Region 5 Superfund (SF)

U.S. EPA REGION 5
KENT COUNTY
KENTWOOD

Congressional District # 03

KENTWOOD LANDFILL

EPA ID# MID000260281
Last Updated: October, 2006

Site Description

The Kentwood Landfill Superfund Site is a 72-acre landfill site located at 4900 Walma Road in the City of Kentwood, Kent County, Michigan. The landfill site is bordered by City of Kentwood municipal buildings to the west, a church and a residential area to the south, a shallow ravine and Plaster Creek to the east, and a residential subdivision and municipally owned property to the north.  In the early 1950s, the site originated as the town dump.  In 1966, the site was licensed as a solid waste disposal facility.  In January 1968, the state health agency transferred the license to the city of Kentwood.   The City of Kentwood operated the site as an open dumpsite from January 1968 to June 1970.  From 1971 until 1975, Kent County operated the site as a municipal landfill.  The site was capped and closed in early 1976.  Leachate containing Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) and metals was generated by wastes disposed of at the landfill and contaminated the soil and groundwater.  Concern about the potential impact on public health through direct contact with or through ingestion of leachates or through the ingestion of leachate-contaminated groundwater resulted in the Kentwood Landfill being placed on the National Priorities List in September 1983.

Site Responsibility

This site is being addressed through federal and two potentially responsible parties' actions.  The two portentially responsible parties are the City of Kentwood and Kent County,  Michigan. 

Threats and Contaminants

Groundwater is contaminated with volatile organic compounds, phenols, and heavy metals.  Soil in isolated areas shows low levels of polychlorinated biphenyl contamination.  All affected water wells have been replaced with deeper wells that draw from a lower, uncontaminated aquifer or with city water lines.  Therefore, the groundwater contamination presently poses little or no threat to public health. 

Cleanup Progress

An Administrative Order by Consent was signed by the city of Kentwood, Kent County, and United States Environmental Agency (U.S. EPA) in December 1985 requiring a Remedial Investigation and Feasibility Study (RI/FS). the city of Kentwood and Kent County completed a RI/FS in 1990, and U.S. EPA signed a Record of Decision in March, 1991 which selected specific cleanup actions to address organic and inorganic site contamination concerns. The cleanup actions included capping the landfill; incorporating a gas venting and leachate collection system; extracting and treating groundwater; and implementing groundwater use restrictions. In August 1991, the city of Kentwood and Kent County signed a Consent Decree (CD) for the design and construction of the selected cleanup actions. This CD was lodged by the U.S. Department of Justice on December 1991. Design began in November 1991, and was completed in March 1994. All requirements to address the soils, leachate, and groundwater contamination were completed in September 1995. In October 1999, U.S. EPA completed a five-year review of the cleanup actions conducted at the Kentwood Landfill site. A second five-year review of the Kentwood Landfill Site was completed by U.S. EPA on October 2004. This review concluded that the cleanup action conducted at the landfill site is expected to be protective of human health and the environment.

Contacts

Remedial Project Manager, U.S. EPA
nanjunda gowda (gowda.nanjunda@epa.gov)
(312) 353-9236

Community Involvement Coordinator, U.S. EPA
bob paulson
(312) 886-0272

Aliases

KENT COUNTY LDFL
KENTWOOD LDFL

 

Site Profile Information

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