Buckingham County Landfill

Overview

The Buckingham County Landfill sits on eight acres near Dillwyn, Virginia. It was placed on the National Priorities List (NPL) in 1989. The site includes a two-acre hazardous waste disposal area where solvent and paint waste were dumped into trenches and still bottoms were buried. About 1,100 people use wells within three miles of the site, and roughly 40 live within half a mile.

The main contamination concern is groundwater. Investigators found very high levels of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), including trichloroethene, tetrachloroethene, and benzene, along with 1,4-dioxane. These contaminants have migrated past compliance monitoring wells at levels exceeding cleanup standards. Heavy metals like chromium and nickel were found in soil, along with pesticide residues including DDT and its breakdown products. EPA has identified 28 chemicals of concern at the site overall.

A landfill cap was completed in 1998, and groundwater monitoring has continued since then. The 1994 Record of Decision (ROD) called for capping the hazardous waste area and monitoring groundwater, with a backup plan to pump and treat groundwater if contamination spread. Institutional controls, including deed restrictions, prohibit residential and groundwater use within and near the source area. Quarterly testing of the two closest residential wells since 1996 has consistently shown they are safe for drinking. A 2009 EPA study also found no landfill contamination impact in nearby private wells.

The 2023 Five-Year Review found the remedy protective of human health and the environment in the short term. There are no complete exposure pathways to contaminated site materials, and site groundwater is not being used. However, long-term protectiveness requires completing a Focused Feasibility Study to address groundwater contamination beyond the compliance monitoring wells, plus implementation of additional groundwater controls. A new ROD for the RCRA Area operable unit is anticipated between January and March 2028. The next five-year review is scheduled for August 2028.

Community members can review the 2024 Community Involvement Plan, fact sheets, and site documents online or at the Buckingham County Library in Dillwyn, Virginia, or the EPA Region 3 office in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The EPA also has two contacts available to answer questions directly.