Adams County Quincy Landfills 2&3

Overview

The Adams County Quincy Landfills 2 and 3 site covers 56 acres about five miles east of Quincy, Illinois. The landfill operated from 1967 to 1978, accepting refuse, domestic waste, and industrial waste under both private and city management. It was closed and capped in mid-1979. EPA added it to the Superfund National Priorities List (NPL) in 1990 after groundwater contamination was identified.

EPA has identified 29 contaminants of concern at the site. These include volatile organic compounds (VOCs) such as benzene, toluene, trichloroethene, vinyl chloride, tetrachloroethene, and dichloromethane, along with other chlorinated compounds like 1,1,1-trichloroethane and dichloroethene, plus acetone and xylene. Most were detected in both leachate and groundwater.

The selected cleanup remedy included fencing the landfill, connecting nearby residences to the public water supply, recapping and re-grading the landfill, installing a leachate collection system, and placing deed restrictions on the property. Most of this work was in place by late 1998, with remedial action formally concluded on March 31, 1999. Groundwater monitoring ended in 2007 after contaminant levels met the conditions of a 1996 Consent Order with the State of Illinois. A 2013 sampling round confirmed that landfill-related contaminant concentrations had declined or stayed stable, and groundwater monitoring wells were abandoned in July 2013. Institutional controls, including zoning restrictions that prevent residential development and other incompatible uses, remain in place. Ongoing activities focus on security and monitoring the leachate collection system and landfill cap integrity.

The site remains on the NPL. The most recent five-year review, completed in March 2023, did not reach a final determination on whether the remedy fully protects human health and the environment. That determination is deferred pending further actions by the Quincy Remedial Design and Remedial Action Group, expected to be completed by 2026. Both human exposure and groundwater migration are listed as having insufficient data to draw firm conclusions at this time. The next five-year review is estimated between March and May 2028. The State of Illinois EPA serves as the lead oversight agency.

Community members with questions can contact EPA's Community Involvement Coordinator, Kayla Butler, by phone or email. The EPA Remedial Project Manager, Jennifer Braveboy, is also available. Illinois EPA staff, including Project Manager Brian Conrath and Community Relations Coordinator Cassandra Metz, can be reached as well. The Fifth Five-Year Review Report from 2023 is available for public review through EPA's Superfund records system.