Region 5 Superfund (SF)

U.S. EPA REGION 5
MANITOWOC COUNTY
WHITELAW

Congressional District # 06

LEMBERGER LANDFILL, INC.

EPA ID# WID980901243
Last Updated: January, 2008

Site Description

The 21-acre Lemberger Landfill, Inc. site is located in Manitowoc County, Wisconsin, approximately one-quarter mile from Lemberger Transport and Recycling, also a National Priorities List (NPL) site. The two sites operated under the same license from 1970 through 1976. The Township of Franklin used the site, an old gravel pit, as an open dump from 1940 to 1970. Lemberger Landfill, Inc. operated the site as a sanitary landfill under a license from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR) from 1969 to 1976. From 1976 to 1977, the Wettencamp and Brunner Excavating Company transported fly ash from Manitowoc Public Utilities to the Lemberger facility. An estimated 1,750 to 2,500 cubic yards of fly ash were disposed of monthly. Past WDNR inspections showed that Lemberger used fly ash and bottom ash as cover, instead of burying them along with the refuse.

In 1980, following complaints by local residents that landfill leachate had seeped onto their properties, WDNR investigated and tried to get the site owners to address contamination problems at the landfill. Lemberger Landfill, Inc. filed for bankruptcy in 1983. In 1985, volatile organic compounds (VOCs) contamination, such as vinyl chloride and methylene chloride, was found in seven residential wells at levels that exceeded safety standards. New, deeper wells were provided to residents with contaminated wells. Sampling from the new wells in 1985 showed no contamination. Part of the site is bordered by a marsh. Wetland vegetation occupies low-lying areas of the site. The nearby Branch River is used for swimming, fishing, and canoeing, and the area commonly is used for hunting. Approximately 2,700 people live within three miles of the site. The residents depend on public and private wells, located within three miles of the site as a source of drinking water. 

Site Responsibility

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

Threats and Contaminants

The groundwater is contaminated with VOCs, including trichloroethylene (TCE), vinyl chloride and methylene chloride. Surface water is contaminated with phenols, VOCs, and heavy metals, including cadmium and lead. Surface soils contain VOCs, semi-VOCs, pesticides, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and inorganic compounds. Subsurface soils contain VOCs and inorganics. Potential health threats include ingesting or coming into direct contact with contaminated groundwater, soil, or surface water. Contaminants have entered the food chain; therefore, ingesting milk, livestock, or fish, taken from the river, may also be a potential health threat. 

Cleanup Progress

WDNR drilled wells to provide water to residences with contaminated wells. In 1984, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) sampled monitoring wells and leachate at the site. The results showed elevated levels of several contaminants. In 1987, U.S. EPA began an investigation to determine the extent and nature of contamination and to identify cleanup alternatives. In 1991, U.S. EPA selected the final remedy to clean up the site, which includes groundwater extraction, treatment, and discharge into the Branch River. In addition, U.S. EPA recommended groundwater monitoring, temporary groundwater-use restrictions, and control of landfill waste by capping the landfill and containing contaminated groundwater inside a slurry wall.

A group of potentially responsible parties (PRPs) entered into a consent decree (CD) with U.S. EPA in 1992 to perform design and remedy implementation activities. Construction was completed in September 1996.  A five-year review was conducted in September 2000 to assess the protectiveness of remedial actions at the site.  While the five-year review found that immediate threats had been addressed, it was identified that the groundwater extraction system was not capturing the entire contaminant plume.  In order to correct this problem, modifications to the groundwater extraction system were constructed in winter 2001.

The groundwater modifications constructed in 2001 do not appear to have significantly improved the groundwater quality. After further analysis, the PRPs proposed a pilot study to temporarily shut down the groundwater extraction system and evaluate monitored natural attenuation as a possible alternate cleanup remedy. Monitored natural attenuation involves monitoring the progress of naturally occurring processes such as microbial biodegradation to clean up contamination in the groundwater. On June 15, 2006, U.S. EPA and WDNR approved the PRP's workplan for the monitored natural attenuation pilot study and gave approval to shut down the groundwater pump and treat system.  The pump and treat systm was shut down on August 1, 2006.  Local residents with a drinking water well were notified of the pilot study by letter.  An Explanation of Significant Differences (ESD) was issued in September 2006 by U.S. EPA to further document this change. 

 

Contacts

Remedial Project Manager, U.S. EPA
richard boice (boice.richard@epa.gov)
(312) 886-4740

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

Aliases

LEMBERGER FLY ASH LDFL
LEMBERGER LDFL INC

 

Site Profile Information

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