Letters to the Editor
MediWaste in Pahrump: Our water, our health, our decision
A company called MediWaste Disposal LLC wants to operate a medical waste treatment facility at 1850 E. Basin Avenue — right next door to the Pahrump DMV, in the center of a town of more than 40,000 people. The Nevada Division of Environmental Protection is expected to rule on their operating permit this month. Residents need to understand what is at stake before that decision is made.
What is being proposed
MediWaste plans to use a pyrolysis system — a high-heat, no-oxygen process — to reduce medical waste shipped in from California and other states into biochar and a fuel byproduct. The Pahrump Regional Planning Commission granted the company a Conditional Use Permit in April 2024 following a single hour of questioning, in a 5-0 vote. The company has since applied to NDEP for an operating permit.
The argument in favor
Supporters of the project argue that pyrolysis is a cleaner alternative to traditional medical waste incineration. They say the facility would reduce the volume of waste going to already-strained landfills, and that a closed-loop water system would prevent environmental discharge. A small number of local jobs would be created.
These are not unreasonable points. But they do not answer the harder questions.
The concerns are serious and official
This is not simply a case of residents being uncomfortable with something new. Our own Nye County Water District — the body responsible for protecting Pahrump’s drinking water — formally filed a protest against the NDEP permit. The water district cited concerns about potential contamination of Pahrump’s sole source of water, Basin No. 162, stating that protection of the Pahrump Valley’s groundwater resources is essential to the continued viability of the community.
Water board member Helene Williams did not mince words. She stated that the potential for the facility to affect the groundwater basin through a leak is not a borderline concern — it is a matter of when, not if.
Pahrump sits in a closed basin. Our water does not replenish quickly. A contamination event in Basin No. 162 cannot be undone.
Operator experience is an open question
MediWaste’s background is primarily in waste transportation — trucking medical waste from point to point. Operating a complex pyrolysis treatment facility requires a fundamentally different level of expertise — specialized engineering, emissions monitoring, hazardous materials handling, and emergency response capability. The public record does not show evidence that MediWaste has previously owned or operated a treatment facility of this type.
Residents who spoke at the Nye County Commission meeting raised pointed concerns about whether the Pahrump fire department is equipped to handle a HAZMAT incident involving medical waste at this location. What happens if there is a fire at 1850 E. Basin Avenue? What happens if a transport truck carrying medical waste is involved in an accident on our county roads?
One hour was not enough
The Regional Planning Commission approved this project following approximately one hour of questioning and discussion. There is no public record indicating the commissioners who voted in favor hold scientific or engineering credentials relevant to evaluating the safety of a pyrolysis medical waste operation. A resident who attended the commission meeting noted the proposal was so vague that the community knew very little about the company or its plans.
For a facility of this nature, in the middle of a populated town, one hour is not due diligence. It is a rubber stamp.
What needs to happen now
The NDEP permit decision is imminent. Residents still have options. Contact your county commissioners. Contact District Attorney Brian Kunzi. Demand that any permit approval include a full public accounting of MediWaste’s operational experience, their emergency response and contingency plan, their financial bonding to cover cleanup in the event of an incident, and independent verification that the closed-loop water system is genuinely protective of Basin No. 162.
This facility was not requested by this community. It was not designed to serve this community. The medical waste being processed here will come from California and other states. Pahrump bears the risk. Someone else gets the benefit.
Our water. Our health. Our decision.
Frank Maurizio
V98.1 FM, KPFV, Pahrump, NV
