Why didn't the News Tribune print the facts about the depth of excavation of the landfill? Are they afraid that perhaps if the readers knew the truth about the problems, they would have to admit that this dump is an environmental disaster and is (if not already)going to be contaminating the aquifer?

CROWD asked the News Tribune for a correction about the front page story Thursday, May 10 that stated that an underground aquifer is protected from a landfill above by some 50 feet of rock, gravel, filters and protective liners. This is what they put in the Setting it Straight May 11 on page 2A of the Trubune: that the "width of the layers in between the aquifer and the garbage varies depending on the width of the glacial till, which is about 50 feet in some areas but is substantially thinner in other areas."

The Tribune chose not to state the fact that LRI is excavating to within just over 10 feet of our aquifer before putting in the Leak Collection Detection System. The only "protective" layers between the garbage and our aquifer is this 10+ feet of natural soils and an 1/8" thick plastic liner over two feet of clay.

This information is in an e-mail from Andy Comstock of the Pierce County Health Department to Terry Belieu, Pierce County Planning dated 5/8/00 which states in the 3rd paragraph, "For example, the existing approved depth of excavation for Cell 2 would leave intact 16.4 feet of undisturbed glacial till (before the modification). Cell 1 left in place 16.5 feet. The existing approved depths for Cells 3, 4, and 7 would leave in place 11.4', 11.5' and 10.7' respectively."