Ohio

The Vandale Junkyard NPL site was operated as a permitted junkyard for over 40 years, and was included on the NPL in 1986. After extensive site investigation activities conducted by others, U.S. EPA Region 5 issued the Record of Decision (ROD) in 1994 calling for a non-time critical remedy involving capping. During the junkyard's active life, waste in one area of the site was ignited at the top of a 150-ft high slope, which resulted in a solid waste residue (SWR) consisting of glass, metal debris, and ash mixed with soil. The SWR was pushed down the slope over the natural colluvium present over bedrock. The planned remedy developed by others for the site included placement of stockpiled waste from other areas of the site over the SWR and a final cover system installed over the placed waste materials. At the onset of remedy implementation, it was discovered that the hillside was geologically unstable and the surficial SWR and colluvial soil were actively creeping downslope. The EPA required the site PRP group to quickly investigate the cause of the geologic instability and to develop a revised site design to stabilize the slope and achieve the environmental remedial action objectives. The PRPs retained Geosyntec to undertake this scope of work.