United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Office of Research and
Development
Washington, DC 20460
Office of Solid Waste and
Emergency Response
Washington, DC 20460
xvEPA
SITE FACTS
>y. Location: KMamazm, Michigan />
<^ Laboratories/Agencies: U.S!EPA t
1 "Rislc Reduction Engineering' ' Vs-
*,\ Laboratory"(RRBL),U.S.EPARbbert ',
'^S.Kerr Environmental Research,, ' /
VTLabpratoiy (RSKEKL), Center for ^ ',* '
Y Microbial .Ecology at Michigan State /
'"University (MSU), U.S.BPARegion5, •
Michigan Department of ^Natural '
,-, "Resources' \ ;> \ t>,\
\ Media and Contaminants: / \ / ,
• Solvents in landfill and ground '<
'-' water , ' " ,/ ", \'. '„'''' *•
\- Treatment: Msitubipremediation*
%of landfDl material and ground % '
' water / - ''/•>''*" >?'< >' * /
of Initiatve Selection: , r /.
-'/October 1992 ^/\/ ' "' >>"
(j;*OJJiective':°Toeyaluateifhe'\:/ '„ ,
,vTfeasibility** t' ^ * *• ^
Regional Contact: Dan Cozza, ,
U.S. EPA Regions^ Waste", \
Management Division, 77 Wesf >
' Jadteon Boulevard, Chicago, IK
60604 '" \ > ;,, • \,/-" - -'" "
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EPA/540/F-93/510I
September 1993
Bioremediation Field
Initiative Site Profile:
West KL Avenue Landfill
Superfund Site
Background
During the 1960s and 1970s, the West KL Avenue Landfill in Kalamazoo,
Michigan, was the repository for an estimated 5 million yd of refuse and
undetermined amounts of bulk liquid and drummed chemical waste. In 1979,
the 87-acre site was closed permanently due to the discovery of contaminants
in nearby residential drinking water wells. In 1983, the site was placed on the
National Priority List due to the discovery of acetone, methyl ethyl ketone,
methyl isobutyl ketone, dichloroethane, benzene, and other contaminants in
ground water near the site. The U.S. EPA Risk Reduction Engineering Labo-
ratory (RREL), the U.S. EPA Robert S. Kerr Environmental Research Labora-
tory (RSKERL), and the Center for Microbial Ecology at Michigan State
University (MSU) currently are examining the feasibility of bioremediating
the landfill material and underlying contaminant plume.
Characterization
Research conducted in 1990 indicated that the surface system and the aquifer
are hydraulically connected, so soluble contaminants leach vertically from
the landfill to the saturated zone. The plume of contamination has two lobes
that are moving west from the landfill. Figure 1 shows the location of the
landfill, nearby lakes, and monitoring wells, as well as the water table
surface contour.
Field Evaluation
Research is being conducted under three tasks. The first task, to be con-
ducted by RSKERL, is site characterization and modeling. RSKERL will drill
wells in six locations to evaluate the geochemical and hydrological charac-
teristics of the contaminated ground water plume and to monitor the fate
and transport of the contaminants. RSKERL will provide site charac-
terization data so that MSU can select appropriate depth intervals tosample
for microbial activity.
The second task, to be conducted by MSU, involves the use of microcosms
to evaluate the biodegradative capacity of the ground water. Serum bottles
with aquifer material and ground water will be used to test for the presence
of microorganisms able to degrade representative contaminants. MSU also
will use soil-column microcosms to simulate the dynamics of the aquifer
environment and estimate the rates of contaminant degradation. Microcosm
studies are scheduled to commence in May 1993.
In the third task, which is under way, RREL is using three landfill lysimeter
systems to assess the biodegradation of landfill material. One system
_£D: Printed an paper that contains at least
\^ST7 50 percent recycled fiber.
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Scale in Feet
N
Legend
• Shallow Domestic Well • Deep Monitoring Well
O Deep Domestic Well A Test Well
(next to well if replaced) Q New Monjtoring We|| (deep)
D Shallow Monitoring Well A New Monftoring well (shallow)
Figure 1. Water table surface contour map shozuing the location of the landfill, nearby lakes, and monitoring wells.
simulates the effects of a Resource Conservation and
Recovery Act (RCRA) cap on the biodegradation of the
fill and leachate. A second system serves as a control to
assess the biodegradative capacity of the landfill mate-
rial, simulating existing conditions without a cap. The
third system simulates the effects of enhancing naturally
occurring bioremediation to optimize biodegradation
and biotransformation of the hazardous pollutants in
the landfill. RREL obtained landfill samples and loaded
tihe lysimeter systems in January 1993.
Status
A Record of Decision (ROD) was signed by EPA Region
5 in September 1990. The ROD calls for the installation
of a RCRA-type landfill cap and a ground water pump-
and-treat system utilizing aboveground fixed-film
bioreactors. A Consent Decree, entered in the U.S.
District Court for the Western District of Michigan on
November 17,1992, ordered the potentially responsible
parties to perform the actions described in the ROD. The
landfill cap and the ground water pump-and-treat sys-
tem are being designed concurrently with the Bioreme-
diation Field Initiative's evaluation. The actions
described in the ROD will be performed unless the ROD
is amended based on the results of the Initiative's evalu-
ation of the site.
Preliminary site assessment suggests that natural deg-
radation is occurring in the form of anaerobic dechlori-
nation under sulfate-reducing conditions. Pilot-scale
bioremediation of the site will involve anaerobic treat-
ment of leachates under methanogenic and sulfate-
reducing conditions. Further site characterization,
modeling, and microcosm studies will be conducted in
spring of 1993. Laboratory, pilot, and field study results
are scheduled to be reported in November 1993.
The Initiative's objectives are to more fully document the performance /of full-scale applications of bioremediation; provide*
technical assistance to regional and state site managers; and provide information on treatab'ility studies, design, and, operation of -
bioremediation projects. The Initiative currently is performing field evaluations of bioremediation at eight other hazardous waste "
sites: Libby Ground Water Superfund site, Libby, MT; Park City Pipeline, Park City, KB; Bendbc Corporation/Allied Automotive ^,
Superfund site, St. Joseph, MI; Eielson Air Force Base Superfund site, Fairbanks, AK; Hill Air Force Base Superfund site/Salt take
City, UT; Escambia Wood Preserving Site—Bropkhaven, Brookhaveri/MS; Reilly Tar and Chemical Corporation Superfund site,St, ',
Louis Park, MM; and Public Service Company, Denver, CO. To obtain profiles on these* additional site's! or to'be'added to the
Initiative's mailing list, call 513-569-7562. For further information on the Bioremediatiori Field^Initiative, contact Fran Kremer/'
Coordinator, Bioremediation Field Initiative, U.S. EPA, Office of Research and Development, 26 West Martin, jUither King Drive,
Cincinnati, OH 45268; or Michael Forlini, U.S. EPA, Technology EnnovationOffice, Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response,,
401M Street, SW, Washington, DC 20460. ,\ < •-,',, >' , / " v ,. ', ^ - - „ ,'.-,
':'. ;"!•.','' \ " ',*">'' -> ' < ~
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