News Releases from Region 05
EPA begins public comment period on proposed amendment to the cleanup plan for Hunt’s Disposal Landfill Superfund site in Caledonia, Wisconsin
For Immediate Release: No. 19-OPA065
Caledonia, Wis. (Sept. 4, 2019) – On Sept. 3, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) began a 30-day public comment period on its proposal to amend the cleanup plan for the Hunt’s Disposal Landfill Superfund site in Caledonia, Wisconsin. The proposal would permanently shut down the existing groundwater extraction and treatment system to instead use natural processes to address water contamination.
Using natural processes -- such as dilution and adsorption -- for cleanup is called monitored natural attenuation, or MNA. A test project showed MNA was effective at reducing contaminant levels at the site.
The property was initially a gravel pit and began accepting municipal and industrial waste in 1959. In the early years of its operation, the landfill burned much of its waste in an open pit. Facility operations contaminated soil, groundwater and sediment in the Root River. Groundwater currently used as drinking water has not been affected by contamination from the site. In 1987, the landfill was added to EPA’s National Priorities List, a list of the most contaminated sites in the nation.
EPA will review and respond to comments before finalizing a cleanup plan. The agency will accept comments on the proposal from Sept. 3 until Oct. 2, 2019. The public may submit comments:
- Via email at: muhtsun.ruth@epa.gov.
- Mail them to Ruth Muhtsun, U.S. EPA Region 5 (mail code RE-6J), 77 W. Jackson Blvd., Chicago, IL 60604.
- Submit comments online at: http://www.epa.gov/superfund/hunts-disposal-landfill.
For more information about the site, visit: http://www.epa.gov/superfund/hunts-disposal-landfill.
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