Next Steps The construction for the cleanup is due to begin 2015. The cleanup will include: 1. A multi-layer cap for the landfill All waste located outside the landfill will be removed or put under the cap The landfill will be vegetated, and landscaping will be designed around the Site The cap will prevent exposure to all landfill contaminants A drainage system for the landfill will be installed 2. Groundwater cleanup Installation of injection wells to treat the contamination Installation of additional monitoring wells to monitor cleanup effective- ness Questions? Contact Us! Jill Lowe Remedial Project Manager 215-814-3123 lowe.jill@epa.gov Alexander Mandell Community Involvement Coordinator 215-814-5517 mandell.alexander@epa.gov Gina Soscia Community Involvement Coordinator 215-814-5538 soscia.gina@epa.gov PUBLIC MEETING! Join the U.S. EPA Region 3 Watson Johnson Landfill Superfund Site team for an evening of information and informal conversation about the Watson Johnson Landfill Site. WHEN: WEDNESDAY, APRIL 22, 2015 WHERE: JAMES A. MICHENER PUBLIC LIBRARY ADDRESS: 401 WEST MILL STREET QUAKERTOWN, PA TIME: 6:00 PM - 8:30 PM The EPA will be providing two presen- tations regarding the past, current, and future status of the Watson John- son Landfill. Those presentations will take place at 6:30 PM and 7:30 PM. There will be a question and answer session following each presentation. If you have any questions or concerns please do not hesitate to contact us! Our contact information is provided on this fact sheet. Watson Johnson Superfund Site Website: http://ao.usa.gov/M7qd ^genC4 Q a X) zr Q" ~o > o CO 0 01 o > o u CO CD CD CD GO <: > : q. 3 y o > 3' s &> ® 5 Cn 2- W 2 Q § , a o ® CD — Q„ o Z5 > (D CD D O THE WATSON JOHNSON LANDFILL SUPERFUND SITE Community Update April 2015 ------- Construction to begin at Watson Johnson Superfund Site The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will soon start its cleanup of the Watson Johnson Landfill on East Pumping Station Road. The plans include a multi-layer cap for the landfill and groundwater cleanup. The Watson Johnson property, approximately 56 acres in size, was used as a landfill from the late 1950s until the early 1970s. The landfill accepted both industrial and municipal wastes. You may be wondering...what exactly is a Superfund site? Superfund is the name given to the federal environmental program established to address abandoned hazardous waste Sites. It is also the name of the fund established by the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act of 1980. This law was enacted in the wake of the discovery of toxic waste dumps such as Love Canal and Times Beach in the 1970s. Superfund allows the EPA to clean up such Sites and to compel responsible parties to perform cleanups or reimburse the government for EPA's cleanup costs. When was Wgtson Johnson listed os a Superfund site? In June 1998, concerned citizens contacted EPA and requested that the agency perform an investigation of the former landfill. EPA conducted field investigations at the Site from 1998 through 1999, collecting samples from on-site soils, adjacent wetlands, Tohickon Creek and groundwater monitoring wells. Local residential and Quakertown Borough municipal wells were also sampled. The results from these tests determined that the former landfill was a potential threat to human health and the environment. The EPA added this Site to the National Priorities List (NPL) on September 13, 2001. The agency conducted a comprehensive Site study, known as the Remedial Investigation/Feasibility Study. Data from this investigation was used to determine the nature and extent of the contamination, and to develop cleanup plans. What has EPA done at the Site so far? • In March of 2000, EPA removed a drum and surrounding contaminated soil which contained elevated levels of Perchloroethene (PCE) and lead. (To learn more about PCE and lead, contact us!). What has EPA done at the Site so far? continued... • To address the immediate health concerns posed by volatile organic compounds (VOCs) contamination in several home wells, an extension of the public water main was completed in March 2006. This extension services up to thirty-five residential wells that were affected and/or threatened by VOC contaminated groundwater at levels of a public health concern. • Today, no private drinking water wells are located in the area of groundwater contamination. • A Proposed Plan was issued for the Site for public comment and a Public Meeting was held on September 25, 2008 to discuss EPA's proposal. The Record of Decision (ROD) for the Site was signed on August 14, 2009. The ROD selected a multi-layer cover system for the landfill area and on-site chemical oxidation with enhanced bioremediation for the groundwater as the cleanup remedy. Why has there been such a delay in construction? Were we exposed to risks during this time that EPA was not at the Site? It is important to note that EPA has continually monitored the Site, even during the lapse in construction. Groundwater monitoring has taken place annually, and EPA has also taken sediment and surface soil samples. Once the ROD was signed, remedial design for the Site cleanup remedy began in November 2009 and a pre-design investigation was conducted. The Remedial Design was completed in September 2011. Throughout the country, all of EPA's Sites compete for limited resources. Funding for new construction cleanup projects were not available for several years. Funding became available towards the end of 2014 and since then, EPA is moving towards the construction of the remedy for the Watson Johnson Landfill Superfund Site. ------- |