Maryland approves plan to close Days Cove landfill in Baltimore County

A decades-long fight to close an eastern Baltimore County landfill could finally be over.

Days Cove Rubble Landfill, a 114-acre site in White Marsh that sits within Gunpowder Falls State Park, may continue operating through 2029 under a new lease agreement with the state. After that, the operator will have until 2032 to cap, close and restore the site as parkland, or face a $5 million penalty.

The Maryland Board of Public Works, a spending board made up of Gov. Wes Moore, Comptroller Brooke Lierman and Treasurer Dereck Davis, approved the agreement Wednesday.

“You have a lease in front of you that will guarantee closure of this facility and turn it back over to the hands of the people of Maryland, where it was originally intended and rightfully belongs,” Natural Resources Secretary Josh Kurtz told the board.

The landfill abuts waterways long used by Baltimore County residents for swimming, boating, crabbing and fishing. Local residents say the facility has steadily eroded recreational and economic life in their communities.

In recent months, the landfill drew intense backlash when it filed for a state permit to double its discharge of leachate, or “trash juice,” into tributaries of the Gunpowder River. That request has since been withdrawn.

As the landfill’s current lease approached its end, environmental advocates, elected officials and community members urged the state to shut down the facility immediately. But Kurtz said the state relied on an independent engineering analysis from Maryland Environmental Service to determine that the landfill should remain open for an additional 3.5 years.

The timeline will allow the landfill, which is 78% full, to reach capacity, reducing risks of runoff and erosion, DNR said. Closing the landfill immediately would have required the state to fill the site itself at an estimated cost of $14 to $18 million.

“We would prefer that it closed, so it’s not perfect,” Kathy Martin, a local environmental activist whose family has lived downriver from the landfill since the 1940s, said of the lease. “But from everything that has been put on the table, we feel like this was the best option that was possible.”

Allie Tyler, president of the landfill’s operator, Days Cove Reclamation Co., said in an email the company was satisfied with the negotiations.

“Landfills are necessary for the community and Days Cove has always been a well-run neighbor to the area and will be an asset to the Park system when completed,” Tyler wrote.

The landfill has operated on state parkland under an unusual arrangement that dates back to the 1980s, collecting thousands of tons of construction debris each year on land meant for conservation and recreation.

The arrangement has been financially lucrative for the state. Rent payments from the landfill have generated more than $20 million for a fund that supports the management of parks, forests and other public lands. The landfill has also paid for improvements and amenities at Gunpowder Falls State Park.

DNR expects to collect an additional $3.3 million in rent and other payments under the new lease, according to an estimate provided to the state spending board.

The agreement requires DNR to hire an independent firm to monitor the landfill’s progress toward closure deadlines. It also gives state access to an escrow account the company has been paying in to cover closure costs.

“We now feel like there’s enough structure and enough oversight,” Martin said.

Once cleanup efforts are completed, state officials envision the site becoming an extension of Gunpowder Falls State Park, with opportunities for hiking, biking and other recreational uses.

Kurtz said DNR plans to seek the community’s input on what the finished site will look like.