In some cases the concentration would “violate discharge limits of Ohio rules if released to ground water or surface water,” the report stated.
The Springfield Landfill, located at 2600 Mechanicsburg Road, had the lowest number of contaminants, according to the draft report. The report suggested that the lower levels were possibly a sign of groundwater infiltration, surface water run-on or precipitation.
Local health officials, however, question that assumption.
“It is not clear from the report why some landfills had more or less contaminates of concern in their (on-site water) samples,” said Anne Kaup-Fett, sanitarian for the Clark County Combined Health District. “Variations may have been due to variations in construction, their locations, the amount, depth, age or type of materials disposed.”
The report does not appear to be an exhaustive study of each landfill, but “just a cursory look to see if (the EPA) needed to do more studies,” said Dan Chatfield, Clark County’s director of environmental health. The evidence of contaminates indicates that demolition debris landfills, once considered low-risk for contaminates, are not contaminate free, he said.
The Springfield Landfill, which has remained compliant with the board of health regulations, does not sit on the aquifer that feeds the city’s municipal wells and “poses no known threat to the city’s drinking water,” he said.
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