Parker Sanitary Landfill

Overview

Parker Sanitary Landfill sits in Lyndon, Vermont and has been on the EPA's National Priorities List (NPL) since February 1990. The NPL is the federal list of sites that need formal cleanup under the Superfund program. The site operated as a landfill from 1972 to 1992. Before 1983, operators dumped about one million gallons of liquid waste and 760 tons of solid or semi-solid hazardous materials directly onto the ground in unlined pits and lagoons.

Those materials included metal plating wash waters, waste oils, electroplating sludge, paint sludge, chlorinated solvent sludge, caustic cleaners, and metallic salts. The disposal contaminated groundwater and affected private wells nearby. About 3,200 people draw drinking water from a municipal well field within two miles of the landfill, and 124 private wells sit within three miles of the site. EPA identified 179 contaminants of concern across soil, groundwater, leachate, surface water, sediment, and air. Key contaminants include volatile organic compounds (VOCs) such as trichloroethene, benzene, and vinyl chloride, as well as heavy metals including arsenic, cadmium, chromium, lead, and mercury.

Cleanup actions have addressed contaminated soil and groundwater through several methods. A landfill cap was completed in 2000 to contain waste in place. A landfill gas extraction system was also installed. Groundwater treatment systems have operated since 2005 and capture the contamination plume at the site boundary. Residences with contaminated wells were connected to the public water supply. A town ordinance prevents residential use of groundwater in the area. In 2004, the cleanup plan was updated to add in-place bioremediation and a permeable reactive barrier, which is a passive chemical treatment wall placed in the ground. Physical construction of all cleanup work was completed on September 30, 2005.

The EPA has determined that human exposure is currently under control and that contaminated groundwater is stabilized and not moving to surface water in unacceptable amounts. The site was deemed ready for its anticipated reuse in October 2011. Long-term operation, maintenance, and groundwater monitoring have been ongoing since 2006, under EPA and Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation oversight. The most recent five-year review was completed on July 30, 2024. The site has not yet been deleted from the NPL.

Institutional controls, including zoning restrictions and limits on groundwater use and excavation, remain in place to protect the cleanup systems and prevent unsafe land uses. Community members with questions can contact the EPA's Community Involvement Coordinator or the Remedial Project Manager. Site records are available at Cobleigh Public Library and Samuel Reed Library in Lyndonville, Vermont, and at the EPA Region 1 Records and Information Center in Boston, Massachusetts.