At the urging of area residents, Sumter County commissioners weighed in Tuesday night against injection wells at the controversial Heart of Florida Landfill near Lake Panasoffkee.

They asked County Administrator Bradley Arnold to draft a letter to Florida Department of Environmental Protection objecting to the wells. Commissioner Andrew Bilardello already has written a letter opposing the wells.

The landfill on County Road 529A and a composting operation have been the source of severe odors, angering residents.

Injection wells, used in south Florida, are viewed as a method to get rid of some odors.

They involve injecting leachate, storm water runoff from the landfill, into deep wells below drinking water sources.

Without the wells, Arnold said the contaminated leachate must be sent to a wastewater treatment plant.

Bushnell’s plant is nearby, but built to handle residential wastewater, so the leachate must be trucked to another plant.

The company tried to use an evaporation method to reduce the amount of leachate, but Arnold said that may have contributed to the stink.

Commissioner Deb Butterfield said she is frustrated that the county has no authority over the landfill.

Sumter County refused to issue a permit for the operation, but landfill operators got a permit in 2020 from Bushnell after the city annexed the property.

Several months ago, the city threatened to revoke the permit unless the odor problem is corrected and granted an extension to December.

The company, A.C.M.S. Inc., has taken steps to address it such as improving the landfill cover and receiving state permission for an exploratory injection well. Bushnell has hired Arcadis, a national environmental firm, to evaluate the company’s efforts.

“This is not what we want in Sumter County,” County Chairman Don Wiley said of injection wells. “This is the wrong answer. This is an accident that is going to happen.”

Commissioner Todd Coon said even if the permit is revoked, the landfill could continue to operate for years while appeals work their way through the courts.

Arnold said an injunction could be sought to keep it closed during the appeal process.

As they have at prior meetings, residents pleaded with commissioners to close the landfill.

Alexandra St. Martin said she became aware of the problem when she went out to get the mail and fled back inside with eyes burning and difficulty breathing.

She said injection wells would allow the company “to pump millions of gallons of wastewater below the surface.”

St. Martin said some wells have caused contamination at catastrophic levels.

“It is not a matter of if, it is a matter of when,” she said.

Her fiance, Craig Bothwell, said America has a history of affluent areas sending their wastewater into poorer communities.

“You have an opportunity to stand against it,” he told commissioners.