Region 5 Superfund (SF)

U.S. EPA REGION 5
DAKOTA COUNTY
CANNON FALLS

Congressional District # 02

DAKHUE SANITARY LANDFILL

EPA ID# MND981191570
Last Updated: August, 2006

Site Description

The Dakhue Sanitary Landfill, covering approximately 80 acres, is a privately owned and state- permitted sanitary landfill in Cannon Falls that has operated since 1971. Prior to 1971, the land within the site boundary was undeveloped. Since opening, the landfill has been used for the disposal of mixed municipal and commercial waste and small amounts of industrial waste. The landfill was open on a part-time basis until 1973, when operations were extended to six days a week. The exact quantity and disposal area of hazardous substances is unknown. The area surrounding the site consists mainly of single family dwellings or farms. Residential drinking water supply wells, municipal water supply wells, and irrigation wells draw groundwater from a shallow aquifer and from the hydraulically connected aquifers beneath it. Approximately 650 people use the aquifer as their primary source of drinking water within a three-mile radius of the site, and about 6,600 acres of major cropland are irrigated with water from the aquifer. Pine Creek, located three-quarters of a mile south of the site, and the Cannon River, located 2.75 miles south of the site, are used for recreational purposes. 

Site Responsibility

This site was addressed through federal, state, and potentially responsible parties' actions.

Threats and Contaminants

Onsite groundwater was contaminated with volatile organic compounds (VOCs), chloroform, and heavy metals, including cadmium and lead. 

Cleanup Progress

Interim erosion control measures were completed in June 1990. Areas where garbage was exposed were filled in; a trench was dug around the site to direct surface water into catch basins. Under the supervision of the State of Minnesota, a study was conducted by the potentially responsible parties (PRPs) to determine the source of the contamination and to identify cleanup actions.

In 1991, the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) decided to install a solid waste cap over the landfill as well as a leachate collection system. The PRP completed these cleanup actions in 1992. An investigation into the nature and extent of the groundwater contamination was completed in 1992. In mid-1993, U.S. EPA and the state decided to monitor the groundwater onsite and let the aquifer clean itself through the natural attenuation processes. Two monitoring wells have been installed to ensure the continued effectiveness of the remedy.

The site was deleted from the National Priorities List in July 1995.  A five-year review was signed for this site on March 25, 1999.  The following recommendation was made in the review:  four gas monitoring probes should be installed and monitored around the fill area.  The landfill cover system will be mowed once and inspected quarterly. A second five-year review for this site was signed on February 27, 2004. The five-year review stated the remedy was protective of human health and the environment. 

Contacts

Remedial Project Manager, U.S. EPA
sirtaj ahmed (ahmed.sirtaj@epa.gov)
(312) 886-4445

Community Involvement Coordinator, U.S. EPA
Don De Blasio
(312) 886-9749

Aliases

DAKHUE SAN LDFL

 

Site Profile Information

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