Novak Sanitary Landfill

Overview

Novak Sanitary Landfill covers 65 acres in South Whitehall Township, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, near Allentown. The landfill accepted demolition, municipal, and industrial wastes from the late 1950s until 1990. EPA added it to the Superfund National Priorities List in 1989 after contamination spread through soil and groundwater below the site.

Contaminants found at the site include volatile organic compounds such as tetrachloroethene, trichloroethene, benzene, toluene, and vinyl chloride. Heavy metals including lead, cadmium, arsenic, and chromium were also detected. These substances turned up in groundwater, surface water, leachate, soil, and sediment. Low levels of volatile organic compounds were found in residential wells off-site as well. EPA determined these contaminants posed an unacceptable risk based on exposure pathways and known health effects.

Cleanup work under the single operable unit, OU01, was guided by a Record of Decision issued in September 1993. Responsible parties installed a vegetated soil cap, completed in September 2002, along with a leachate collection system, landfill vents, and site fencing. The leachate collection system was later decommissioned after EPA found sufficient evidence to stop leachate extraction. An environmental covenant signed in 2011 reinforced institutional controls that restrict groundwater use, excavation, and incompatible land uses such as residential development. In March 2015, EPA published an Explanation of Significant Differences that modified the remedy by removing certain components and adjusting cleanup performance standards.

The groundwater portion of the site was partially deleted from the National Priorities List on September 25, 2019, after EPA and Pennsylvania's Department of Environmental Protection confirmed all appropriate response actions were complete except for ongoing monitoring and maintenance. The landfill and gas components remain on the list, with landfill gas monitoring still active. Operation and maintenance work began in September 2002 and continues under EPA oversight. EPA has determined that human exposure is under control across the entire site and that groundwater contamination has stabilized in its original area. The most recent five-year review, completed in 2021, confirmed the remedy continues to protect human health and the environment.

Community members who want to learn more or get involved can contact EPA's Community Involvement Coordinator. Site documents, including newsletters and explanations of significant differences, are available for public review at Parkland Community Library in Allentown or at EPA Region 3's office in Philadelphia. Those wishing to visit the Philadelphia office should call ahead at (215) 814-2396 to schedule an appointment.