Woodstock Municipal Landfill

Overview

The Woodstock Municipal Landfill covers 50 acres in Woodstock, Illinois. It operated as an open burning dump from 1935 to 1958, then as a burial site for municipal and industrial waste until it closed in 1975. EPA added it to the National Priorities List (NPL) in 1989 after inspectors found leachate seeping from the waste. The site is divided into two operable units: a sitewide area and the municipal landfill disposal area.

EPA identified over 200 contaminants of concern across groundwater, soil, and sediment. These include volatile organic compounds such as benzene, toluene, trichloroethane, and vinyl chloride. Heavy metals found in soil and groundwater include arsenic, cadmium, chromium, lead, mercury, nickel, and zinc. Semi-volatile compounds include chlorinated benzenes, naphthalene, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons like benzo(a)pyrene, and phthalates. Other substances detected include phenol, nitrobenzene, and pentachlorophenol.

Cleanup work is being carried out by potentially responsible parties under state and federal oversight. The remedial investigation ran from 1989 to 1993, when the first remedy was selected. A record of decision amendment in 1998 updated the approach to include monitored natural attenuation, excavation, onsite consolidation, and wetlands replacement, alongside capping, monitoring, and institutional controls. Physical construction ran from August 1999 through September 2000. A sports complex with six soccer fields opened on part of the site in 2007.

The site is currently in the operation and maintenance phase. This involves monitoring the landfill cap and leachate quality. Human exposure is under control, with no unacceptable exposure pathways identified. Groundwater migration is also under control, with no unacceptable discharge to surface water. Wetland restoration is the only outstanding work and remains ongoing. EPA completed its most recent five-year review in September 2025, confirming the remedy continues to protect human health and the environment. The site achieved sitewide ready for anticipated reuse status in February 2011 but remains on the NPL.

Community members with questions can contact the EPA staff assigned to the site. Trespassers who enter the site could be exposed to site-related contaminants, which could pose an unacceptable health risk, so public access controls remain important.