United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Enforcement and
Compliance Assurance
(2201)
EPA 520-F-95-005
Spring 1995
oEPA Superfund At Work
Hazardous Waste Cleanup Efforts Nationwide
Muskego Sanitary
Landfill
Site Profile
Site Description:
Three disposal areas on former farm
Site Size: 56 acres
Primary Contaminants;
Volatile organic compounds and
heavy metals
Potential Health Effects: Central
nervous system disorders and
increased Incidence of cancer
Nearby Population: 19,000 in City
of Muskego
Ecological Effects:
Area wetlands on the southeast
boundary
Year Listed on NPL: 1984
Region: 5
State: Wisconsin
District: 9
Success in Brief
Cooperation Results in
Accelerated Cleanup
The early 1970s were days of pioneering the basic design of
the "sanitary" landfill. Municipal wastes were compacted and
sandwiched between layers of dirt, forstalling problems associ-
ated with rodents and flies. Sewage solids, radioactive and
pathologic wastes, explosive materials, and spent manufactur-
ing chemicals went in with the rusting stoves and refrigerators.
The City of Muskego operated such a landfill on an old farm
in Waukesha County, Wisconsin. Over a 30-year period,
several disposal areas had leached hazardous contaminants
into area ground water, tainting residential wells.
After successful negotiations with the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA), Waste Management of Wisconsin,
Inc. conducted field studies, removed leaking drums and
debris from open trenches, and agreed to conduct a two-part
remediation worth $11 million.
The Site
Today
Workers removed about 1,000 leaking 55-gallon drums of paint waste and cleaning
solvents.
A multi-layer
protective cap
complete with
leachate and meth-
ane collection
systems perma-
nently seals the
landfill. Ground
water pump-and-
treat is ongoing until
1997. Monitoring
and maintenance
activities are
continuing in con-
junction with the
State of Wisconsin.
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Superfund At Work. Muskego Sanitary Landfill Site, Waukesha Co., WI
The 56-acre Muskego
Sanitary Landfill site encom-
passes a former farm, a
former sand and gravel pit,
and two landfills. The Alfred
Wauer family operated the
Anamax Rendering Plant and
used an inactive quarry to
dispose of carcasses and other
wastes from this operation.
The quarry turned into an
open dump, and in 1954 the
Wauers obtained a permit
from the City of Muskego to
operate what became known
as "The Old Fill Area".
During the 1960s, the
Wauers allegedly accepted
waste oils and paint products
in the dump; occasionally
liquid wastes were dumped
A Site Snapshot
into pits and material was
burned in open fires. In 1969,
Acme Disposal, which later
became a subsidiary of Waste
Management of Wisconsin, Inc.
(WMWI), leased this part of the
property from the Wauers.
Acme later obtained a license
from the Wisconsin Depart-
ment of Natural Resources
(WDNR) to operate a sani-
tary landfill for household,
municipal, industrial, and
commercial wastes.
In 1975, the WDNR de-
tected ground water contamina-
tion and ordered WMWI to cap
and close the 36-acre Old Fill
Area. In 1977, WMWI started
accepting wastes in a 16-acre
area called the "Southeast Fill
. Spring 1995
Area", which remained active
until 1981. A third "Non-
Contiguous Fill Area" held a
variety of municipal and
industrial wastes, including
deteriorating drums and a
variety of hazardous materials.
Muskego Sanitary
Landfill Site
Waukesha Co., WI
2
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Superfund At Work. Muskego Sanitary Landfill Site, Waukesha Co., WI . Spring 1995
At the state's request, WMWI
conducted a ground water
study in 1981, sampling resi-
dential and site monitoring
wells. Because volatile organic
compounds (VOCs) and heavy
metals had migrated off site,
WMWI purchased four homes
south of the Old Fill Area in
1984. Then in 1985, WMWI
paid for the extension of mu-
nicipal water from the City of
Muskego to affected homes in
the immediate area.
Superfund Cleanup Begins
Following Congressional
legislation authorizing the
Superfund program, WDNR
asked for assistance at the site.
In 1985, EPA placed the
Muskego Sanitary Landfill on
the National Priorities List of
sites requiring comprehensive
cleanup. In 1987, after four
months of negotiations, Waste
Management, Inc. agreed to
conduct extensive field investi-
gations.
Shortly thereafter, WMWI
discovered a trench that con-
tained leaking 55-gallon drums
of paint waste and industrial
cleaning solvents. Under a
unilateral order in 1991, WMWI
removed 1,000 drums and 5,000
tons of contaminated soil and
backfilled the trench.
First Remedy Selected
Later that year, EPA and
WDNR used public comments
to select a remedy to perma-
nently close the landfills that
included a multi-layer protec-
tive cap, leachate and methane
control systems, soil treatment,
and ground water monitoring.
Waste Management, Inc.
agreed to undertake the remedy
and prepared engineering
designs over the next 18
months. Construction began in
the summer of 1993 under EP A
supervision and was completed
in the fall of 1994.
continued on page 4
~
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Superfund At Work • Muskego Sanitary Landfill Site, Waukesha Co., Wl
Spring 1995-
continued from page 3
How Does the Remedy Work?
The multi-layer protective
cap seals off the wastes and
prevents rain and snow from
percolating into the ground
water; grasses and ground
covers grow on the surface.
A leachate collection system
includes deep wells to pump
toxins to the surface for treat-
ment and discharge in a sani-
tary sewer. An underground
piping network captures meth-
ane, a by-product of decompos-
ing garbage that is highly explo-
sive. A blower draws the gas
into a carbon filter to remove
VOCs and the remaining meth-
ane is flared. Internal pressure
caused by gas formation in the
landfill is relieved, reducing
cracks in the protective cap.
A soil vapor extraction sys-
tem is currently treating con-
taminated soil in the Non-
Contiguous Fill Area. Soil
vapor extraction works like a
giant vacuum cleaner, drawing
VOCs to the surface for de-
struction by a catalytic oxidizer.
In 1995, EPA selected a final
ground water remedy aimed at
arresting the migration of
pollutants into ground water
and nearby wetlands. Extrac-
tion wells near the Non-Con-
tiguous Fill Area draw ground
water for on-site treatment and
discharge to the Milwaukee
Metropolitan Sewage district
through the Muskego public
sewer system. This portion of
the remedy should take two
years to complete.
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this bulletin's content, length or format,
please call (202) 260-9812, or send a
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Success at
Muskego
Sanitary
LandfiU
Old landfills are a problem
throughout the U.S. because
mixtures of wastes in un-
known quantities lay buried
like hidden time bombs.
Cooperative efforts among
federal, state/and a private
operator resulted in an expe-
ditious resolution to perma-
nently close the landfill.
Early removal actions helped
to slow the migration of
pollutants into ground water;
a protective cover sealed off
tons of industrial and mu-
nicipal wastes.
Ground water contamina-
tion will require extraction
and treatment through the
year 1997 with monitor
and maintenance contii
until 2025.
&EPA
United States Environmental Protection Agency
(2201)
Washington, D.C. 20460
Official Business
Penalty for Private Use $300
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