Red Penn Sanitation Co. Landfill

Overview

The Red Penn Sanitation Co. Landfill covers 151 acres in Peewee Valley, Oldham County, Kentucky, near Ash Avenue and alongside Floyds Fork Creek. The site operated as a waste disposal and borrow area from 1954 to 1986, with a licensed 40-acre landfill running from 1968 to 1986. EPA added it to the National Priorities List (NPL) in 1989 after improper waste handling contaminated groundwater, leachate, soil, and surface water. Local residents used nearby creeks for fishing, swimming, and livestock watering, raising concern about exposure.

EPA identified 13 contaminants of concern across soil, groundwater, surface water, leachate, and sediment. These include alpha-, beta-, and gamma-hexachlorocyclohexane (lindane), benzene, bis(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate, cadmium, carbon disulfide, chromium, cyanide, and lead. These substances drove the cleanup decisions for the site.

Cleanup work started in 1986 when landfill operators removed 220 tons of drums and contaminated soil. Potentially responsible parties later agreed to install a landfill cap with a geosynthetic clay liner, regrade the site, place clean soil, and revegetate the property. Cap construction finished in 2000. A combined remedial investigation and feasibility study ran from August 1989 through September 2000, when EPA issued a Record of Decision selecting no further active cleanup combined with institutional controls for the site's one operable unit. Institutional controls are legal tools that restrict land use to prevent future exposure.

EPA determined that human exposure is under control across the entire site and that there are no unacceptable risks to human health or the environment. Groundwater contamination is stabilized in its original area. All cleanup goals have been met, and required land-use restrictions are in place. EPA deleted the site from the NPL in 2001. By June 2006, the site was designated as sitewide ready for anticipated reuse, meaning it can support both commercial and residential uses.

Community members with questions about the site can contact the EPA's Remedial Project Manager. EPA has used public notices and information meetings throughout the cleanup process to keep residents informed.