Mid-Atlantic Corrective Action

MES Hawkins Point
Hazardous Waste Landfill

On This Page

• Status
• Background
• Cleanup History
• Contaminants
• Institutional Controls
• Documents and Reports
• Photos, Maps and Diagrams
• Community Information
• Reuse Information
• Questions

EPA ID:MDD000731356
Location:
5501 Quarantine Rd.
Baltimore, MD 21226
Property Area 67 Acres
Congressional District:
Other Names:
FINAL Update:

Contacts

Bulletin Board

Status

• A meeting and site visit was conducted on April 1, 2010 at the Maryland Environmental Services (MES) Hawkins Point Hazardous Waste Landfill. The USEPA Region III and the Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) are reviewing the available data and reports to determine the next steps in the Corrective Action program .
• On October 6, 2010, EPA classified the site as meeting both Environmental Indicators: the EI 725 (site currently protective of human health) and the EI 750 (migration of contaminated groundwater currently under control). Based on available data, there are no imminent threats to human health and the environment.
• On June 15, 1985, EPA issued a Hazardous Waste Management Corrective Action Permit (Permit) to MES Hawkins Point Landfill, for a closed hazardous waste landfill under the authority of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA). The permit has since expired and EPA is in the process of reissuing the permit in accordance with 40 CFR 270 obligations including implementation of the final remedy.
• To gather the information necessary to reissue the permit, on September 28th, 2011, EPA requested that MES Hawkins Point Landfill submit a permit renewal application for corrective action activities pursuant to 40 CRF 264.101 for the closed landfill. EPA asked MES to submit information regarding the status of the landfill and any solid waste management units, an update of corrective action and associated activities at the facility since issuance of the 1985 permit.
• The public notice of the draft Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) permit that would renew the post-closure permit for the Hawkins Point landfill (EPA ID No. MDD000731356) was published on 9/28/12 in the Baltimore Sun. The permit calls for groundwater monitoring and restrictions on the future use of the property. The public comment period was closed on November 19, 2012.
• MDE issued a renewal of the post-closure permit for the Hawkins Point Hazardous Waste Landfill with an effective date of December 10, 2012.
•  EPA issued a Permit and Final Decision and Response to Comments on May 13, 2013. The final remedy will be groundwater monitoring and institutional controls.

Top of page

Background

• The MES Hawkins Point Controlled Hazardous Substance (CHS) Landfill is located within the Curtis Bay Industrial Area adjacent to Thomas Cove, near the southern Baltimore City limits, at the Francis Scott Key Bridge. The landfill's address is 5501 Quarantine Road, Baltimore, Maryland 21226. The surrounding land use is primarily zoned for heavy industrial use. Some limited undeveloped parkland does exist. There are no residences within 1,000 feet of the facility boundary.
• The Hawkins Point Landfill is owned by the Maryland Port Administration (MPA), has a total area of 67 acres, and is permitted by the MDE and EPA. MES is the landfill permittee. The MPA obtained the 67-acre site in 1958 and developed it as a landfill for chrome-ore processing residue (COPR) from the former AlliedSignal, Inc. Baltimore Works Plant.
• In 1979, MES began operating the Hawkins Point Landfill for the MPA. MES ceased disposal of COPR in Area 2 and 3 and began the construction of a new disposal cells in Area 5. COPR was deposited between 1980 and 1986 in the lower cells of Area 5, and construction debris from the Baltimore Works Plant was placed in the upper cells of Area 5 from 1990 and 1993. In 1994, construction of the final cover for Area 5 was completed. Post-Closure permit A-264 was issued by MDE on October 15, 1995 to MES and the permit remains in effect.
• In January 2004, MES requested that the NPDES Permit for Hawkins Point Landfill be discontinued because on-site leachate treatment had been discontinued. The MDE granted that request. Since that time, collected leachate has been stored in an aboveground storage tank and then transported to an off-site permitted disposal facility by a licensed waste hauler. The NPDES permit was replaced by a general discharge permit in 2004.
• The facility operates under Controlled Hazardous Substance (CHS) Permit A-264 and under EPA Final RCRA Permit Number MDD 000 731 356.

Top of page

Contaminants and Risks

• Constituent of potential concern (COPC) in groundwater is chromium. Chromium has infrequently been present above its respective Federal Maximum Contaminant Levels (MCLs) in groundwater monitoring wells. The source of the chromium is the COPR that was disposed of in the landfill. The contaminated groundwater from the landfill is captured in a leachate collection system and is pumped to a storage tank. The stored leachate is shipped offsite for treatment. The landfill is clay lined and capped which inhibits contaminated groundwater flow. There are also monitoring wells onsite that are sampled quarterly. There does not appear to be any contaminated groundwater leaving the site at concentrations that pose unacceptable risk to people and the environment.

Top of page