EPA to provide update on Tremont Barrell Fill

The Tremont City Barrel Fill just north of Springfield is one of several old industrial sites and landfills that pose potential threats to the massive underground aquifer because of underground toxic waste from factories. BYRON STIRSMAN / STAFF

The Tremont City Barrel Fill just north of Springfield is one of several old industrial sites and landfills that pose potential threats to the massive underground aquifer because of underground toxic waste from factories. BYRON STIRSMAN / STAFF

Representatives from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will be meeting with community members to provide updates on the Tremont City Barrell Fill, a hazardous waste dump that has long been controversial in Clark County.

Jim Saric, the U.S. EPA’s project manager for the Tremont City Barrell Fill, will visit Springfield at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 16 at the Springfield City Forum downtown to provide updates on the project.

MORE: Tremont City barrel fill: What’s really going on?

The barrel fill, located at 3108 Snyder Domer Road about 3 miles northwest of Springfield, was used between 1976 and 1978 and is an 8.5-acre section of a closed landfill. If left in its current state, the site could be a risk to public health decades from now because the barrels could deteriorate and some of the chemicals leach into the area’s aquifer, affecting the water of up to 80,000 people, officials have said.

DETAILS: Clark County backs reduced clean-up plan for industrial waste dump

The waste included glues, resins, paint sludge, paint scraps, soap, shampoo, detergent, asbestos, oils and other industrial compounds. Food industry sources also disposed of items such as margarine and corn syrup.

RELATED: Springfield wants hazardous waste dump named a Superfund site

Community members and local leaders have pushed the U.S. EPA for years to remove all of the hazardous waste, but there has been extended debate for years over the cost of the cleanup as well as what methods should be used to remove the waste.

Saric will discuss the next steps toward cleaning up the hazardous materials in the barrel fill and the projected timeline. The forum will include the opportunity for residents to ask questions about the project and what’s next.


If you go:

What: Public forum on Tremont City Barrell Fill

When: 6 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 16

Where: Springfield City Forum, 76 E. High St., Springfield

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