| Abstract |
The 11-acre Howe Valley Landfill site is an inactive landfill in Howe Valley, Hardin County, Kentucky. A Class IIA aquifer underlies the site, but is not currently used as a drinking water source. Ground water flow is southeasterly toward Boutwell Spring and Linders Creek. From 1967 to 1976, 2.5 acres of the site were used for disposal of refuse and manufacturing by-products. In 1974, a State inspection revealed that acidic liquid wastes were being dumped directly into the landfill, in direct violation of the solid-waste disposal permit issued. Although the permit expired in 1974, the landfill continued dumping operations until 1976. In 1988, EPA required the removal of 9,150 full or partially filled drums containing metal plating sludge, caulk, flammable silicone polymers, and paint-like pigments; 1,621 empty drums; 6,000 smaller containers; and 3,000 cubic yards of loose waste from the site. State investigations in 1987 found that the potential migration of the waste posed a drinking water hazard. Contaminant levels for the underlying ground water system cannot accurately be monitored because of the karst topography at the site. This remedial action focuses on reducing the source contamination. The primary contaminants of concern affecting the soil are VOCs including PCE; and metals including chromium. |
