Limestone Road

Overview

The Limestone Road site consists of two landfills in Cumberland, Maryland that accepted commercial, residential, demolition, and industrial waste from the 1960s through the 1980s. That waste included sludge contaminated with chromium, lead, and cadmium. EPA placed the site on the National Priorities List (NPL) in September 1983. The NPL is the federal list of hazardous waste sites that qualify for long-term cleanup funding and oversight.

Forty-five contaminants of concern have been identified across soil, groundwater, surface water, and sediment. Metals such as arsenic, lead, cadmium, chromium, manganese, and zinc appear in both the soil cap area and the groundwater and sediment area. Organic compounds found in soil include benzene, trichloroethene, tetrachloroethene, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and several polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Pesticides including chlordane and heptachlor are also present in soil.

Cleanup is divided into two operable units (OUs). OU1 covers soil and uses an engineered cap selected in a 1986 Record of Decision. OU2 addresses groundwater, streams, and sediments through institutional controls, permanent water supply replacement, and monitoring, with that approach decided in 1996. A public drinking water line serving nearby residents was completed in September 1999. Erosion found during 2014 and 2015 inspections led the responsible parties to restore both landfills in 2015 and 2016, rebuilding clay layers, adding drainage channels, removing invasive plants, and reseeding with grass. EPA notes that physical construction of cleanup work is complete. One source states overall construction finished in September 2000, while another states it was completed in 1999. Both sources agree the work is done.

Human exposure is currently under control, meaning no unacceptable exposure pathways exist. Institutional controls restrict groundwater use and protect the integrity of the caps. EPA's 5th Five-Year Review, signed January 6, 2026, found the cleanup is protective in the short term but identified actions needed for long-term protection. Those actions include a study on elevated manganese concentrations, updates to laboratory reporting limits, and an evaluation of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in groundwater. The next five-year review is scheduled for 2031. The site has not been deleted from the NPL.

Community members can review the 2026 Five-Year Review publicly. Administrative records are available online or in person at the Allegany County Library at 31 Washington Street in Cumberland, Maryland, or at the EPA Region III office in Philadelphia by appointment. Two EPA staff members handle questions about the site directly.