Wauconda Sand & Gravel

Overview

Wauconda Sand & Gravel is a former quarry and municipal landfill in Wauconda, Lake County, Illinois. It accepted roughly 3 to 3.2 million cubic yards of waste, mostly residential garbage, across about 50 acres from the mid-1950s until closure in 1978. The site was added to the Superfund National Priorities List in the early 1980s, with a partial deletion of the soil portion completed in February 2023. Groundwater remediation remains ongoing, so that portion of the site stays on the list.

Sampling after closure found contamination in groundwater, leachate, and landfill gas. Groundwater contains metals such as arsenic, lead, chromium, cadmium, and nickel, along with volatile organic compounds including benzene, vinyl chloride, and trichloroethene, plus pesticides such as dieldrin, heptachlor, and lindane. Leachate contains arsenic, cadmium, chromium, copper, cyanide, manganese, and zinc, among others. Landfill gas contains benzene, vinyl chloride, and tetrachloroethene. EPA has identified 43 contaminants of concern across the site.

Cleanup work has addressed the landfill cap, leachate, and gas. Responsible parties and EPA upgraded the clay and soil cap, regraded and revegetated the surface, installed a leachate collection system to protect nearby Mutton Creek, added gas vents, and put up a perimeter fence. More than 400 nearby residents received connections to public water mains. Land and groundwater use restrictions were put in place. Construction was completed in August 1996. The site reached sitewide ready for anticipated reuse status in September 2016.

As of September 2022, EPA's most recent five-year review found the remedy currently protects human health and the environment. Human exposure pathways are under control, and contaminated groundwater migration is stabilized with no unacceptable discharge to surface water. EPA still needs to finalize an institutional controls stewardship plan, resolve access issues for some monitoring wells, and test groundwater for emerging contaminants. The next five-year review is estimated between September and November 2027. Operation, maintenance, use restrictions, and monitoring will continue even after the partial deletion.

Community members with questions can contact EPA's Community Involvement Coordinator or Remedial Project Manager.