Superfund Alternative Site For Ohio

U.S. EPA REGION 5
CLARK COUNTY
TREMONT CITY

Congressional District # 07

TREMONT CITY BARREL FILL SITE

EPA ID# OHD980612188
Last Updated: March, 2008

Site Description

The Site formerly designated as the Tremont City Landfill Site is located about 1.5 miles west of Tremont City, Ohio and about 3.5 miles northwest of Springfield, Ohio. The 80-acre Site was comprised of the closed landfill, a former waste transfer facility, and the closed barrel fill. The barrel fill includes 8.5 acres and is located on the northwest end of the Site. The former Barrel Fill Operable Unit (BFOU) was defined as the barrel fill and any nearby area or media, such as groundwater, contaminated from the barrel fill. The landfill is an approximately 58-acre parcel immediately south of the barrel fill and waste transfer facility. The waste transfer facility is a 14-acre parcel immediately east of the barrel fill.

In 1969, the Ohio Department of Health approved plans to operate the landfill. The landfill operated until 1995. Material disposed of at the landfill included industrial wastes, including epoxy dust, lead-based paint sludge, and oil sludge.

The waste transfer facility operated from 1977 to 1985. In the earlier part of this time period, the facility operated as a waste oil and chlorinated solvent reclamation center. Between 1980 and 1985, the facility recycled oil and stored and transferred waste.

In 1976, Ohio EPA permitted the disposal of containerized and uncontainerized liquid waste in the barrel fill. From 1976 to 1979, about 51,500 drums and about 300,000 gallons of industrial waste were disposed of in the waste cells. Land application and shallow injection of liquid biodegradable wastes from the food industry occurred on a portion of the barrel fill between 1979 and 1980. In 1980, a soil cover was placed over the barrel fill and augmented in subsequent years, resulting in a soil cover thickness of 10 to 17 feet over the waste cells.

In approximately 1997, U.S. EPA took over responsibilities from Ohio EPA as the lead regulatory Agency for the former Tremont City Landfill Site.

In March 2007, U.S. EPA divided the former Tremont City Landfill Site into three Sites: the Tremont City Barrel Fill Site, associated with the barrel fill; the Tremont City Landfill Site, associated with the landfill; and the Tremont City Waste Transfer Facility Site, associated with the waste transfer facility.

Site Responsibility

U.S. EPA has successfully negotiated with parties whom EPA has determined may be legally responsible for the Tremont City Barrel Fill Site's contamination (potentially responsible parties (PRPs)) for the PRPs to perform a Remedial Investigation and Feasibility Study (RI/FS) at the Site. An RI is a study to define the nature and extent of contamination at the Site. An FS is an evaluation of site cleanup alternatives.

The Tremont City Landfill Site is under State of Ohio post-closure care. Ohio EPA is overseeing post-closure care implementation.

U.S. EPA has no near-term plans for a formal investigation at the Tremont City Waste Transfer Facility Site. U.S. EPA's March 2002 Site Investigation Summary showed minimal risk to human health and the environment from this Site.

Threats and Contaminants

In 2002, a U.S. EPA contractor completed a Site Investigation of the former Tremont City Landfill Site. The Site Investigation Summary showed that inorganic and organic contaminant releases from wastes at the Site are continuing to impact media, including groundwater and soil. A number of detected concentrations exceeded background for soil and U.S. EPA maximum contaminant levels for groundwater.

In November 2006, U.S. EPA approved the PRPs' RI Report for the Tremont City Barrel Fill Site. The RI showed that the underground waste and drums include a wide variety of contaminants. There are volatile and semi-volatile organic chemicals (VOC and SVOC) and metals levels above screening values in the groundwater. Sediment sampling results exceed ecological screening criteria.

The 2006 BFOU RI Report showed that there is a reasonably anticipated, unacceptable risk to site maintenance workers and trespassers from potential exposure to future groundwater to surface water discharge.

Cleanup Progress

In October 2002, U.S. EPA negotiated an Administrative Order by Consent (a legal agreement) with PRPs for the PRPs to perform an RI/FS at the Tremont City Barrel Fill Site and to reimburse U.S. EPA for its oversight costs. U.S. EPA approved the PRPs' RI Report in November 2006. In September 2007, U.S. EPA approved with modifications the PRPs' Alternatives Array Document (AAD). The AAD identifies and preliminarily screens remedial alternatives. U.S. EPA is currently reviewing the PRPs' draft FS, in consultation with Ohio EPA.

The Tremont City Landfill Site is under the Ohio Administrative Code for post-closure care of sanitary landfills. The owner of the Site has been financing leachate collection and gas extraction activities. A percent of the landfill gas generated is piped to a nearby facility as part of the U.S. EPA Landfill Methane Outreach Program. Ohio EPA is overseeing the post-closure care activities at the landfill. The Clark County Combined Health District has been delegated inspection authority by Ohio EPA for the landfill and has periodically reported many violations of the Ohio Administrative Code.

Community Involvement

U.S. EPA meets periodically with the Community Advisory Group, the Citizens for Wise Approaches Toward Environmental Resources (CF/WATER), to update the group on Site cleanup progress.

Contacts

Remedial Project Manager, U.S. EPA
ronald murawski (murawski.ronald@epa.gov)
(312) 886-2940