Wallingford plant sued for pollution

Wallingford, Conn. (WTNH) - A Wallingford energy company is getting sued by the state for pollution -- and it's their second violation in three years.

Covanta Energy in Wallingford keeps a lot of trash out of the landfills. They burn it to generate electricity, but the attorney general says it's not as green as it sounds. Richard Blumenthal says Covanta is emitting excessive levels of dioxin into the air.

Mark Babcock and his family live less than a mile from the facility and he is happy to hear the state is cracking down.

"We get some smells from that place, sometimes it smells like anti-freeze, sometimes it smells like garbage, burnt tires, whatever, and it kind of makes you wonder what you might be putting into your system breathing that air," he said.

A company spokesperson tells News 8 that "the failure is unacceptable to Covanta" and they have "removed the faulty unit from operation" and that "dioxin emissions never reached a level that endangered the public."

Gary Cosgrove lives just down the street also has concerns.

"Yes, it bothers me because I live close by, and I don't like the idea of being that close to contaminants. I've got a grandson who was just born, he's going to live here, he's going to stay with us, so you know, it bothers me," he said.

Blumenthal says Covanta agreed to pay a $355,000 settlement to the DEP for similar unpermitted dioxin emissions back in November of 2009.