The Sanitary Landfill Co. site, also known as Industrial Waste Disposal Co., Inc. and Cardington Road Landfill, sits on 36 acres in Moraine, Ohio near Dayton. It was a sand and gravel mine in the 1950s and 1960s before operating as a landfill from 1971 to 1980, accepting municipal and industrial wastes including solvents. EPA added it to the National Priorities List in June 1986. The site achieved sitewide ready for anticipated reuse status in October 2018 and remains on the National Priorities List.
EPA identified more than 80 contaminants at the site. These include volatile organic compounds (VOCs) such as benzene, trichloroethene, and chloroform, as well as metals including lead, arsenic, chromium, and mercury. Contamination was found in groundwater, surface water, soil, sediment, air, and leachate. EPA determined that these substances pose an unacceptable risk to human health or the environment. Health risks come from people ingesting or touching contaminated soil and groundwater.
Cleanup started under a legal agreement between EPA, Ohio EPA, and potentially responsible parties in December 1987. EPA selected the remedy in September 1993. It included placing an engineered cap over the landfill, installing a gas extraction and treatment system, adding surface runoff controls and drainage channels, restricting site access, and setting up long-term monitoring. Note that one source states construction was completed in 1998, while another states it was completed in June 2011. EPA completed its fifth five-year review in August 2022 and found the remedy is functioning as intended.
EPA has determined that human exposure is under control, with no unacceptable exposure pathways currently present. Contaminated groundwater migration is also stabilized, with no unacceptable discharge to surface water. However, the 2022 five-year review identified several actions still needed, including developing an Institutional Controls Implementation Assurance Plan, updating the operations and maintenance plan, installing additional monitoring wells, testing for emerging contaminants such as PFAS and 1,4-dioxane, and maintaining perimeter fencing. The next five-year review is scheduled for 2027.
Community members who want to stay informed or get involved can review site records at two public repositories: the Dayton Metro Library at 215 E. Third Street in Dayton, and the City of Moraine at 4200 Dryden Road in Moraine. For direct questions, contact EPA's Community Involvement Coordinator.
