave specific information on weather conditions that exist when the smell is occurring and offered information on a odor control system that neutralizes odors that could be installed to further mitigate the smell. Garland officials pledged to do their due diligence on researching this option as a possible remedy in the event the installation of the additional methane gas wells doesn’t reduce/eliminate the smell.

While the installation of the methane gas wells has been a slow process, Garland staff remains committed to eliminating the smell at the landfill. Unfortunately, the process is somewhat like a puzzle. They must try one solution and determine whether or not it works before trying something else. If the methane gas wells don’t resolve the problem, Bill Dollar did indicate a willingness to look at the installation of a odor neutralization process, as mentioned above. Garland staff is going to start their due diligence on the odor neutralization process immediately so they will be able to move to the next step in reducing odors if the gas wells don’t accomplish this goal. The gas wells should be installed by the end of January, unless there are weather delays.

*Update - October 5, 2010*

Based on concerns expressed by Rowlett residents, the City of Garland made adjustments to the methane gas collection wells yesterday (October 4, 2010). This morning, as atmospheric conditions were the same as when odors have been detected recently, the Director of Environmental Services for Garland was on-site to personally monitor any potential odor issues. No odor was present, but the City of Garland will continue to closely monitor the situation and make adjustments as necessary.

*Update -August 2010*

To ensure that the air quality meets TCEQ standards Rowlett staff evaluated doing our own 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year air quality testing and determined that it is too expensive and too difficult to establish a permanent air testing site since there are a number of atmospheric conditions to consider. Therefore, staff received quotes from three firms and has hired Dougherty Sprague Enterprises, which was low bid, to conduct tests as needed during severe episodes on a "not to exceed basis of 6 times per year" for a cost of $17,147.40. The results of these future tests will be posted on this page for your review.

Although a public meeting with our citizens was discussed, the City of Garland City Attorney has indicated his unwillingness to allow staff to participate in such a meeting since there was a threat of potential litigation made by one of our citizens. When this incident occurred, we created this page on our website as a way to keep you informed.

The City of Garland moved operations to another cell in the landfill in July. This cell moved the landfill operations east toward Elm Grove and it is below grade, which should significantly help with the smell. Previously, the area that Garland worked on was on a slope and was harder to cover, particularly given the wet winter that we experienced. The City of Garland is also expanding the gas collection control system at the landfill. A contract to design eight additional extraction wells will be executed by September 4. The new system should be designed, bid and constructed by the end of November, 2010.

We will continue to have conversations with Garland City Manager Bill Dollar and his staff regarding our on-going concerns related to the landfill. Please check back often, updates will be posted as we receive them.

Overview

C.M. Hinton Landfill Profile (PDF)

Opened in February of 2002, the C.M. Hinton Landfill is located at 3175 Elm Grove Road. The landfill is built on a transmission line owned by Garland Power & Light (GP&L) that runs from the Garland border through Rowlett to Lake Ray Hubbard. They accept municipal solid waste, construction and demolition waste from:

  • Residents
  • Private waste haulers
  • Commercial businesses

History

3/1985 – TCEQ initial permit issued for the C.M. Hinton Landfill.

11/17/1987 – Rowlett City Council passes Resolution 11-17-87A (PDF)authorizing the execution of an agreement with the City of Garland whereby Rowlett agrees to support Garland in its efforts to operate the “Raney Tract Landfill” (later renamed the C.M. Hinton Landfill).

4/23/1999 – TCEQ Municipal Solid Waste permit (PDF) issued.

2/2002 – C.M. Hinton Landfill opens.

1/2009 – GP&L’s landfill Gas-to-Energy System construction began at Hinton Landfill. System will extract the methane gas from the landfill and convert it into electricity.

  • Phase One included assembling the gas extraction wells & piping
  • Phase Two included construction of the generating units

7/2009 – Gas-to-Energy system online.

Links

TCEQ information on registrations, permits and requirements for municipal solid waste management operations.

TCEQ Enforcement Policies and Procedures
TCEQ Region Four contact information
Landfill Gas Monitoring Report - 2009
Odor Complaint Investigation (PDF)
Groundcover Compliance Investigation (PDF)
Surface Emissions Monitoring Results - December 2009 (PDF)
Monitor Well Spacing Permit Modiciation - March 2010 (PDF)