Tomah Armory

Overview

The Tomah Armory site covers about 10 acres in the northeastern part of Tomah, Wisconsin. From the late 1940s until around 1955, the city operated an open, unlined landfill there that accepted municipal, industrial, and construction waste. That landfill left soil and groundwater contaminated with lead and trichloroethene, also called trichloroethylene. Both contaminants are found in groundwater. EPA added the site to the National Priorities List in July 1987 after an initial assessment in March 1984.

In 1968, the City of Tomah sold part of the site to the Wisconsin Department of Military Affairs, which built a Wisconsin Army National Guard armory there. That armory remains in operation today. A remedial investigation began in May 1993, and EPA selected the final remedy in September 1997. The cleanup approach kept waste material in place under existing soil cover and buildings, added groundwater monitoring, and put limits on how the land and groundwater can be used. Before and after the sale, some landfill material was excavated and disposed of off-site in several areas. Construction was completed in September 1997. An Explanation of Significant Differences issued in September 2014 added institutional controls to the remedy.

Human exposure is currently under control, with no unacceptable exposure pathways identified. Contaminated groundwater migration is stabilized, and there is no unacceptable discharge to surface water. A responsible party continues groundwater monitoring and maintains a cap at the site. The City of Tomah operates a wastewater treatment plant on the property, and as of December 2024, two on-site businesses employed 12 people and generated about $255,000 in annual sales. EPA declared the site ready for anticipated reuse in September 2011 and deleted it from the National Priorities List in February 2019.

EPA is currently conducting its sixth five-year review of the site, as required by Superfund law, with the next review estimated between September and November 2026. Site documents are available through EPA systems, and the public can review records at the Tomah Public Library at 716 Superior Avenue in Tomah. Community members with questions can contact the EPA staff assigned to the site.