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Superfund Briefly - Weekly Report for the Commonwealth of Virginia

Release Date: 9/28/1998
Contact Information: Ruth Podems, (215) 814-5540 September 28, 1998

BUCKINGHAM COUNTY LANDFILL, Dillwyn -- Construction of a landfill cap and a ground water monitoring system have been completed at this Superfund hazardous waste site. After a monitoring period to ensure the cleanup continues to be effective, the landfill will be deleted from EPA’s National Priorities List of the most severely contaminated sites. A landfill cap functions much like a roof,  keeping water from reaching the hazardous materials in the soil and trickling down into the nearby groundwater.   In June, EPA, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality inspected the cap and monitoring system and determined that the cleanup will protect public health and the environment. Background: The Buckingham County Landfill  (formerly Love’s Container Service) was operated from 1962 until 1982.  The site was initially used for disposal of municipal solid waste -- typically, household trash containing small amounts of hazardous materials.  The solid waste landfill was covered and closed in 1979 by the state. Buckingham County purchased the landfill in 1982. Surface water diversion trenches and a fence were constructed around portions of the site.  Several monitoring wells were installed and  site investigations revealed that the groundwater beneath the site was heavily contaminated with volatile organic compounds (VOCs).  The site was listed on EPA’s National Priorities List on October 4, 1989.  An estimated 1,100 people use wells within three miles of the site as a source of drinking water, and approximately 40 people live within a half mile of the site.

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