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Green River Disposal, Inc.
National Information
Photos/Multimedia
Green River site
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: KYD980501076Location: Maceo, Daviess County, KY
Lat/Long: 37.889450, -086.973610
Congressional District: 01
NPL Status: Proposed: 06/24/88; Final: 08/30/90
Affected Media: Ground water, Leachate, Sediment
Cleanup Status: Construction complete - physical cleanup activities have been completed
Human Exposure Under Control: Yes
Groundwater Migration Under Control: NA
Sitewide Ready for Anticipated Use: Yes
Site Reuse/Redevelopment: None
Site Manager: Yvonne Jones (jones.yvonneo@epa.gov)
Current Site Status
The Green River Disposal, Inc. site includes an area where operators buried various industrial wastes from 1975 to1988. EPA placed the site on the National Priorities List (NPL) in 1990 because of contaminated ground water, leachate and sediment resulting from waste disposal operations. EPA, the Kentucky Department for Environment Protection (KDEP) and the site’s potentially responsible parties (PRPs) have investigated site conditions and taken steps to clean up the site in order to protect people and the environment from contamination. Site contamination does not currently threaten people living and working near the site. By monitoring and maintaining the landfill cap, enforcing institutional controls and conducting required Five-Year Reviews, EPA, KDEP and the site’s PRPs continue to protect people and the environment from site contamination.
Site Location and Background
The 14-acre site is located along the Ohio River in a sparsely populated area of Daviess County, Kentucky, near the town of Maceo. Land use in the area ranges from forests to farmland and scattered residential development.
The site originally included the former Green River Disposal Inc. landfill and surrounding property. The site currently includes only the landfill and related leachate collection and treatment area. Between 1970 and 1984, operators buried various industrial wastes from nearby industries and businesses at the facility. Operators pushed wastes into ravines and covered them with soil. The facility had a history of leachate outbreaks and underground fires. From 1975 to 1988, the facility held a disposal permit from the Commonwealth of Kentucky. In 1984, the facility closed down. In 1985, state investigators found a contaminated private well next to the site. In 1990, EPA listed the site on the NPL. In 2007 to 2008, Daviess County acquired a large portion of the site for potential use as a park.
Threats and Contaminants
Site investigations identified contamination in ground water, leachate and sediment that could potentially harm people in the area. Contamination resulted from waste disposal practices at the site. Parties later determined that the only site-related threats were contaminated leachate and sediment. Contaminants of concern include metals.
The site’s PRPs addressed site-related threats by capping the landfill. The PRPs also put an institutional control in place in the form of an environmental covenant to prevent disturbance of the cap. The PRPs continue to maintain the landfill cap and conduct related monitoring.
Fencing surrounds the site.
Investigation and Cleanup Responsibility / Oversight
The site’s PRPs led site investigation and cleanup activities, with oversight provided by EPA and KDEP.
Site Cleanup Plan
Site investigations and cleanup activities focused on two areas, which EPA refers to as operable units, or OUs. These areas include OU-1 and OU-2.
In 1994, EPA issued a cleanup plan (a Record of Decision, or ROD) for OU-1. The plan included the following activities:- Capping the landfill (waste disposal) area with a composite barrier cover.
- Collecting leachate with subsurface drains, treating it and discharging treated water to a nearby stream.
- Digging up contaminated stream and pond sediment and consolidating it with the landfill waste.
- Removing surface debris and buried wastes located in the east and west ravines, and disposing the wastes beneath the landfill cap.
In 2000, EPA issued the cleanup plan (ROD) for OU-2. The plan included the following activities:
- Putting institutional controls in place to prohibit construction of any ground water wells and construction of any type of structure on the landfill cap or within 50 feet of the cap.
- Developing and implementing a ground water monitoring plan to evaluate performance of the landfill cap and leachate collection system.
Cleanup Progress
The site’s PRPs began OU-1 cleanup activities in 1996 and completed them the following year.
The PRPs began carrying out the OU-2 cleanup activities in 2002. The PRPs began required ground water monitoring in 2004. The PRPs put institutional controls in place in 2010. To help put them in place, the PRPs’ consultant agreed to take ownership of the main site property.
The site’s third Five-Year Review, completed in 2011, found that the site’s cleanup approach continues to protect people and the environment.
Summaries of cleanup activities are also available in Five-Year Reviews online.
Enforcement Activities
EPA negotiated legal agreements with the site’s PRPs to investigate and clean up the site. The PRPs continue to fund monitoring and oversight activities.
RODs and Five-Year Reviews online provide information on specific legal agreements for the site.
Community Involvement
EPA worked with the community and its state partner to develop a long-term cleanup plan for the site, reflecting the Agency’s commitment to safe, healthy communities and environmental protection. Community engagement and public outreach are core components of EPA program activities.
EPA conducted a range of community involvement activities to solicit community input and to make sure the public remains informed about site activities throughout the cleanup process. Outreach efforts have included public notices, interviews and public meetings.
Future Work
EPA completed the last Five-Year Review in 2011 and plans to complete the next Five-Year Review in 2016.
The site’s PRPs continue to perform site operations and maintenance and monitoring activities.
Additional Information
EPA keeps additional site documents and information in a site information repository at the location below. EPA also posts site documents, when available, on EPA’s CERCLIS Site Profile page. For documents not available on the website, please contact the Region 4 Freedom of Information Office.
Site Repository
Owensboro Public Library
450 Griffith Ave.
Owensboro, KY 42301