Columbiana County residents voiced their concerns Thursday night about a landfill in their town that may triple in size.
People who live in Negley say the landfill has already hurt their town. They fear it will now ruin it.
"It was just beautiful up there," recalled Janice Peffer, a lifelong resident of Negley. "One time we had flocks of 50 to 60 turkeys I counted. One time, 28 deer right in my backyard."
Since Total Waste Logistics of Canfield opened the Negley landfill in 2000, Peffer said the hill right in front of her house has changed dramatically.
"That hill is all bare," she said. "The smoke just rolls down."
Total Waste wants to triple the landfill's size, from 51 to 153 acres.
"If they want to do the kind of expansion they are requesting, they will need modification from the Ohio EPA and approval or a permit to fill that wetland," said Mike Settler from the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency.
The Agency says the company has so far been meeting all the regulations to expand and fill in a one-acre wetland, but Negley residents disagree.
"All of this waste is going to kill our birds up there and it's going to kill us down here," said resident Chris Hivner.
"The wildlife is there," said resident Marlene Icenhower. "Why are you taking the wetlands and saying 'no, it's not worth it'?"
EPA representatives say they were unaware of many of the problems and are happy to talk with residents about what they see. But Peffer worries that it won't help. "There's nothing we can do except file a class-action suit," she said.
The EPA will decide the Negley landfill's future in a few weeks. Peffer believes it's a foregone conclusion that the EPA will approve the expansion, but she is still hoping for the best.
