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NPL Site Narrative for Tomah Armory
TOMAH ARMORY
Tomah, Wisconsin
Federal Register Notice: July 22, 1987Conditions at proposal (January 22, 1987): The Tomah Armory Site covers 10 acres northeast of Tomah, Monroe County, Wisconsin. From the early 1950s to 1955, the city operated the site as an open unlined dump, perhaps with open burning. During part of this period, the city had a similar operation about 2 miles to the south in what is now the Tomah Fairgrounds. The Tomah Fairgrounds is also being proposed for the NPL at this time.
Both Tomah sites accepted primarily municipal refuse. However, Union Camp Corp. notified EPA, as required by CERCLA Section 103(c), that its polyethylene plant in Tomah had sent to the dumps up to 23,770 gallons of solvents and heavy metals, including lead and chromium components of ink wastes from the plant.
After the dump to the northeast stopped operating, the city sold part of the land to the Wisconsin National Guard for construction of an armory. Homes were built on the rest of the land. According to the City's Director of Public Works, a portion or all of the dump was excavated and filled with sand before the buildings were constructed.
Tomah Armory is in a partly rural, partly residential area. A Veterans Administration Hospital is nearby. An estimated 9,500 people draw drinking water from public and private wells within 3 miles of the site. The nearest well is about 1 mile from the site.
The nearest downslope surface water, the South Fork of the Lemonweir River, is approximately 500 feet from the site. The river and Lake Tomah are used for recreational activities. Because the wastes were inadequately covered and there were no diversion structures, contaminated run-off from the dump could have reached nearby surface waters.
Status (July 22, 1987): EPA is considering various alternatives for the site.
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.