Bowers Landfill

Overview

Bowers Landfill is a 12-acre former dump site in Circleville, Ohio, that accepted domestic, industrial, and chemical waste from 1958 to 1968. Companies including DuPont and Pittsburgh Plate Glass deposited waste there. After active use ended, unauthorized dumping of chemical and industrial waste, large appliances, and used tires continued. EPA added the site to the Superfund National Priorities List in September 1983.

Contamination spread across soil, sediment, surface water, and groundwater. EPA identified 32 contaminants of concern, including volatile organic compounds such as benzene and tetrachloroethene, heavy metals including lead, barium, and mercury, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), the pesticide chlordane, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons such as benzo(a)pyrene. The Scioto River lies to the west and is used for boating, fishing, and swimming. No drinking water wells sit between the landfill and the river.

Cleanup work included removing surface debris and contaminated waste, installing a four-foot-thick clay and soil cap, improving drainage and erosion control, adding a landfill gas venting system, installing new groundwater monitoring wells, and fencing the perimeter. A seven-acre wetland was created in the Scioto River floodplain to help protect the cap by absorbing and slowly releasing excess water. Construction finished in December 1992. EPA deleted the site from the National Priorities List in October 1997.

EPA has determined that human exposure is under control across the entire site, with no unacceptable human exposure pathways currently present. Contaminated groundwater migration is stabilized, and there is no unacceptable discharge to surface water. The site achieved sitewide ready for anticipated reuse status in February 2008. The most recent five-year review, completed in March 2022, found that cleanup actions protect human health and the environment in the short term. Long-term protectiveness requires updating environmental covenants to allow light recreational uses on site. The next five-year review is estimated between March and May 2027. Operation and maintenance activities, performed by the state, are estimated to continue through late 2027.

The site now supports recreational activities including hunting, fishing, canoeing, and wildlife photography, and provides habitat for plants, birds, fish, and animals. Land use restrictions remain in place. Community members with questions can contact the EPA's Remedial Project Manager.