Muskego Sanitary Landfill

Site Information

Muskego, WI (Waukesha County)
EPA ID# WID000713180
NPL Narrative
NPL Factsheet
CERCLIS listing
Alias(es): Wauer Landfill, Allied Waste System
Enviromapper map

Contact Information

Community Involvement Coordinator
Susan Pastor (pastor.susan@epa.gov)
312-353-1325 or 800-621-8431, ext. 31325

Remedial Project Manager
Jeff Gore
(gore.jeffery@epa.gov)
312-886-6552 or 800-621-8431, ext. 6652

Assistant Regional Counsel
Tom Krueger
(krueger.thomas@epa.gov)
312-886-0562 or 800-621-8431, ext. 60562

Repositories

(where to view written records)

Muskego Public Library
S73w16663 Janesville Rd
Muskego, WI

Links

1994 Public Health Assessment

DHFS fact sheet for vinyl chloride

EPA Superfund Home Page
Region 5 Superfund
Superfund glossary
Superfund Frequent Questions:
Superfund Information Systems Frequent Questions

Agency for Toxic Substances & Disease Registry

Background

The Muskego Sanitary Landfill is a 56-acre site that was the location of a former landfill, animal-rendering plant and gravel quarry in Muskego, Wisconsin. EPA has been overseeing a cleanup done by site owner Waste Management of Wisconsin, Inc. and several other companies that sent industrial waste to the landfill or used hazardous substances on site. They are all considered to be responsible for environmental problems at the site. (more...)

March 2009 Update

A group of companies responsible for the contamination, called the Muskego Site Ground Water Remediation Group, has done some of the ground-water studies requested by EPA and has documented the results in a draft report dated December 2006. Results showed that contamination may have traveled from the site.

While EPA took more samples in summer 2007 to fill in data gaps, MSGRG did additional work to address concerns about how much contamination has moved off the landfill property and how far it may have traveled. The companies expanded the scope of their original draft report to include a description of the type and extent of off-site ground-water contamination and submitted a revised report to EPA in December 2007.

Based on its preliminary review, EPA has determined that ground-water contamination from the site may have moved farther south toward Henneberry Drive and that more monitoring wells need to be installed. Under EPA oversight, MSGRG has extended municipal water lines and has offered bottled water to residents whose wells may be threatened by this contamination. EPA and MSGRG have also increased sampling of private and monitoring wells. Municipal water is not contaminated. EPA and the city of Muskego are working together to ensure that public drinking water remains safe. So far, eight homes/businesses have been hooked up to city water. In addition, EPA and MSGRG are reviewing the need to replace one resident's private ground-water well.

EPA completed its review of the 2007 report. They are currently discussing an expansion to the current site ground water monitoring network. The state of Wisconsin and city of Muskego are also being consulted on what to do to ensure public safety such as completing a well head protection plan for municipal well 7. MSGRG will continue to work with EPA, the state, and the city to implement this plan. This is all part of ongoing negotiations regarding modifications to the site cleanup plan.

In the meantime, EPA is doing a status review of the original cleanup. This type of review is required at least every five years where the cleanup is complete but hazardous waste remains managed on-site. These reviews are done to ensure that the cleanup continues to protect people and the environment.

Contact the site community involvement coordinator and/or the remedial project manager (links are located in the Contact Information box to the right) to provide input on the review process.

This is the third five-year review for Muskego. A report, which will be available by September 2009, will detail the site's progress. Previous reviews, done in 1999 and 2004 along with current operation and maintenance activities, indicate the cleanup provides short-term protection. More operation and maintenance and institutional controls (including the new well head protection plan and restrictions on local ground-water use) are being done to assure long-term protection.

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