Region 5 Superfund (SF)

U.S. EPA REGION 5
ANOKA COUNTY
EAST BETHEL TOWNSHIP

Congressional District # 06

EAST BETHEL DEMOLITION LANDFILL

EPA ID# MND981088180
Last Updated: December, 2007

Site Description

The East Bethel Demolition Landfill site is a 60-acre landfill, located in the city of East Bethel, one mile east of Highway 65. The site operated as an unpermitted solid waste disposal facility from 1969 to 1971. In fall 1971, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) issued a solid waste disposal facility permit for the site which was amended in 1985. The site accepted only demolition waste and a small amount of municipal waste. The majority of hazardous waste was accepted between 1969 and 1976. The MPCA files indicate that the equivalent of approximately 4,400 drums of hazardous industrial waste and contaminated soils were buried in the landfill in 1974. Hazardous industrial wastes reported to have been disposed of at the site include: cleaning solvents, waste inks, caustics and acids, paint, waste oils, thinner, dry cleaning solvents, liquids with a strong chemical odor, small transformers, and eight-ounce cans of ether. Approximately 3,400 people live within a three-mile radius of the site. About 300 people who use private wells live within one mile of the site. The two closest residences are about 1,500 feet southwest of the landfill. A growing subdivision begins about 2, 000 feet southwest of the site. 

Site Responsibility

This site is being addressed through Federal, State, and potentially responsible party (PRP) actions. 

Threats and Contaminants

On-site soils were contaminated with volatile organic compounds (VOCs), including toluene and vinyl chloride. The areas to the west and southeast are marshy wetlands, and Ned's Lake lies 1,000 feet to the south and may have been threatened from site contaminants. The landfill is located on the Anoka Sand Plain, a shallow sand aquifer that provides drinking water to some residents in the area. The aquifer was contaminated with VOCs and the heavy metals barium, cadmium, mercury, and lead; however, the majority of residents use a deeper aquifer for drinking water.  Groundwater cleanup goals were achieved in 1994.   

Cleanup Progress

The site was addressed with two long-term cleanup phases directed at the groundwater and source control. In 1993, the state completed an investigation to determine the nature and extent of groundwater contamination at the site and selected a groundwater pump and treat system as the most appropriate cleanup alternative for groundwater contamination. All cleanup goals were met in late 1994. The state selected a cover for the source areas in 1995. The cap was constructed over the landfill to ensure the containment of the contamination. All construction is completed and cleanup responsibility has been transferred to a Minnesota Close Landfill Program (MCLP).   As part of the MCLP, Minnesota takes over responsibility for the landfill and brings the landfill up to standards that are protective of public health and the environment.  All operation and maintenance is the responsibility of the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency.  This site was deleted from the National Priorities List on May 7, 1996.  A preliminary close-out report (PCOR) was signed on June 30, 2000.  The PCOR stated that all construction was complete on August 31, 1995.  The first Five-Year Review was completed on January 18, 2001, and the remedy was contructed in accordance with the Record of Decision and MCLP.  The second Five-Year Review was completed on September 6, 2006.  The second five year review identified that the landfill cap, gas extraction, and the groundwater extraction and treatment system were not fully functional. There were issues with landfill cap erosion and slope stability, an increase in contaminant trends in the deeper groundwater zone and a well near the boundary of the cone of depression at the site.  The recommendations and follow-up actions in the five year review included the installation of an active gas extraction system, the relocation of the waste on the adjacent property, the construction of the new cap cover and re-grading of the landfill slopes, the enhancement of the groundwater extraction and monitoring system, and supplementing the existing institutional controls.  The Five Year Review concluded that the remedy was protective in the short-term, with long-term protection being achieved once the recommendations and follow-up actions are completed.  All recommendations and follow-up actions from the second Five Year Review were addressed and completed by the State by the end of 2006. 

Contacts

Remedial Project Manager, U.S. EPA
Giang-Van Nguyen (nguyen.giang-van@epa.gov)
(312) 886-6726

Community Involvement Coordinator, U.S. EPA
dave novak
(312) 886-7478

Aliases

EAST BETHEL TOWNSHIP
EAST BETHEL SAN LDFL
EAST BETHEL DEMOLITION LDFL

 

Site Profile Information

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