The barrel fill is in a 8.5-acre portion of a closed landfill at 3108 Snyder Domer Road in German Twp., about 1.5 miles west of Tremont City and 3.5 miles northwest of Springfield.
Approximately 51,500 drums and about 300,000 gallons of industrial liquid chemicals were disposed of in waste cells between 1976 and 1979 at the site, according to the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency. The barrel fill is being addressed under that agency’s Superfund alternative approach.
Local leaders on Wednesday will discuss next steps regarding the cleanup.
The conversation and information shared by community leaders will include next steps regarding the proposed cleanup plans and what residents can expect in the near future. However, it may be a year or longer before the actual cleanup starts.
“We are at least a year away from any shovel in the dirt out there, at least,” said Springfield City Commissioner Dave Estrop.
The barrel fill had been a source of major frustration over the years for many public officials. It contained chemicals dumped decades ago and is near an aquifer that provides drinking water to thousands of people in the community.
The main concern is chemicals getting into nearby ground water and the aquifer itself, which provides drinking water to private and public wells. Springfield’s drinking water comes from the aquifer and is filtered by the city.
“These landfills are traditionally known to be problem sources, especially if they were the site for the disposal of industrial waste,” said Abinash Agrawal, a professor of Environmental Sciences at Wright State University, has said.
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