Investigating Ground Water Contamination at Ohio’s C&DD

Landfills Aaron Shear

Ohio’s Solid Waste and C&DD Program

Annual MeetingMay 9, 2013

A Collaborative Effort Between

Division of Materials and Waste

Management

Division of Drinking and Ground Waters

Program Background

In 2005, Ohio legislature enacted ORC 3714.071

• Established funding mechanism for conducting ground water monitoring at licensed C&DD facilities operating before April 15, 2005.

• The fund may not be used to pay for ground water monitoring activities required to comply with rules adopted under ORC 3714.02

• Authorized expenditures include installation of ground water monitoring wells, GW sampling, and laboratory analysis.

Licensed C&DD

FacilitiesApproximately 43 Currently Licensed

Facilities

ORC 3714.071

FundsCurrent fee for disposal of construction and demolition debris- $0.10/ton

• $0.08 to Ohio EPA (April 2013 ~ $1.3 Million)

• $0.02 to approved Health District ($35 ~ $110,000)

Priority Criteria

Creation of a numerical evaluation system which will prioritize C&DD Facilities

• Similar to numerical scoring sheet• Open Dump / Abandoned Landfill Evaluation used by the

Closed Landfills & Orphaned Site Evaluation & Rating (CLOSER) Team

Prioritize C&DD facilities based on threat to:

Public Health

Safety

Environment

Priority Criteria

Public Health Criteria

Protection of Critical Drinking Water ResourcesProtection of Aquifer Susceptible to

ContaminationConditions Conducive to Ground Water

ContaminationEngineering Controls

Ground Water Monitoring

Site Specific Factors

Priority Criteria

pHGI Objectives• Evaluate the potential for a release of C&DD-derived

constituents to ground water downgradient of the limits of debris placement.

• Evaluate the adequacy of the ground water monitoring network for early detection of a release to ground water.

Preliminary Hydrogeologic Investigation (pHGI)

“Paper Study” of hydrogeology and other available facility data

• No monitoring well installation or ground water sampling• 5 possible conclusions from the pHGI

Preliminary Hydrogeologic Investigation (pHGI)

pHGI - Research

File Search – Health Department

Site Characterization Report (SCR) from Initial License

Recent license applications

Annual Ground Water Quality Reports from facility

Notice of Violations (NOVs)

Other available data or information

Photos

Historical Arial Photography

• Google Earth• CAGIS• Other mapping programs

• Track progression of C&DD placement

• Note recent and historical surrounding land uses

pHGI - Research

ODNR Maps & Reports

County Ground-Water Resource map

• Bedrock topography, glacial geology and other maps & reports

pHGI - Research

Statistical Evaluation of GW Monitoring Data

Note statistically significant increases above background

Note increasing trends in monitoring parameters

pHGI - Research

Other Evaluation of GW Monitoring Data

• Create Iso-concentration maps of monitoring parameters

• Redox data

pHGI - Research

Site Reconnaissance

• Evaluate Current Site Conditions

Compare Site Conditions to publically-available data and information

pHGI - Research

Use of ORC 3714.071 Funds• Facility has potential to impact GW but no GW monitoring, and thus could

benefit from installation and sampling of additional wells using ORC 3714.071 funds.

• Facility has an inadequate GW monitoring network for early detection of a release and could benefit from installation and sampling of additional wells using ORC 3714.071 funds.

pHGI - Conclusions

No additional action needed

• Facility has little or no potential to impact GW and no GW monitoring, and thus no need to install wells using ORC 3714.071 funds.

• Facility has an adequate GW monitoring network for early detection of a release but no indication of impact to GW.

pHGI - Conclusions

Facility with GW monitoring and may be impacting GW

– Owner/Operator needs to conduct a GW assessment.

• Consensual or Unilateral Orders to conduct an Assessment

-OAC Rule 3745-400-10

pHGI - Conclusions

Program TimelineProgram Timeline- 2010

DDAGW & DMWM Staff begin development of numerical evaluation

system (Priority Criteria)

Begin gathering readily available facility data

and additional site resources

Program TimelineProgram Timeline- 2011Jan/Feb

Program Staff visit District

Office and Consult with Approved

Health Departments

May

Interested Party Comment

Period and Meeting with

Representatives from CDAO

June Responsiveness

Summary / Comments

Incorporated into Finalized Priority

Criteria

Summer/Fall Initial

Evaluation and Scoring of all

Licensed C&DD Facilities using Priority Criteria

Program TimelineProgram Timeline- 2012Preliminary

Hydrogeologic Investigations

were completed for 13 facilities

ORC 3714.071 Funds were

used at 2 facilities

Ground water Assessment

activities have commenced at

several facilities

Program Timeline

2013- Future• Develop pHGI for remaining facilities• Continue using ORC 3714.071 funds where needed• Conduct assessment activities where facilities may be

impacting ground water

Q&A - Comments

Aaron ShearDMWM –

Central Office614.728.5350

aaron.shear@epa.ohio.gov