Fadrowski Drum Disposal covers 20 acres at 6800 South 27th Street in Franklin, Wisconsin. The site accepted demolition and construction waste from 1970 to 1982. Buried drums holding liquids and sludges were later discovered there, and studies in the late 1980s and early 1990s confirmed chemical contamination in groundwater and an on-site creek. The site was added to the federal Superfund National Priorities List (NPL) in June 1986 and was deleted from that list in September 2005 after cleanup goals were met.
EPA identified 16 contaminants of concern at the site, found in solid waste, groundwater, and soil. These include Aroclor 1254, arsenic, barium, benzene, chromium, cyanide, lead, mercury, p,p'-DDT, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, semi-volatile organic compounds, and toluene, among other hazardous substances.
Cleanup actions included removing buried drums and contaminated soil, closing an on-site pond, capping waste with a landfill cover, installing a system to keep landfill liquids on the property, fencing the site, and establishing institutional controls. Construction finished in August 1995. Menards, Inc., which purchased the site in 1983 and built a Home Improvement Center there, signed a legal agreement with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR) in 2005 to handle ongoing operation and maintenance. In 2001, EPA relaxed deed restrictions to allow limited commercial development in buffer areas around the site because conditions had remained stable. An 11-acre capped landfill area has no redevelopment planned, and the cap, containment system, and monitoring wells must be maintained as long as waste stays in place.
Human exposure is under control, groundwater contamination is stabilized, and none of the groundwater contaminants exceed federal drinking water safety limits. EPA completed its sixth five-year review in September 2023, confirming the remedy continues to protect public health and the environment. The next review is estimated between September and November 2028.
Community members can review site records at the Franklin Public Library at 9151 W. Loomis Road in Franklin, Wisconsin. A full copy of the 2023 five-year review report is also available for public review.
