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Cedartown Municipal Landfill
National Information
Photos/Multimedia
Ground water monitoring well at the Cedartown Landfill site.
- Additional Site Photos
- Site Video
Additional Resources
- Site Cleanup Terms - can be found in EPA's glossary
- EPA Guides to Cleanup Technologies
- Superfund Community Involvement (PDF) (17 pp, 130K, About PDF)
Site Summary Profile
EPA ID: GAD980495402Location: Cedartown, Polk County, GA
Lat/Long: 34.015960, -085.282630
Congressional District: 07
NPL Status: Proposed: 06/24/88; Final: 03/31/89; Deleted: 03/10/99
Affected Media: Ground water, Solid Waste
Cleanup Status: Deleted from the NPL. Cleanup activities have been completed.
Site Reuse/Redevelopment: None
Site Manager: Brian Farrier (farrier.brian@epa.gov)
Site Background
The Cedartown Landfill site is located in Polk County on the outskirts of the City of Cedartown, Georgia, 60 miles northwest of Atlanta. The 94-acre site encompasses a former iron ore mine that was subsequently used as a municipal landfill. The site was originally developed in the 1880's as a strip mine. Mining operations at the site occurred until the early 1900s. The open pits remaining from mining operations were used for waste disposal areas and the landfill received both municipal and industrial wastes from the mid-1900s until 1979.
The site primarily received municipal solid waste, although it did receive some industrial waste including: industrial waste sludge, animal and vegetable fats and oils, liquid dye wastes, latex paint, and plant trash. In 1979, the landfill was closed and the site was covered with a layer of clay soil varying in thickness from one to 12 feet. A vegetative cover was then planted over the soil layer to prevent erosion.
In 1986 and 1987, EPA discovered metals contamination in off-site surface waters and in the ground water.
Threats and Contaminants
Ground water at the site was contaminated with metals from prior waste disposal activities.
Site Cleanup Plan
The Record of Decision for the site was issued in 1995. The cleanup approach included:
- Natural attenuation.
- Maintaining the cover and seep controls.
- Institutional controls, such as record notices and deed, zoning, and land use restrictions.
- Implementation of ground and surface water monitoring program to ensure that natural attenuation processes would be effective.
If continued monitoring indicated that natural attenuation is not effective, a contingency cleanup approach was to extract and treat the ground water with a "to be determined" technology to be implemented with off-site discharge of ground water.
Based on ground water monitoring data, EPA amended the Record of Decision in 1998. This Record of Decision Amendment removed the pump and treat cleanup contingency option.
Cleanup Progress
Landfill cover and seep inspections were conducted between 1994 and 1998.
Monitoring of ground water data was undertaken between 1995 and 1997.
In 1996, the City of Cedartown annexed all property that lies above the landfill area. A city ordinance was put in place to restrict the installation of wells on the property.
In March 1999, EPA deleted the site from the NPL.
The first Five-Year Review (FYR) of the remedy was performed in 2001. The second FYR was completed in 2006. The second FYR determined that the remedy at the site is considered protective over the short-term, but it also stated that the landfill cover must be inspected semi-annually and maintained by the City of Cedartown.Enforcement Activities
Under a 1990 Administrative Order of Consent with EPA, the Cedartown Municipal Landfill Potentially Responsible Parties' committee completed a Remedial Investigation and Feasibility Study for the site in July 1993.
Community Involvement
EPA has conducted a range of community involvement activities at the Cedartown Landfill site to solicit community input and to ensure that the public remains informed about site activities throughout the site cleanup process. Outreach activities have included public meetings on cleanup progress and activities and information dissemination to nearby residents.
Future Work
The landfill cover at the site continues to require semi-annual inspection and maintenance by the City of Cedartown.
The next FYR for the site is scheduled for 2011.Site Administrative Documents
Site Repository
For more information or to view any site-related documents, please visit the site information repository at the following location. As new documents are generated, they will be placed in the information repository for public information.
Cedartown Public Library
245 East Ave.
Cedartown, GA 30125
For documents not available on the website, please contact the Region 4 Freedom of Information Office.