£EPA
United Slates
Environmental Protection
Agency
For more information
These EPA team members can be
contacted for questions or comments
about the proposed PCB disposal
cell at Clinton Landfill #3:
Rafael P. Gonzalez
EPA Community Involvement
Coordinator
EPA Region 5
Land and Chemical Division (mail
code L-8J)
312-886-0269
gonzalez.rafaelp@epa.gov
Steve Johnson
EPA Geologist
EPA Region 5
Land and Chemical Division (mail
code L-8J)
312-886-1330
j ohnson. steve @epa.gov
Region 5 toll-free:
800-621-8431, 8:30 a.m. - 4:30
p.m., weekdays
EPA Chicago address:
EPA Region 5
77 W. Jackson Blvd.
Chicago, IL 60604-3590
Read the files:
An official document repository on
the Clinton Landfill permit
application has been set up at the
Clinton Public Library, 310 N.
Quincy St.
EPA Scientists Taking Close
Look at Proposed PCB Cell
Clinton Landfill #3 Permit Application
DeWitt County, Illinois
April 2009
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency scientists studying a permit
application from the operators of Clinton Landfill #3 consider the safety of
a large regional aquifer to be the deciding factor in their deliberations.
Clinton Landfill Inc. of Peoria applied for a permit in 2007 to build a new
disposal cell at the currently operating Clinton Landfill #3 site located two
miles south of Clinton on state Route 51. The new cell would hold PCB
(polychlorinated biphenyl) waste.
The landfill cell and larger facility are located directly over a major aquifer
that is tens of miles wide and hundreds of miles long underlying virtually
all of DeWitt County. That feature, the Mahomet Valley Aquifer, is used
extensively throughout central Illinois for drinking water. Local residents,
officeholders, and environmental and community groups oppose the
permit application over worries the PCBs in the proposed disposal cell will
leak into the aquifer.
Preliminary geological investigation by EPA staff indicates the new cell
will meet technical requirements contained in federal law for proper
disposal of PCBs. EPA geologists also believe a 150-foot thick layer of
clay protects the aquifer from surface contamination. The geologists note
this extensive clay "pan" is relied upon by central Illinois municipalities,
industries and farms to safely protect their drinking water supplies from
pollution that may make its way into the soil.
New information on the potential impact of the cell on ground water was
received from the applicant earlier this year addressing some of the public
concerns. Currently Region 5 is conducting a complete review of the
Clinton Landfill #3 permit application to ensure the design and operation
of the proposed waste cell meets all applicable federal regulations for PCB
disposal. The federal law that governs these kinds of permit applications is
called the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). A text of the law is
available online at http://www.epa.gov/lawsregs/index.html.
EPA officials point out federal law requires the health and safety of
drinking water supplies to be the top priority of regulators considering
hazardous waste permits. But EPA also recognizes the importance of
disposing of and containing hazardous waste such as PCBs in a safe
location where they can no longer harm people and wildlife. The landfill
already accepts other kinds of regulated solid waste that have been
successfully contained with no danger to the public or the aquifer.
The decision-making process will take several more weeks. If EPA gives
preliminary approval to the permit application then a 90-day public
comment period will be announced. During that time a public hearing will
be scheduled to give people and groups an opportunity to provide their
input. That input will then be reviewed and responded to before a final
decision.
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Company supplies more information
As mentioned above, in response to several questions
from EPA Clinton Landfill Inc. provided additional
information earlier this year about its PCB permit
application in an attempt to answer public concerns. In
particular, the Agency wanted Clinton Landfill to focus
its research on how the Mahomet Aquifer and nearby
municipal water wells might be affected by a PCB
disposal cell.
The company discovered about half of the community
water wells within 15 miles of Clinton Landfill #3 draw
their water from the Mahomet Aquifer while the other
half pump from another source of underground water.
An underground supply of fresh water is called ground
water in environmental terms. The company noted the
city of Clinton municipal wells and another well field at
Weldon Springs State Park have operated safely even
though they sit within two miles of Clinton Landfill #3.
The company also studied two other operating PCB
disposal facilities, one located in Michigan and the
other in Utah. Clinton Landfill looked at "leachate"
data from the two facilities. Leachate is water that
collects contaminants as it trickles down through a
waste field. The seepage from the Michigan and Utah
facilities showed extremely low levels of PCBs,
according to Clinton Landfill. And the company
promised all leachate found at the bottom of its landfill
will be collected and treated.
Another safety feature protecting the Mahomet Aquifer,
the company said, involves the chemical properties of
PCBs. The compound does not dissolve in water easily
and is not very mobile. When PCBs are released into
waterways they sink into the sediment (mud) and can
lie there for decades. Loose in the environment like
that, PCBs cause havoc in the food chain because they
are ingested by fish which in turn are eaten by birds,
animals and humans. Clinton Landfill pointed out it is
much safer for the environment and human health to
contain PCBs in a special disposal cell.
Additional precautions at Landfill
Although not specifically required by landfill
regulations, Clinton Landfill Inc. will install two layers
of geomembrane liners and a leachete (liquid)
collection system at the bottom of the PCB cell.
Additionally as a further protective measure, the
company will line the very bottom of the landfill with a
densely compacted layer of clay three-feet thick along
with a third sheet of impenetrable membrane.
Clinton Landfill Inc. will also cap its landfill to prevent
rain and snow melt from soaking through the waste.
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