The E.H. Schilling Landfill sits in rural Hamilton Township, Lawrence County, Ohio. It accepted industrial hazardous and non-hazardous wastes from 1969 to 1980, including styrene, phenol, acetone, coal tar compounds, and wastewater treatment sludge. Ohio shut it down in 1980 for permit violations. EPA added the site to the National Priorities List (NPL) in September 1983. The NPL is the federal list of contaminated sites that need further study and cleanup.
Contaminants spread into soil, sediment, groundwater, leachate, and surface water. EPA identified 22 contaminants of concern. These include metals like arsenic, manganese, and nickel, and organic chemicals like benzene, ethylbenzene, phenol, and 1,2-dichloroethane. Benzo[a]pyrene was found in soil and sediment. These substances posed unacceptable risks to human health or the environment.
EPA issued a Record of Decision in September 1989 selecting the cleanup approach. The plan covered removing and treating liquid waste, capping the landfill, installing a grout curtain to block water infiltration, and treating contaminated groundwater using air stripping and carbon adsorption. A slurry wall was added to contain contamination. Construction finished in August 1993. Cleanup has been carried out through federal, state, and potentially responsible party efforts. The potentially responsible parties continue operation and maintenance activities.
Human exposure is under control, and contaminated groundwater is stabilized in its original area. The site was determined ready for anticipated reuse in 2012. Five-year reviews have been conducted regularly since 1997. The most recent review, completed in July 2022, confirmed that response actions are protective in the short term. To stay protective long-term, repairs to the dam face are needed due to erosion and burrowing animals, and institutional controls must be maintained and enforced. Those controls include groundwater use restrictions, land use restrictions that prohibit interference with the landfill cap and on-site soil, and zoning rules that prevent residential development. The site has not yet been deleted from the NPL. The next five-year review is estimated for July through September 2027.
Community members can view site records in person at the Briggs Lawrence County Public Library at 321 S. 4th Street in Ironton, Ohio (phone: 740-532-1124). For questions, contact the EPA Community Involvement Coordinator or Remedial Project Manager. Ohio EPA questions can be directed to the agency.
