Moyers Landfill

Overview

Moyers Landfill sits on 65 acres in Lower Providence Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. It operated as a municipal landfill from the early 1940s until April 1981, accepting municipal waste, sewage sludge, and industrial hazardous wastes. EPA added it to the National Priorities List (NPL) in 1983. It was deleted from the NPL in 2014 after cleanup actions were completed.

The site contains 27 confirmed contaminants. These include heavy metals such as arsenic, lead, manganese, and zinc, along with volatile organic compounds (VOCs) like benzene, toluene, trichloroethene, and vinyl chloride. Contamination was found in soil, groundwater, leachate, and surface water. PCBs were detected in trout in nearby streams. More recently, PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances), a group of man-made chemicals, were found in residential wells near the site and in leachate samples collected in 2022.

EPA's 1985 cleanup plan called for capping the landfill with low-permeability soil, installing a gas vent system, building retaining walls, and collecting and treating leachate. The landfill cap was constructed between 1993 and 1994. Leachate treatment at a local sewage facility began in September 2002 and was completed in 2004. In 2011, Lower Providence Township enacted an ordinance to protect the cap through institutional controls, including zoning restrictions that prevent residential development. The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PADEP) conducts monthly inspections and maintains the leachate collection system. The 2022 Five-Year Review confirmed the remedy continues to protect human health and the environment. The next review is scheduled for 2027.

A third operable unit focused on PFAS began investigation in 2023, with a cleanup decision estimated between August and October 2028. In response to PFAS found in residential wells, EPA provided bottled water to affected residents and installed home water filtering systems. EPA and the state are expanding residential sampling and conducting surface water evaluations using infrared cameras to better define the extent of PFAS contamination. One source describes the overall cleanup as protective while another notes that human exposure status and groundwater migration status both carry an "insufficient data" designation, meaning full confirmation of control is still pending.

Community members can stay involved by joining a mailing list for updates and future meetings. A public meeting was held on May 14, 2025 at the Lower Providence Community Library in Eagleville. A frequently asked questions document is available online. To be added to the mailing list or ask questions, contact the EPA's Community Involvement Coordinator.