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Brantley Landfill
National Information
Photos/Multimedia
Landfill cap at the Brantley Landfill site
- Additional Site Photos
- Site Video
Additional Resources
- Site Cleanup Terms - can be found in EPA's glossary
- EPA Guides to Cleanup Technologies
- Superfund Community Involvement (PDF) (17 pp, 130K, About PDF)
Site Summary Profile
EPA ID: KYD980501019Location: Island, McLean County, KY
Lat/Long: 37.446250, -087.156110
Congressional District: 01
NPL Status: Proposed: 06/24/88; Final: 02/21/90
Affected Media: Air, Ground water, Leachate, Sediment, Soil, Solid waste, Surface water
Cleanup Status: Construction complete - physical cleanup activities have been completed
Site Reuse/Redevelopment: Currently unused
Site Manager: Robert West (west.robert@epa.gov)
Site Background
The Brantley Landfill site encompasses approximately four acres of a 35-acre parcel located in Island, McLean County, Kentucky. The site is bound to the north by Kentucky Highway 85, to the south by the City of Island wastewater treatment plant, to the east by a residence (owner of the parcel) and the City of Island, and to the west by an unnamed tributary to Cypress Creek. Surrounding land use is limited to agricultural and residential with the exception of the wastewater treatment plant to the south. The Island and McLean County area is situated in the Western Kentucky coal fields region. The entire Island area has been heavily mined for coal both above (strip) and underground.
The site was formerly strip-mined to extract coal for commercial sale. Approximately 250,000 tons of salt cake fines were disposed of at the site from 1978 until its closure in 1980. In 1986, EPA conducted air monitoring in the vicinity of the Brantley Landfill. Ammonia was found in most samples downwind from the disposal area. Moreover, the Kentucky Division of Air Pollution received numerous complaints from residents of ammonia odor. In 1987, EPA collected soil, water, and sediment samples at and around the landfill which showed contamination at the site. The site was fenced by the Barmet Aluminum Corporation (Barmet) (now Commonwealth Aluminum), a potentially responsible party (PRP), to restrict access.
Threats and Contaminants
Soil beneath the landfill cap is contaminated with heavy metals including chromium, copper, titanium, vanadium, aluminum, magnesium, and sodium from former waste disposal practices. The salt cake fines contain various heavy metals and react with water to form several gases, including ammonia, acetylene, methane, hydrogen, and hydrogen sulfide. Placement of wastes below the water table could have caused ground water contamination, which could have affected drinking water sources.
Site Cleanup Plan
A Record of Decision (ROD), describing the cleanup approach for the site, was issued in 1994. In order to treat contaminated surface water while collecting additional information on the ground water in and around the landfill, the cleanup approach for the site was divided in two phases. Phase I was intended to address surface water infiltration and included:
- Additional sampling and installation of ground water monitoring wells prior to installment of a new landfill cap.
- Construction of the landfill cap to minimize surface water infiltration into the landfill.
- Cleanup of shallow ground water.
Phase II of the cleanup approach was intended to address any ground water infiltration to the landfill. Phase II primarily included ground water monitoring and provisions for additional steps to address ground water contamination, if warranted.
Cleanup Progress
In 1993, Barmet performed minimal cap repairs to prevent further erosion and exposure of waste material.
In 1995, 14 additional monitoring wells and six piezometers were installed in and around the landfill.
In 1997, cleanup action as described in the 1994 ROD was initiated, including:
- Installation of a landfill cap on the northern end and interior area of the site.
- Construction of three ditches with temporary erosion control matting placed in the bottom and sidewalls.
- Placement of a temporary erosion control matting in steep areas of the interior area and the swale (low area).
- Installation of an erosion control/turf reinforcement mat on a natural drainage ditch encountered to the east of the originally designed riprap (broken rock) chute.
Following the cleanup action, the PRP conducted monitoring of air emissions to confirm that ammonia emissions from the landfill have been mitigated by the landfill cap. Air monitoring continues.
The first Five-Year Review (FYR) was completed in September 2002. The second FYR was completed in 2007. The reviews have found the cleanup action at the site to be protective of human health and the environment. Operation and maintenance activities continue at the site.
Site cleanup activities are being led primarily by PRPs with oversight by EPA.
Enforcement Activities
In 1990, an Administrative Order by Consent (AOC) was signed by EPA and Barmet. The AOC required Barmet to perform a Remedial Investigation/Feasibility Study and a response action to minimize the immediate threat to human health and the environment posed by site conditions.
In 1995 EPA issued a Unilateral Administrative Order to Barmet to perform the Remedial Design and Remedial Action at the site.
Community Involvement
EPA has conducted a range of community involvement activities at the Brantley Landfill site to solicit community input and to ensure that the public remains informed about site activities throughout the site cleanup process. Outreach activities have included public notices and information meetings on cleanup progress and activities.
Future Work
Air monitoring continues at the site.
The next FYR is scheduled for September 2012.
Site Administrative Documents
Site Repository
For more information or to view any site-related documents, please visit the site information repository at the following location. As new documents are generated, they will be placed in the information repository for public information.
Island City Hall
160 South First St.
Island, KY 42350
For documents not available on the website, please contact the Region 4 Freedom of Information Office.