Dakhue Sanitary Landfill

Overview

The Dakhue Sanitary Landfill sits on Hogan Avenue in Hampton Township, about three miles north of Cannon Falls, Minnesota. It operated from 1971 to 1988 on 28 acres of an 80-acre property in Dakota County, taking in municipal, commercial, and small amounts of industrial waste. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency added it to the National Priorities List in 1990 and removed it in 1995 after cleanup construction was finished.

The site has 22 contaminants of concern, all found in groundwater. These include volatile organic compounds (VOCs) such as benzene, trichloroethene, tetrachloroethene, and vinyl chloride. Heavy metals and metalloids include lead, beryllium, silver, and cobalt. The site also contains phthalates like bis(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate and dibutyl phthalate, along with naturally occurring elements such as calcium, iron, magnesium, potassium, and sodium.

Cleanup work was organized into three operable units covering sitewide management, source control, and groundwater. Source control work ran from June 1992 through March 1993 and included building an engineered cap over the landfill, installing a landfill gas collection and treatment system, and adding drainage and erosion controls. The groundwater remedy, selected in a 1993 Record of Decision, relies on monitored natural attenuation and institutional controls. In 2003, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) upgraded the gas system to active collection with combustion in an enclosed flare. Construction across the site was complete by 1994, and the site reached sitewide ready for anticipated reuse status in 2009.

Human exposure to contamination is currently under control, with no unacceptable human exposure pathways identified. However, groundwater migration status remains uncertain due to insufficient data on whether contaminated groundwater migration has stabilized. The EPA continues monitoring to track conditions. The MPCA now oversees the site through its Closed Landfill Program, maintaining the cap, operating the gas system, and monitoring groundwater. Institutional controls include a zoning designation of "Closed Landfill Restricted" adopted by Hampton Township in 2004, along with increased setback zones and groundwater-use restrictions. The most recent five-year review was completed in January 2024.

Community members with questions can contact the EPA's Remedial Project Manager. Site records are also available through the MPCA office at 520 Lafayette Road N. in St. Paul.