Save Carbon County will meet with Department of Environmental Protection officials on Nov. 13 in Wilkes-Barre to discuss concerns about the Northface Project and DEP’s oversight of the site.

The group provided Palmerton Borough Council with an update Thursday following a Sept. 25 site tour with Rick Parrish of Impact Environmental. Attending were Save Carbon County President Linda Christman and members Londa Ritchey, Kathy Fallow and Cathy Mueller, along with Jonathan Siller of the Palmerton Municipal Authority.

“We were able to tour the site,” Fallow said. “He (Parrish) did say that he felt the project could be wrapped up in two years, which we were very positive about.”

Fallow said group members also noticed a strong odor during the tour.

“We did notice a very strong smell, which validated what other residents have said,” she said. “Other residents did contact DEP, and my understanding is the response from DEP was that they felt it would be short-lived and that they were not going to penalize Impact for the smell.”

The DEP meeting comes as Save Carbon County continues its effort to prevent renewal of the Northface Project permit when it expires in June 2027.

Ritchey said the group’s goals are to ensure the project complies with the terms of its current permit, receives proper DEP oversight and ultimately fulfills its intended construction purpose rather than functioning as a landfill.

She said the project is now in its 16th year, has accepted only about two-thirds of the fill originally anticipated and remains more than a decade behind its projected construction schedule.

A major concern, Ritchey said, is DEP’s renewal of a permit allowing slag to be used as fill, which she believes signals a willingness to let the project continue for another decade.

The group continues to correspond with Roger Bellas of DEP’s Waste Management Program and has also discussed its concerns with state Rep. Doyle Heffley, who agreed to follow up with Northface officials.

Save Carbon County is continuing to collect signatures on a petition urging DEP not to renew the permit. Residents can sign the petition at savecarboncounty.com.

Councilman Andrew Hollywood asked how the project would be completed if toxic regulated fill were no longer allowed.

Ritchey said the site could instead accept clean fill that is not exposed to toxic chemicals and operate under a stricter timeline.

“Northface — Progress and Setbacks — How You Can Help” will be the topic of the Palmerton Area Democratic Club meeting at 7 p.m. Wednesday at the Palmerton Pub, 302 Delaware Ave., Palmerton. The meeting is free and open to the public. A social hour will begin at 5:45 p.m., followed by dinner at 6:15 p.m.

Fallow and Mueller, representing Save Carbon County, will provide an update on information obtained through Right-to-Know requests to DEP regarding landfill operations at the former New Jersey Zinc West Plant site and Northface’s request for another five-year extension.

Dinner reservations and menu selections should be texted to Marian Hoffner at 610-349-1697 by 11 a.m. Wednesday.

For more information, contact sarinaberlow@gmail.com, text 610-597-0106 or visit the Palmerton Area Democratic Club Facebook page.