Region 5 Superfund (SF)

U.S. EPA REGION 5
MARQUETTE COUNTY
MARQUETTE

Congressional District # 01

CLIFF/DOW DUMP

EPA ID# MID980608970
Last Updated: September, 2006

Site Description

The Cliffs-Dow Dump site is located in a wooded area off County Road 550 about one-half mile west of Dead River in the city of Marquette, Michigan. The two-acre site is currently owned by the city of Marquette and is zoned "deferred use". The area around the site is largely undeveloped. A small area to the east of the site and property to the north of the site are zoned industrial. The Royal Oak Charcoal Company disposed of hazardous substances, primarily volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), from this plant at the County Road 550 Site from 1954 to the mid-1960s.

Site Responsibility

This Site was addressed through federal and potentially responsible parties' actions.

Threats and Contaminants

Offsite groundwater is contaminated with VOCs and phenols. The surface soil in the landfill area contained elevated levels of VOCs, phenols, and PAHs. Direct contact with or accidental ingestion of contaminated soil could have posed health risks. People who come into direct contact with or ingest contaminated groundwater could have been at risk. 

Cleanup Progress

Hazardous tar deposits were the primary source of contamination at the site. In 1990, about 400 cubic yards of exposed and readily accessible tar was removed from the site by the potentially responsible parties and incinerated. Treatability studies were not successful in showing a reduction in the toxicity of the remaining material in a reasonable time frame, and in summer 1995, the rest of the fill (28,000 tons) was excavated and sent to an offsite, licensed landfill for disposal. The fill was replaced with clean borrow material and seeded. Three quarterly groundwater monitoring events indicated only minor contamination. Past studies indicated that natural attenuation is occurring and will effectively remediate the groundwater. In early December 1997, another sampling event was conducted at the site to demonstrate that the remaining groundwater contamination does not pose an unacceptable risk to human health or the environment. The results of this sampling round supported this.  The site was deleted from the National Priorities List on October 18, 2000.  Deed restrictions on the use of the site and groundwater have been removed. 

No five-year review is required, since all contamination was removed from the site.

Contacts

Remedial Project Manager, U.S. EPA
thomas smith (smith.thomasl@epa.gov)
(312) 886-6540

Community Involvement Coordinator, U.S. EPA
bob paulson
(312) 886-0272

Site Profile Information

This profile provides you with information on EPA's cleanup progress at this Superfund site.