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Ford Road Landfill cleanup plan proposed; meeting July 26

Release Date: 07/13/2006
Contact Information: Mick Hans, (312) 353-5050, [email protected] Rafael P. Gonzalez, (312) 886-0269, [email protected]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
No. 06-OPA111

CHICAGO (July 12, 2006) - U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 5 has proposed a cleanup plan for the Ford Road Industrial Landfill site in Elyria, Ohio. A public meeting to discuss the plan and other approaches considered will be held 6 to 9 p.m., Wednesday, July 26, at the French Creek Nature Center, 4530 Colorado Ave., Sheffield Village. A 30-day comment period ends August 9.

The 15-acre landfill on Ford Road south of Interstate 90 has been inactive since 1974. It is a ravine which has been filled to the same level as Ford Road. Several companies, including Browning-Ferris Industries of Ohio and Brotherton Disposal, used the site to dump industrial waste, including chemicals, heavy metals, sanitary sewage waste and paint sludge. The current owner of the site is Lorain County Metropolitan Parks District.

EPA has been involved at the landfill since 1980, working with Ohio EPA on a series of environmental investigations at the site. The primary environmental concerns are stopping pollution from further contaminating the nearby Black River and local ground water supplies, and eliminating the threat of PCB contamination from the Black River food chain. Area residents are connected to the city water supply and do not use the ground water for drinking.

EPA evaluated several cleanup options prepared by a group of six potentially responsible parties. The recommended $3.4 million plan includes collection and disposal of debris from the south and north slopes of the landfill and improving the current landfill cover to ensure all waste remains buried at least two feet deep. EPA also wants to remove a smaller area of contaminated soil near the northeastern edge of the landfill along the Black River where high levels of PCB contamination were found. This fall, EPA will evaluate all comments received and select a final cleanup plan called a Record of Decision.

A fact sheet mailed to residents near the site is available online at www.epa.gov/region5/sites/fordroad. Site documents are also on file at the Elyria Public Library - West Branch. Questions and requests for special accommodations at the meeting may be directed to Community Involvement Coordinator Rafael Gonzalez, (800) 621-8431, Ext. 60269, or [email protected].