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NPL Site Narrative for Sussex County Landfill No. 5
SUSSEX COUNTY LANDFILL #5
Laurel, Delaware
Federal Register Notice: October 4, 1989Conditions at proposal (June 24, 1988): Sussex County Landfill #5 operated on a 37.5-acre site in a sparsely populated farming area between County Road 494 and Route 24 in Laurel, Sussex County, Delaware, from May 1970 through April 1979.
The unpermitted landfill accepted municipal wastes and, according to a 1978 survey of waste disposal sites by the U.S. Congress (the "Ekhardt Report"), an unknown quantity of various volatile organic compounds.
The landfill overlies the Columbia Formation, which is connected to and recharges the Manokin Aquifer. Together, the two provide drinking water to people within 3 miles of the site. Wastes were deposited below the water table, making ground water of the Columbia Formation and Manokin Aquifer highly susceptible to contamination from the landfill. In 1986, EPA detected benzene, vinyl chloride, chlorobenzene, ethylbenzene, and trans-1,2-dichloroethylene in five on-site monitoring wells. A private well is 1,000 feet from the site. Public and private wells within 3 miles of the site provide drinking water to an estimated 5,700 people and irrigate 5,100 acres of cropland.
Status (October 4, 1989): EPA is conducting a search to identify parties potentially responsible for wastes associated with the site. EPA plans to soon begin a remedial investigation/feasibility study to determine the type and extent of contamination at the site and identify alternatives for remedial action.
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.