Bennington Municipal Sanitary Landfill

Overview

The Bennington Municipal Sanitary Landfill is a 15-acre site in Bennington, Vermont that was added to the EPA's National Priorities List (NPL) in 1989. From 1969 to 1975, local industries dumped liquid wastes into an unlined lagoon on the property. Groundwater contamination was detected in 1986. About 2,200 residents within 3 miles rely on private wells for drinking water. The site has moved through investigation, cleanup construction, and long-term monitoring over the past three decades.

Five contaminants of concern have been identified in groundwater across the site. They are arsenic, barium, chloroethene (vinyl chloride), manganese, and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). These were determined to pose an unacceptable risk to human health or the environment. Earlier industrial dumping also introduced volatile organic compounds and lead, which prompted the original investigation.

Cleanup work ran from 1997 to 1999 and included building a multi-barrier landfill cap with a gas collection system, diverting surface water and groundwater, excavating and consolidating contaminated soils, collecting leachate, and managing landfill gases. A comprehensive investigation completed in 1997 found no further active treatment was needed. The EPA issued a No Further Action Record of Decision in September 1998. Construction of the remedy was finished on June 30, 1999. The contaminated groundwater plume remains within the site boundary, and both human exposure and groundwater migration are under control.

Institutional controls restrict land use and prohibit activities like installing drinking water wells or excavating soils in ways that could damage the cleanup or expose people to remaining contamination. These controls stay in effect as long as contamination and remedy components remain on site. As of December 2024, one business operates at the landfill, employing 2 people and generating about $499,000 in annual sales. The site achieved readiness for anticipated reuse in March 2010 but has not yet been deleted from the NPL. The most recent Five Year Review was completed on September 10, 2024, confirming conditions remain stable.

Community members with questions can contact EPA's Community Involvement Coordinator or the Remedial Project Manager. For state-level questions, contact the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation. Site documents are available at the EPA's Region 1 office in Boston and at the Bennington Public Library.