The former landfill, which was in operation from 1976 to 1979, contains more than 50,000 barrels of industrial waste, including metals, pesticides and organic chemicals.
The agency has been negotiating possible courses of action with businesses suspected to be responsible for the site’s contamination, including General Motors, Proctor and Gamble and Delphi.
Proposed treatment plans include excavating the barrels from the area, containing the materials at the site, or a “hybrid” option that entails treating the materials but containing them at the site.
“It’s two and a half times more expensive (to excavate the site),” said EPA project manager Ron Murawski. “But we want to make sure that what we do will be protective of human health and the environment.”
The EPA estimates that costs for all of the clean-up options will exceed $7 million.
Murawski said the chemicals pose no current threat to the environment and area residents, but that could change over time.
“There’s always the possibility that a (hazardous) liquid could migrate to the lower aquifer and present a potential threat to workers and trespassers,” he said.
Next week’s community meeting will be preceded by an informal meeting for residents who live in the immediate area surrounding the landfill. “I’ll give a short update on what’s going on with the site,” Murawski said. “We’re also going to answer their questions and address their concerns.”
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