Parker Landfill Undergoes EPA Review

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Created on Thursday, 14 March 2019 17:16

Written by Dylan Schlossberg

LYNDONVILLE - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is reviewing the cleanup progress at six Superfund sites in Vermont, including the Parker Sanitary Landfill in Lyndonville.

The landfill, located on Lily Pond Road, was in use from 1972 to 1992. In 1984, toxic contaminants were found in the soil and groundwater at the site and in nearby residential wells. Under EPA guidance, a cap was installed over the landfill to prevent further soil contamination, and groundwater was redirected to allow water quality in the surrounding area to recover. Private wells near the site were closed, with residences connected to the town water supply.

The cleanup progress is being examined as part of a required-by-law five-year review, according to Dan Keefe, EPA's Superfund Section Chief for the region.

"At many of our Superfund sites we control the risk, but the risks themselves have not been completely eliminated. And when you have situations where you have contaminants contained on site, there is a requirement of EPA in the Superfund statute that we go back every five years, and we look to make sure the remedy as it was constructed is still protective, and meets the objectives of protecting human health and the environment," Keefe said.

The review, the fourth for the Parker site since it became part of the Superfund program, involves a site inspection as well as an examination of tests and reports from the last five years. Past reviews have brought to light important changes, notes Leslie McVickar, EPA Remedial Project Manager.

"The third one showed inconsistencies with where the groundwater plume was moving. It was starting to move in another direction, which was just inconsistent with what we knew. So one of the recommendations was: groundwater conditions have changed and therefore we need to figure this out," said McVickar.

Keefe added that the review is also an opportunity to make sure the site's protections are up to code against any new contaminants that may have been discovered or regulated in the time since the cap was first installed.
The Parker review is expected to be complete and published by early fall this year. The other Vermont sites currently under review are the Bennington Municipal Sanitary Landfill, the BFI Sanitary Landfill in Rockingham, the Elizabeth Mine in Strafford, and the Pownal Tannery in Pownal. There are a total of 27 sites being reviewed this year in New England.