SEFA November 20, 1997 Superfund Fact Sheet Tacoma Landfill 3510 South Mullen Street, Tacoma, Washington PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD EXTENDED THROUGH DECEMBER 24, 1997. The U. S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Washington Department of Ecology are extending the public comment period for an additional 30 days. Public comments are now invited through December 24, 1997. This extension is being provided in response to comments received at a November 6th public hearing. If sufficient interest is received before December 4th requesting another public hearing, one will be provided. Please notify Jeanne O'Dell at 1-800-424-4372 or Dawne Chapman at (360) 407-7233. If scheduled, notification will be placed in the Tacoma News Tribune on the Wednesday before the meeting and will be sent to our mail list. If you would like to be added to our mail list, please complete and return the mail list form in this fact sheet as soon as possible. Alaska Region 10 Idaho 1200 Sixth Avenue Oregon Seattle WA 98101 Washington The City of Tacoma has requested that the EPA and Ecology allow extended use of a 31-acre portion of the Tacoma Landfill for five years after the current closure deadline of December 31, 1999. This means that, if approved, the City would continue placing refuse in the 31 -acre central area of the landfill until the end of 2004. The EPA, the Washington Department of Ecology, and the Tacoma Pierce County Health Department will be evaluating the request for the extension and would like your comments on this request. A copy of the City's proposal is available for your review at the locations listed in the back of this fact sheet. A public hearing was held on November 6th where the City presented its reasons for requesting the extension and how it intends to meet environmental protection requirements. If you have questions about the landfill or the City's request for an extension, please call Michael Slevin, Tacoma Landfill Project Manager for the City of Tacoma at (253) 502-2102. Please send written comments on the City's request for an extension to: Bob Kievit, EPA Project Manager U. S. Environmental Protection Agency 300 Desmond Drive, Suite 102 Lacey, WA 98503 FAX #(360) 753-8080 Written comments, as well as those received at the public hearing, will be responded to in a document called "Response to Comments" and will be made available to the public. Background Information The Tacoma Landfill was added to EPA's National Priorities List (NPL) of sites requiring further investigation and cleanup in 1983 as part of the "Commencement Bay South Tacoma Channel" site. The landfill has been the subject of investigation and significant cleanup work under EPA and Ecology authorities since 1986. These investigations showed that the landfill was causing contamination of area ground water with volatile organic compounds and was generating landfill gas (methane) that could be dangerous to the surrounding community. In 1988, EPA made a decision to take steps to clean up the landfill. After arriving at the cleanup decision, EPA and Ecology proceeded to negotiate with the City of ------- Tacoma to conduct the cleanup. Negotiations resulted in a Consent Decree. The provisions of the final Consent Decree require the City to: 1) Reduce the production of leachate, which is rainwater that has come in contact with refuse, by placing constraints on further site operations and by capping the landfill. Current Status - Capping of the old portion of the landfill was completed in 1992. The capping has significantly reduced the production of leachate by preventing rainwater from seeping through the buried refuse. However, rainwater continues to seep through the refuse placed in the central area, which is still receiving waste. Leachate from the central area is captured and treated by the municipal sewage treatment plant. 2) Eliminate off-site gas migration through a gas extraction system. Current Status - The landfill gas management system was completed in 1988 and enhanced several times since then. The current system contains more than 300 gas extraction wells and two flare stations where the gas is destroyed. 3) Prevent further migration of the contaminated ground water plume and reduce the concentration of contaminants within the plume via a ground water extraction and treatment system. Current Status - The ground water extraction and treatment system was completed in 1993 and enhanced in 1996 and 1997. The current system includes 22 extraction wells along the western boundary of the landfill and 13 extraction wells along Leach Creek. The extracted water is treated at the landfill and discharged into the sanitary sewer system for disposal. 4) Further protect public health and the environment through monitoring of ground water, surface water, subsurface gas, and air emissions. Current Status - Approximately 75 ground water monitoring wells, 130 gas monitoring wells, and three locations along Leach Creek are included in the current landfill monitoring program. Air emissions from the landfill gas flare stations and from the ground water treatment system were tested in 1992 and again in 1997. 5) Provide an alternate water supply to any residents deprived of their domestic water supply due to contamination from the landfill. Current Status - Affected residents have been connected to the Tacoma municipal water system. Other ground water supply wells that receive ground water after it passes the landfill are regularly monitored to determine that they remain free of landfill contaminants. 6) Establish institutional controls to promote and support the cleanup action. Institutional controls are locally enforced regulations designed to ensure the integrity of the cleanup and prevent recontamination at the site. Current Status - An Institutional Control Plan was conditionally approved by EPA and Ecology in 1992. The City is working to satisfy the conditions of approval. The Consent Decree required the City to close the last open portion of the landfill (the central area) for landfill operation by the end of 1999. However, the Decree allows for extensions to this deadline of up to a combined 15 years in increments of no longer than five years each if the City meets the following conditions: 1) the continued operation of the landfill not result in a release or substantial threat of release of hazardous substances, pollutants or contaminants to the environment; 2) the performance standards for the ground water extraction/treatment system be achieved; 3) the City of Tacoma has instituted and is operating an aggressive solid waste recycling and hazardous materials collection program; and 4) other feasible solid waste management alternatives to disposal at the landfill do not exist. Five-Year Reviews Under Superfund Law and the Consent Decree, five-year reviews must be conducted for the landfill to ensure that the ------- cleanup that was done remains protective of human health and the environment. The first five-year review for the landfill has been completed and the document is available for review at the following locations. Information Repositories Tacoma Main Public Library 1102 Tacoma Avenue, Northwest Room Tacoma, WA Citizens for a Healthy Bay 771 Broadway Tacoma, WA U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 1200 Sixth Avenue 7th Floor Records Center Seattle, WA FOR MORE INFORMATION If you have questions about the Tacoma Landfill cleanup, please contact one of the following: Bob Kievit EPA Project Manager (360) 753-9014 Jeanne O'Dell EPA Community Relations Coordinator (206) 553-6919 or call EPA's toll free number 1-800-424-4327 Christopher Maurer Ecology Project Manager (360) 407-7223 Andy Comstock Tacoma Pierce County Health Department (253)-798-6538 Dawne Chapman Ecology Public Involvement (360) 407-7233 Michael Slevin Tacoma Landfill Project Manager City of Tacoma (253) 502-2102 For those with impaired hearing or speech, please contact EPA's telecommunication device for the hearing impaired (TDD) at (206) 553-1698. To ensure effective communication with everyone, additional services can be made available to persons with disabilities by contacting one of the EPA numbers listed above. ------- (Mailing List Request-See Other Side) PLEASE PLACE 32 CENT STAMP HERE Jeanne O'Dell US EPA Region 10 1200 6th Ave, ECO-081 Seattle, WA 98101 ------- About the Mailing List In addition to those on our site mailing list, a wider distribution was made to all households and businesses in the area. If the fact sheet that you received was addressed to Postal Customer and you would like to be added to the Tacoma Landfill site mailing list to receive future information about the site, please fill out this form and return it to EPA as soon as possible. Name Company (Optional) Title (Optional) Address City, State, Zip Please: -Fold the page in half so that EPA's address is showing -Tape or Staple closed -Put on a 32 cent stamp -Drop in the Mail! United States Environmental Protection Agency Region 10(ECO-081) 1200 Sixth Avenue Seattle WA 98101 BULK RATE POSTAGE & FEES PAID U.S. EPA Permit No. G-35 TACOMA LANDFILL SUPERFUND SITE 3510 SOUTH MULLEN ST TACOMA, WA ------- |