Region 5 Superfund (SF)

U.S. EPA REGION 5
PICKAWAY COUNTY
CIRCLEVILLE

Congressional District # 07

BOWERS LANDFILL

EPA ID# OHD980509616
Last Updated: September, 2006

Site Description

The twelve-acre Bowers Landfill site operated as a pit for gravel excavation operations beginning in 1958, but its owners subsequently converted it to a landfill, which at first accepted only domestic refuse. From 1958 to 1968, it accepted residential, grain elevator, and industrial wastes. Two local manufacturers of chemicals responded to a Congressional inquiry about the site and noted that they dumped approximately 7,500 tons of chemical waste at the landfill. Disposal practices frequently consisted of depositing the waste directly onto the ground and covering it with soil. Waste also was burned onsite. Operations at the landfill ended in about 1968. In 1980, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) found that contaminants in the landfill were polluting nearby monitoring wells with volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Approximately sixty people live within 1/2 mile of the site.

Site Responsibility

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

Threats and Contaminants

Groundwater onsite contained heavy metals including barium and manganese, VOCs, and phthalates. Sediments were contaminated with polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), petrochemicals, pesticides, VOCs, and lead. Contaminants in the soil included petrochemicals, lead, and PCBs. Offsite soils contained heavy metals including arsenic, as well as pesticides. Surface water was contaminated with VOCs, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and heavy metals. Potential health risks existed for individuals who drank or came in direct contact with contaminated groundwater, inhale contaminated soil or sediment particles, or ate small animals, birds, fish, or plants that were contaminated with chemicals from the site. The area between the landfill and the Scioto River generally floods twice a year, which further contributed to the threat of contaminant releases. 

Cleanup Progress

The U.S. EPA studied the nature and extent of contamination at the site from 1983 to 1989. The results of this study, along with a study undertaken by the potentially responsible parties (PRPs) for the site contamination, were used to prepare an analysis of the alternatives for addressing the threat the landfill poses to people and the environment. In 1989, U.S. EPA recommended the following actions at the site to address the contamination problem: removing and disposing of all surface debris in an approved landfill; improving erosion control and drainage; installing a natural clay cover over the landfill; installing a topsoil layer over the clay cover; protecting the cap from flood damage; installing a limited number of new groundwater monitoring wells; taking samples of the groundwater and analyzing them to determine any increases in the level of contaminants; and installing a fence to prevent site entry. U.S. EPA began the Remedial Design (RD) in 1991, and the Remedial Action (RA) was completed in 1993. A new wetlands was developed as part of the cleanup activities. The PRPs settled with U.S. EPA on past cost including oversite costs, the cost of the RD/RA and future oversite costs for Operation and Maintenance (O&M) . The site will be monitored for many years by the PRPs under an O&M agreement, to ensure the continued effectiveness of the remedies. All construction at the Bowers Landfill site is complete. This site was deleted from the National Priorities List on October 29, 1997.  A five-year review of the protectiveness of the remedy was completed in July 23, 2002.

Contacts

Remedial Project Manager, U.S. EPA
dion novak (novak.dion@epa.gov)
(312) 886-4737

Community Involvement Coordinator, U.S. EPA
susan pastor
(312) 353-1325

Aliases

BOWER'S LDFL
BOWER'S LANDFILL
ISLAND ROAD LDFL

 

Site Profile Information

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