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NPL Site Narrative for MIG/Dewane Landfill
MIG/DEWANE LANDFILL
Belvidere, Illinois
Federal Register Notice: August 30, 1990Conditions at proposal (October 26, 1989): The MIG/Dewane Landfill covers 50 acres on Business Route 20E in Belvidere, Boone County, Illinois. The site is in a rural area with commercial and agricultural operations nearby. Since 1976, MIG/Dewane has accepted household refuse and special wastes such as paint sludges and organic solvents. Approximately 480,000 gallons of hazardous waste containing arsenic, cadmium, lead, nickel, and cyanide were dumped into the landfill, according to the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency.
In June 1986, EPA found 1,1-dichloroethane in on-site monitoring wells into the upper sand and gravel aquifer. The site is located near Belvidere's municipal water wells and private wells. One municipal well and 28 percent of the private wells are obtaining water from the upper sand and gravel aquifer. There is no confining layer to prevent migration of contaminants from the landfilled area to the upper aquifer. An estimated 16,300 people obtain drinking water from wells within 3 miles of the site. A private well is 2,500 feet from a contaminated well on the site.
In 1985, the State Attorney General, on behalf of Boone County, filed a lawsuit against MIG/Dewane because the company was expanding the landfill beyond its permit. After the suit went to the Illinois Supreme Court, the site was ordered closed in June 1988. It ceased operations in July 1988.
Status (August 30, 1990): The site operator has declared bankruptcy and left the State. Wastes are exposed on about 10 acres of the site. The State is conducting a search to identify parties potentially responsible for wastes associated with the site and may request that they cover the exposed wastes. The State is also pumping leachate from a collection lagoon to prevent overflowing.
EPA emergency staff is evaluating the site to determine if a removal action is warranted at this time.
For more information about the hazardous substances identified in this narrative summary, including general information regarding the effects of exposure to these substances on human health, please see the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) ToxFAQs. ATSDR ToxFAQs can be found on the Internet at http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/toxfaq.html or by telephone at 1-888-42-ATSDR or 1-888-422-8737.