SystemThinkers: Superfund and Brownfields News Release (Region 4): EPA RECOGNIZES HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, FL., FOR TAYLOR ROAD LANDFILL SUPERFUND SITE REUSE

Thursday, June 24, 2010

Superfund and Brownfields News Release (Region 4): EPA RECOGNIZES HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, FL., FOR TAYLOR ROAD LANDFILL SUPERFUND SITE REUSE

EPA Recognizes Hillsborough County, Fl., for Taylor Road Landfill Superfund Site Reuse

Contact Information: Dawn Harris-Young, (404) 562-8421, harris-young.dawn@epa.gov

(ATLANTA – June 24, 2010) At a ceremony this morning, EPA honored Hillsborough County, Florida, with the 2010 EPA Region 4 Excellence in Site Reuse award for creatively reusing the former Taylor Road Landfill site to serve multiple purposes that benefit the community. Region 4 created the Excellence in Site Reuse award to recognize those who have gone above and beyond in redeveloping a Superfund site.

Since clean up actions were taken under EPA oversight, Hillsborough County has established a recycling center, a Community Collection Center, a Household Chemical/Electronics Collection Center, a Site Maintenance Facility, and Environmental Field Office at the site. The County also uses part of the landfill to grow hay that is used for erosion control. The County collaborated with the Tampa Radio-control Aircraft Club and the Academy of Model Aeronautics to build model airplane park that includes a paved runway and covered working areas. The County worked with the U.S. Department of Energy on a study to evaluate using methane from landfills as a renewable energy source, providing valuable information on using landfill gas for power generation. The reuse of the site enhances the monitoring of the institutional controls and reduces the burden of long-term maintenance. Further, Hillsborough County enhanced the selected remedy by voluntarily extending water lines to additional residents to provide a larger buffer than required between private wells and the compliance ring of monitoring wells.

The 42-acre Taylor Road Landfill was a Florida Department of Transportation borrow pit until it was permitted as a solid waste landfill for Hillsborough County in 1975. From 1976 until 1980, the county operated the landfill, which was intended for disposal of residential, commercial and industrial refuse. An unknown quantity of hazardous waste is suspected to have been buried in this landfill as well. Volatile organic compounds and metals contaminated monitoring wells on site and nearby private wells. The Record of Decision (ROD) for the site was issued in 1995. Major cleanup elements for the site included the closure of the landfill under the Florida landfill closure program, installing monitoring wells, monitored natural attenuation of groundwater contamination, and providing County water service to residents within a 270-ft setback of the monitoring wells. Today, groundwater data clearly indicates the effectiveness of natural attenuation in reducing contamination at the site.

EPA supports the redevelopment of contaminated properties and views the revitalization of communities affected by contaminated properties as a key component of its mission to protect human health and the environment. EPA commends Hillsborough County for their reuse efforts and congratulates Hillsborough County with the 2010 EPA Region 4 Excellence in Site Reuse Award.

For more information on EPA’s Superfund Redevelopment Initiative in Region 4, visit:

http://www.epa.gov/region4/waste/sf/sri/

For information on the Taylor Road Landfill Superfund site, visit: http://www.epa.gov/region4/waste/npl/nplfln/taylorfl.htm

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