Columbus Old Municipal Landfill #1 is a 19-acre former dump in Columbus, Indiana, that accepted household and industrial waste from 1938 to 1966 without a permit. The unlined landfill released contaminants into soil and groundwater. EPA added the site to the Superfund National Priorities List in June 1986 and later deleted it in January 2014 after cleanup goals were met.
The six contaminants of concern identified at the site are 2-butanone (methyl ethyl ketone), benzo[a]pyrene, cadmium, cyanide, lead, and naphthalene. Groundwater testing also detected arsenic, iron, manganese, total organic carbon, and total petroleum hydrocarbons at low concentrations. Risks from these contaminants are described as minimal at the levels found, with human exposure and groundwater migration both considered under control.
EPA selected a "no-further-action" remedy in 1992, then added protections because a public road was planned through part of the site. Those protections included fencing, a landfill cap, groundwater monitoring wells, and deed restrictions limiting land and water use. The City of Columbus completed a road and bridge project through the area in 1999. Cleanup construction was finished by September 1994, and the site was ready for anticipated reuse by September 2012. Operation and maintenance have continued under state oversight since then.
The sixth five-year review, completed in August 2025, found that cleanup actions match EPA's selected remedy and protect human health and the environment in the short term. The remedy is not yet fully protective in the long term because some institutional controls, such as zoning restrictions that prevent residential development, are still being put in place. EPA is working with the state and potentially responsible parties to finish implementing those controls. Groundwater monitoring will continue to confirm that contamination stays within the original area.
Community members who want to learn more or ask questions can contact EPA staff directly. Public records are also available through EPA's online database and in person at the Bartholomew County Public Library at 536 Fifth Street in Columbus, Indiana.
