Landfill closed after months-long fire in Cypress County
Alberta Environment has suspended operations at a private landfill in Cypress County after a fire that burned for months.
The fire at the landfill near Medicine Hat started in November of 2013 and burned until early January. Officials estimate it cost as much as $2 million to contain the blaze. Local residents were temporarily evacuated and air quality monitored.
On Tuesday, Alberta Environment announced that Westar Landfill Ltd.'s licence is suspended. However, the company had stopped operating the landfill as soon as the fire was put out.
As part of an environmental protection order, Westar must conduct environmental and engineering assessments of the site, monitor the groundwater, and deal with water and waste leftover from the firefighting operations.
