2004 Demonstration Project
Tri-County Landfill: south Eigm, minds
After a site has been cleaned up, if any waste has been left on site,
EPA must reevaluate the implementation and performance of the
site's remedy every five years to ensure that the remedy continues
to protect human health and the environment. This process is
called a Five-Year Review. This thorough evaluation provides
an opportunity for EPA to examine not only past cleanup actions
at the site but also the future of the site. Region 5 began the Tri-
County Landfill site's Five-Year Review at the same time that
EPA sought to establish demonstration projects for the Return to
Use Initiative. As part of the Initiative in 2004, EPA used the Tri-
County Landfill's Five-Year Review as a testing ground for how
the Superfund Five-Year Review process can be used to evaluate
and support the future use of sites.
THE SITE: From 1961 until 1976, the Tri-County Landfill and the neighboring Elgin Landfill, both in South Elgin,
Illinois, accepted solid and liquid commercial and industrial waste. When EPA detected volatile organic compounds in
downgradient ground water wells in 1984, ten thousand residents within three miles of the landfill were using ground water
as their drinking water source. EPA and the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency recommended that area residents not
drink water from these wells. Further investigation revealed contamination in landfill surface soils and the surface water
of adjacent wetlands. EPA and potentially responsible parties took action at the site to construct a landfill cap and a gas
collection system, which includes thermally treating gas at the adjacent Woodland Hills Landfill. Ground water is being
monitored to determine the effectiveness of the cap in reducing ground water contamination.
THE OPPORTUNITY: The Tri-County Landfill may present a good opportunity for recreational reuse. The western edge
of the site borders on a prairie path and the Kane County Forest Preserve is interested in developing walking trails and
recreational fields on the site. However, these plans are currently on hold because the Illinois Department of Transportation
has plans to build a road that might interfere with the forest preserve's plan and other development in the area.
THE BARRIER: The landfill area of the site is fenced and topped with barbed wire. A potentially responsible party
operates a transfer facility adjacent to the Tri-County Landfill. On-going activity at this facility provides a high level of
site security by making it difficult for unauthorized personnel to access the site. In addition, Woodland Landfill to the west
of the Tri-County Landfill is an operating municipal landfill facility. On-going activity at this facility will also discourage
unauthorized personnel from accessing the site until reuse modifications are implemented.
THE FIVE-YEAR REVIEW AND FUTURE REUSE: Because all reuse plans in the area are on hold, the Tri-County
Landfill site is participating in the Return to Use initiative as a demonstration project that examines the Five-Year Review
process as a forum for considering Superfund site reuse. The Army Corps of Engineers completed a Five-Year Review for
the site in September 2004 with special emphasis on site reuse considerations. Because of this, EPA hopes that when the
transportation corridor issue in South Elgin is resolved, the community will better understand appropriate reuse options for
the site. EPA is currently working with landowners to implement appropriate and effective institutional controls, which will
help to facilitate safe reuse when local conditions allow.
FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT: Tom Bloom, Region 5 Superfund Redevelopment Coordinator, at (312)
886-1967 or bloom .thorn
United States
Environmental Pr
i Agency
uperfund Redevelopment Initia
updated June 2009
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