The lower area of the now-named Bill Cappel Youth Sports Complex, as seen in a historical photo used courtesy of the Kenton County Public Library. For decades, that lower area was the site of the F.O.P.A. baseball fields in the shadow of the operating City landfill, which closed in 1986.
COVINGTON, Ky. – Residents who live adjacent to the long-closed City of Covington landfill in Latonia will receive monitors from state and local officials beginning today designed to alert homeowners to any elevated levels of methane and carbon monoxide in and around their homes.
Teams from the state Department for Environmental Protection and the City – including Fire and Code Enforcement officials -- will be visiting homes this afternoon and evening and Saturday morning to distribute the monitors and a letter of explanation and answer any questions.
The monitors – which are similar to CO monitors readily available for home use – are being distributed “out of an abundance of caution,” the state’s letter says.
A house adjacent to the landfill – which closed in 1986 -- recently showed elevated readings of “landfill gas,” which consists primarily of methane and carbon dioxide and is a natural byproduct of decomposing organic material. A vapor extraction system put in the home has addressed the issue. The site itself has had vent stacks in place since its closure.
“Although recent Cabinet investigations did not reveal current movement of the landfill gas, it is possible that elevated readings could be identified in the future,” the letter says.
The closed landfill sits at the corner of 43rd Street and Decoursey Avenue in Latonia. For decades, it was an active operation next to three baseball fields known by Knothole and softball players as the F.O.P.A. fields. It’s now the site of the Bill Cappel Youth Sports Complex.
Covington City Manager Ken Smith thanked the state for its response.
“Again, there is no indication that there are any additional issues with methane gas venting from the landfill,” Smith told the Covington Board of Commissioners. “This is a safety precaution similar to CO detectors.”
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