Region 5 Superfund (SF)

U.S. EPA REGION 5
BOONE COUNTY
BELVIDERE

Congressional District # 16

BELVIDERE MUNICIPAL LANDFILL

EPA ID# ILD980497663
Last Updated: October, 2006

Site Description

The Belvidere Municipal Landfill Site is located in Belvidere, Illinois just west of the city limits. It's bordered on the west and south by the Kishwaukee River, on the east by two ponds and Appleton Road, on the southeast by Spencer Park, and the north by a gravel pit. The site occupies about 19 acres of land.  Much of the land adjacent to the landfill comprises a portion of the Boone County Conservation District, which sponsors an experimental prairie and recreational areas.

The landfill was owned and operated by the City of Belvidere from 1939 to 1965 as a municipal landfill.  From 1965 to 1973, the City retained ownership while private contractors operted the landfill.  It was during this time that industrial wastes were believed to be accepted at the landfill.  Inspection reports written by Illinois EPA indicate that special wastes, some of which are currently classified by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) as hazardous, were disposed of in the landfill from 1970 to 1973.  The landfill was formally closed in 1973.  Preliminary site investigations found that the drum disposal area was contaminated with PCBs and the groundwater was contaminated with volitile organic compounds (VOCs), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), PCBs and metals.  Additionally the landfill cover was determined to be inadequate in some areas and the the contaminants posed a threat to surface and groundwater.

Site Responsibility

This site is being addressed by the City of Belvidere, Illinois EPA and U.S. EPA.

Threats and Contaminants

Remaining site soils contain low levels of VOCs, including benzene, toluene, and xylenes; PAHs; PCBs; nitrite; and heavy metals, including chromium. Surface water contains low levels of VOCs, including trichloroethylene (TCE), nitrate, and heavy metals. None of these contaminants exceed established federal safety standards. Individuals who came into contact with contaminated soil could have been at risk prior to the completion of cleanup actions. The shallow groundwater under the site, which was transporting significant levels of contaminants toward the Kishwaukee River, was contained by a series of wells, creating a hydraulic barrier between the landfill and the Kishwaukee River.

Cleanup Progress

Subsequent to the site being listed on the National Priorities List (NPL) in December 1982, studies were conducted to determine the nature and extent of the contamination at the site as well as the cleanup alternatives needed to protect public health and the environment from contact with landfilled materials and contaminated groundwater. The studies estimated that 10 percent of the landfill material is in constant contact with groundwater.  An interim cleanup action started in December 1986 to remove PCB contaminated soils and drums containing contaminated liquids and sludges from the west side of the site. The final cleanup plan which is explained in a document called a "Record of Decision" (ROD) was signed on June 29, 1988. In addition to drum removal, remedial actions included installation of a groundwater contaminant plume pump and treat system (barrier extraction system), excavation and consolidation of PCB-contaminated soils with landfill material prior to capping, the installation of a new, multilayered Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) landfill cap, the installation of a long-term groundwater monitoring well system, access restrictions, deed restrictions and flood control measures.  A Consent Decree (CD) was completed among the U.S. EPA, Illinois EPA, and the potentially responsible parties (PRPs) on April 12, 1989 to conduct the cleanup action. The cleanup workplan was approved on March 28, 1990 and the remedial action was certified complete on May 29, 1992.  

Since that time, the PRPs have conducted operation and maintenance (O & M) at the site. The city of Belvidere, one of the settling PRPs, takes responsibility for operating the remedy.  According to the conditions set forth by an U.S. EPA and Illinois EPA letter to the PRP consultant on September 7, 1995, the barrier extraction system has been shut down and monitoring has continued.  Groundwater contaminant concentrations have been generally stable or declining.   All current monitoring data indicate that the contamination remains contained within the landfill cap and on the deed restricted property.  There is no usage of the water between the landfill and the Kishwaukee River; the property between the landfill and the river belongs to the Boone County Conservation District, which precludes future use for drinking of the affected portion of the groundwater.   

As a result of the stable conditions, O & M reporting has been reduced to an annual submission. In addition, the shutdown configuration of the extraction system should continue on an indefinite basis, contingent upon the results of future monitoring.  The third Five-Year Review was completed in September 2005.  The report concluded that because the remedial actions at the site are protective, the site is protective of human health and the environment.  Monitoring of the landfill gas vents and groundwater as well as maintenance of the RCRA landfill cap and the extraction sysgem is on-going.  Maintenance, monitoring, and institutional controls support long term remedial protectiveness.  The site will be reviewed for possible delisting from the NPL by U.S. EPA and Illinois EPA. The next Five-year Review is scheduled for 2010.

Contacts

Remedial Project Manager, U.S. EPA
thomas williams (williams.thomas@epa.gov)
(312) 886-6157

Community Involvement Coordinator, U.S. EPA
janet pope
(312) 353-0628

Aliases

BELVIDERE LDFL
BELVIDERE MUNICIPAL LDFL #1

 

Site Profile Information

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