Miami County Incinerator

Overview

The Miami County Incinerator is a 65-acre Superfund site in Troy, Ohio. It opened in 1968 as an incinerator and landfill for municipal and industrial wastes. The landfills closed in 1978, and the site later became a solid waste transfer station. Improper waste disposal contaminated the groundwater, soil, and sediment, threatening the sole-source aquifer that supplies the surrounding population. The EPA placed the site on the National Priorities List in 1984.

Thirteen contaminants of concern have been identified at the site. Groundwater contaminants include 1,2-dichloroethane, antimony, arsenic, barium, bis(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate, vinyl chloride, dichloromethane, N,N-diphenylnitrous amide, tetrachloroethene, toluene, and trichloroethene. Lead and dieldrin were found in soil. These chemicals pose an unacceptable risk to human health or the environment, and cleanup workers and children playing on the site face the greatest exposure risk.

Cleanup efforts have included connecting affected residents to the public water supply, excavating contaminated soil, installing an impermeable cap over several areas, running a soil vapor extraction system, and extracting and treating groundwater. The soil vapor extraction system met its cleanup goals and was shut down in April 2005. Between four and six million gallons of contaminated groundwater are still treated each month at the Troy treatment plant. Construction at the site was completed in November 1996, and the site achieved ready-for-anticipated-reuse status in November 2008. Miami County now owns the site and runs several county facilities there, including a solid waste transfer station, sheriff's office, prison, juvenile detention center, and county engineering offices. As of December 2024, three on-site businesses employed 96 people.

Human exposure is under control across the entire site, meaning no unacceptable exposure pathways exist. Groundwater contamination is stabilized and has not spread beyond its original area. All cleanup goals have been met, and required land-use controls are in place. Operation and maintenance activities and groundwater treatment are ongoing and may continue through mid to late 2027. The site remains on the National Priorities List.

The EPA is conducting its sixth five-year review of the site, with the most recent review completed in April 2025. Community members can share comments or questions about site conditions with the EPA Remedial Project Manager or Community Involvement Coordinator.