Woodlawn County Landfill

Overview

The Woodlawn County Landfill covers roughly 37 to 38 acres in Colora, Cecil County, Maryland. It accepted agricultural, municipal, and industrial waste from 1960 to 1978. From 1978 to 1981, Firestone Tire and Rubber Company disposed of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) sludge there in three separate cells. EPA added the site to the Superfund National Priorities List (NPL) in July 1987 because of the contamination those operations left behind.

Contaminants turned up in groundwater, soil, sediment, and surface water. Groundwater contains volatile organic compounds (VOCs) including vinyl chloride, 1,2-dichloroethane, trichloroethene, and tetrachloroethene. Pesticides such as aldrin and heptachlor are also present in groundwater, along with arsenic, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and other chemicals. Vinyl chloride and mercury were found in soil. In total, EPA identified 18 contaminants of concern at the site.

A remedial investigation began in December 1988. The original cleanup plan, selected in September 1993, called for an engineered cap over the landfill, a groundwater pump-and-treat system, and permanent water supply replacement. A 1999 amendment to that plan switched the groundwater treatment approach to monitored natural attenuation (MNA), which lets natural processes reduce contaminant levels over time without active pumping and treatment. Construction of the remedy ran from March 2000 to June 2001. Work included removing mercury-contaminated surface soils and building a vegetated soil cover over the landfill. EPA discontinued landfill gas monitoring in 2018 and surface water monitoring after performance standards were met. Eighteen of the original 20 groundwater contaminants of concern have now reached cleanup goals.

Today, human exposure is under control and contaminated groundwater is stable within its original area, with no unacceptable discharge to surface water. Institutional controls prevent new drinking water wells from being drilled on the property and restrict residential land use. Cecil County owns the site, which now operates as a wildlife habitat area serving local schools, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, and community groups for environmental education and recreation. One business on-site employed 3 people as of December 2024. EPA completed its most recent five-year review in November 2025, confirming the remedy continues to protect human health and the environment. Long-term groundwater monitoring continues, and the site has not yet been deleted from the NPL.

Community members with questions can contact EPA's Community Involvement Coordinator or Remedial Project Manager. Site records are also available at the Cecil County Public Library Perryville Branch in Perryville, Maryland, and at the EPA Region 3 office in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, by appointment at both locations.