West Kingston Town Dump/URI Disposal Area

Overview

The West Kingston Town Dump and University of Rhode Island Disposal Area is an 18-acre site in South Kingstown, Rhode Island. It accepted unregulated solid waste from 1930 to 1987, including industrial, residential, and institutional wastes, as well as paint cans, oil containers, pesticide containers, lab equipment, and buried drums and tanks. The site was placed on the National Priorities List in October 1992 after a 1975 study found a leachate plume contaminating groundwater as far as 1,200 feet west of the dump.

The two contaminants of concern are tetrachloroethene, found in both soil and groundwater, and trichloroethene, found in groundwater. The EPA determined both pose an unacceptable risk to human health or the environment. More detailed health information about these substances is available through the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, a U.S. Department of Health and Human Services agency.

Cleanup began with URI removing 159 tons of materials in 1987. Three nearby private wells were closed in 1988 due to contamination. The EPA issued a Record of Decision in September 2006 calling for landfill capping, chemical oxidation to treat contaminated soil, and groundwater treatment. Landfill caps were completed in spring 2006, soil treatment finished in June 2009, and active groundwater cleanup finished in September 2009. Deed restrictions and institutional controls now limit land use at the site. The site has since been redeveloped, with a 1.2-megawatt solar facility covering 8 acres, completed in 2018 by the South Kingstown Solar Consortium. A walking trail runs along the southern end of the site.

Human exposure is currently under control across the entire site, with no unacceptable exposure pathways. Groundwater contamination migration is stabilized, and there is no unacceptable discharge to surface water. The EPA continues to monitor natural attenuation of remaining groundwater contamination. Five-year reviews were conducted in 2010, 2015, 2020, and most recently in August 2025, with the next review scheduled for 2030.

Community members with questions can contact the EPA's Community Involvement Coordinator or the Remedial Project Manager. State-level questions can be directed to the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management. Site records are available at the South Kingstown Public Library in Peace Dale, Rhode Island, and at the EPA Region 1 Records and Information Center in Boston, Massachusetts.