PFOHL BROTHER
LANDFILL

NEW YORK

EPA ID# NYD980507495

EPA REGION 2

CONGRESSIONAL DIST. 30

Erie County
Cheektowaga

Site Description 	

The 120-acre Pfohl Brothers Landfill site, located 1/2 mile east of Buffalo International Airport, is
divided into three areas—Areas A, B, and C. This privately owned and operated landfill accepted
municipal and industrial wastes from 1932 until 1971. When the landfill was active, it received solid and
liquid chemical wastes and sludges, including heavy metals, such as mercury and barium, and volatile
organic compounds (VOCs), such as benzene and dioxin, from local businesses, such as paint
manufacturers, electroplaters, printers, and other industries that used solvents and petroleum. The
landfill operators buried some of this waste in drums and placed the remaining wastes directly into
excavated areas of the facility. A trucking firm occupies the northern portion of the landfill. Access to
most of the site is restricted by a fence, but drainage ditches with runoff from the landfill lie outside of
the fenced area and are accessible to the public. Several drainage ditches discharge into Ellicott Creek.
Aero Lake lies north of the site. Both the lake and the creek are used by the community for recreational
fishing. Ten homes are located within 200 feet of an area of contaminated soil. The area near the landfill
is residential and commercial. Wetlands border the creek and a drainage ditch and a wetland was located
on what is now the central portion of the property.

Site Responsibility: The site is being addressed through federal,

state, local, and potentially responsible
parties' actions.

NPL LISTING HISTORY

Proposed Date: 05/10/93
Final Date: 12/16/94

PFOHL BROTHERS LANDFILL

1

July 2002


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Threats and Contaminants

Surface water, both on-site and off-site, is contaminated by VOCs, including benzene,
benzene compounds, and phenol. Site soils are contaminated with poly chlorinated biphenyls
(PCBs) and heavy metals, such as mercury. Although most of the site is fenced to restrict
access, drainage ditches and intermittent streams receive runoff from the site and lie outside
the fencing. Wetlands and several lakes and creeks used for recreational fishing border the
site.

Cleanup Approach 	

This site is being addressed in two stages: an interim remedial measure (IRM) and a long-term
remedial action phase focusing on the cleanup of the entire site.

7E

Response Action Status 	

Interim Remedial Measure: The removal of the 4,534 on-site drums was completed in
August 1995.

r*\. Entire Site: The Erie County Health Department, the New York State Department of
Ny Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC), EPA, and the owner of the property have
conducted various investigations at the site since 1980.

Based upon the results of a Phase I remedial investigation and feasibility study (RI/FS), conducted to
determine the nature and extent of the contamination in Areas B and C (the central and southern portions
of the site, respectively) and to evaluate remedial alternatives, a Record of Decision (ROD) was issued
by NYSDEC in February 1992. The selected remedy includes the construction of a cap and containment
system and a leachate collection and treatment system. The ROD also called for the removal of the on-
site drums noted above.

The potentially responsible party (PRP)-performed remedial design for the remaining portions of the
selected remedy (i.e., excluding the drums that were removed under the IRM) was completed in
September 1999.

A Phase II RI/FS addressed Area A, the northernmost area of the site, and off-site groundwater
contamination. Based upon the results of this investigation, it was determined that Area A was not used
for the disposal of hazardous substances and significant levels of ground water contamination was not
detected. A Phase II ROD, issued on January 10, 1994, selected a "no-action" remedy.

The design related to the containment system and leachate collection and treatment system commenced

PFOHL BROTHERS	2	July 2002


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in October 1994; NYSDEC approved the design on April 11, 2001. It is anticipated that construction,
which commenced in March 2001, will be completed in the Spring of 2002.

Site Facts: In April 2001, the PRPs entered into a Consent Order with NYSDEC to implement the
design of the selected remedy. It is anticipated that construction will begin in late Spring 2001.

The removal of 4,734 on-site drums (4,534 removed during the initial remedial measure and 200 drums
that were encountered during construction) has significantly reduced the potential for exposure to
contaminated materials at the site. EPA and the State of New York have investigated the site and
determined that it presently poses no immediate threats to the public or the environment.

Site Repositories 	

Cheektowaga North Branch Library, 735 Mary vale Drive, Cheektowaga, NY
Williamsville Public Library, 5571 Main Street, Williamsville, NY

PFOHL BROTHERS LANDFILL	3	July 2002

Cleanup

z

(Threat Mitigated by Physical Cleanup Work)


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