Public Notice: EPA Begins Sixth Five-Year Review of Pagel's Pit Superfund Site

Summary

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, in consultation with the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency, is conducting a review of the Pagel’s Pit Superfund site located in Rockford, Illinois. The Superfund law requires a review at least every five years at sites where the cleanup is complete and waste is managed onsite to make sure the cleanup continues to protect people and the environment.

The site is a portion of the active Winnebago Landfill, comprising two sections that are no longer in use. The northern section of the site operated from 1972 to 2000, and the southern section operated from 2006 to 2011. The landfill accepted municipal refuse and sewage treatment plant sludge, resulting in contamination from heavy metals and volatile organic compounds in site groundwater.

EPA’s cleanup of contamination at the landfill consisted of capping the northern section with a sanitary cover, along with a leachate extraction system. EPA also restored the nearby aquifer and conducted long-term groundwater monitoring. The 2022 Five-Year Review found that the cleanup, as well as ongoing restrictions on site development and well installation, continue to protect people and the environment. This is the seventh five-year review for this site and should be completed by September 2027.

More information will be made available online at the Rockford Public Library, 215 N. Wyman Street, Rockford, IL and at EPA webpage. The Five-Year Review is an opportunity for you to tell EPA about site conditions and any concerns you have.