Dec 2003 – Dec 2016
- BVPOA leased property from Blue Mountain Storage & ran an unregulated, illegal, stump dump for use by POA Members.
Spring 2018
- Brown’s Tree Service Purchased the property formerly known as “the Trafalgar Rd Stump Dump”.
July 29, 2018
- The Trafalgar Road Fire was reported to the Fire Department
August 2018 – SEPT 2018
- Bella Vista Fire Department assessed the fire as too dangerous to get equipment and personnel to.
- Citizens reached out to Mayor / Fire Department with little to no response or effort from local city officials.
- Citizens contacted ADEQ and EPA multiple times requesting Air Samples.
OCT 2018
- EPA arrived to run 1st round of 24hr test for VOC’s & SVOC’s
- OCT 29 Citizens received word from the ADH that the SVOC tests were inconclusive and would need to be run again. VOC’s were not found to have high enough concentrations to cause an imminent health hazard.
- Citizens still contacting city officials /state officials to address health concerns and experiencing health problems.
NOV 2018
- NOV 9th – EPA arrived to run 2nd round of 24hr test for VOC’s & SVOC’s
- NOV 26th – Lawsuit filed citizens impacted met with lawyers to discuss joining lawsuit and saw others in similar situation with declining health and quality of life suffering.
- NOV 27th – Like minded Citizens began to get organized to prompt city officials to be transparent on what their plan was to keep the public informed.
DEC 2018
- DEC 1 – The community came together at a town-hall meeting orchestrated solely by the organized citizens of Bella Vista. The meeting consisted of over 150 and more had to be turned away due to venue size being limited. Town hall consisted of citizens, the Mayor, Fire Chief, 3 members of the ADEQ, 4 members from The Arkansas Department of Health, a representative of Steven Womack’s office, 5 members of the city council, the COO of the POA, and 2 POA board members. Citizens were advised the ADEQ was pushing for continual testing of VOC’s, SVOC’s, & Particulates.
- DEC 8th – 9th Mayor makes appearance at Back40Race route of race runs through area that is now confirmed to be hazardous.
- DEC 10th – EPA began 3rd round of testing for VOC’s & Particulates. Citizens were also told they’d receive continual testing but only received 3 days and 4 test units placed. Citizens Installed 1st Purple Air Particulate monitors purchased out of pocket to provide independent testing.
- DEC 11th – Citizens Installed 2nd Purple Air Monitor
- DEC 11th – Citizens suspect change in stump dump from Monday and appears property owner was still spreading clay. Drone Footage provided to ADEQ for analysis.
- DEC 12th – Citizens Receive disk from 1st FOIA request to City regarding “Stump Dump Fire” for all official communications.
- DEC 12th – Arkansas Department of Health Releases Unsafe Air notice.
- DEC 13th – EPA Removes test equipment ADEQ states 2 of the 4 test units were not operational.
- DEC 14th – Fire Expert Comes in to analyze site.
- FOIA Request put in to Benton County Office of Emergency Management. Administrator of Public Safety official — Robert McGowen provides written email stating they had not been contacted by any city official until 12/4 or 12/5 no request for assistance.
- DEC 17th – Citizens plead to city council for resolution and action. City Council video found here.
- DEC 22nd – Governor pledges to help put fire out. Allocates funding for engineering firm to asses and come up with plan.
- DEC 25th – Christmas Day Many Family’s had to leave homes due to particulate filled smoke entering their homes.
- DEC 27th – Governor’s Office releases press statement announcing site visit.
- DEC 28th – Governor Hutchinson / Us Rep. Steve Womack / State Rep. Jim Hendren tour site and declares Trafalger Road Hazardous Landfill Fire an Emergency. Watch KNWA Video Located Here
JANUARY 2019
- JAN 2nd – Governor Hutchinson Signs Emergency Proclamation.
- JAN 8th – City announced water pipe installation and road closure
- JAN 10th – Water Pipe installed
- JAN 15th – Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality published community page.
- JAN 15th – ADEQ report from 2 August placed under resources tab. Report is not filed correctly under database so searching Benton County / Bella Vista / doesn’t return report info which shows solid waste in dump to include photo of tire.
- JAN 17th – Air Monitoring installed On Dump Site / Cooper Elementary / and Fire Station 2
- JAN 17th – Ensafe published draft plan which has several options Estimated Costs 4 Million to 40 Million
- JAN 18th – Stop the Smoke Coalition received donation of Particulate Masks from 3M Scheduling time to provide masks to residents in need.
- JAN 22nd – City Planning states water and soil samples will taken and heavy equipment will be
- JAN 23rd – Water and Soil Samples Taken per (city planning meeting)
- Excavator brought on site around 7:10pm hits power pole.
- JAN 24th – Excavator prep work begins in Storage parking lot