Sumter County Attorney Jennifer Rey will send a pre-lawsuit letter this week to Heart of Florida Landfill officials outlining concerns.
The letter may be a precursor to a lawsuit seeking injunctive relief on behalf of residents who have complained for a year about odors from the landfill near Lake Panasoffkee.
Bushnell annexed the property and issued a landfill permit several years ago when Sumter County refused.
Commissioners separately toured the landfill last week with County Administrator Bradley Arnold, who compiled notes about the visits.
Landfill officials have tried to alleviate odor concerns by abandoning a evaporation process last year, installing methane gas wells and cancelling the contract of Compost USA, which has been located on the property.
A proposed injection well to pump leachate, or landfill runoff, deep underground is a major concern of commissioners and residents.
Under a permit issued by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, the landfill is drilling a test well that could become an approved injection well if it meets standards.
The 3,200-foot-deep test well is about two-thirds finished and would be under the base of the Florida aquifer, estimated at 2,000 feet. The aquifer is the primary source of drinking water in central Florida.
The Withlacochee Water Supply Authority, chaired by County Chairman Don Wiley, recently held an information session on injection wells.
Without an injection well, leachate must be trucked to wastewater treatment plants outside the area. In 2023, the landfill processed about 12 million gallons of leachate.
Injection wells are controversial because some have failed. Failure can be caused by construction mistakes, hydrogeology issues or water quality problems reducing transmission due to scaling or bacteria. Mitigation strategies include water quality testing, pretreatment and monitoring wells.
Arnold said the county’s concerns should focus on technical issues and ensuring the landfill will comply with state regulations.
“They’ve got enough skin in the game to make sure they are doing it right,” he said.
He said the Florida DEP has refused to attend a town hall meeting on injection wells, but hearings and resident input will be required before a permanent well is approved.
Commissioner Jeffrey Bogue suggested appealing to the governor about a town hall meeting.
“None of us want to drink toxic water,” he said.