Lee Acres Landfill Superfund Site, Farmington, NM Active
Lee Acres Landfill is 40 acres of public land in San Juan County southeast of Farmington, New Mexico. On May 1, 1962 the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) leased land to San Juan County to operate a county landfill. The landfill consists of an undetermined number of solid waste trenches and unlined waste lagoons.
In 1985, New Mexico Environmental Department detected chlorinated volatile organic compounds in a lagoon and in a residential well in the Lee Acres subdivision. During the same period, releases of toxic vapors from the lagoons caused about 15 people to experience a variety of health issues. BLM ordered the county to fence in the landfill, fill in the lagoons, and close the landfill. In 1986, BLM arranged for alternative drinking water supplies for the subdivision. In 1988, BLM hired a contractor to conduct a remedial investigation to determine the type and extent of the contamination. On August 30, 1990, Lee Acres Landfill was put on the National Priorities List (NPL), making it eligible for long term remedial action financed under the federal Superfund program.
Objectives:
- Implement a monitoring program to delineate the contamination plume at Lee Acres Landfill.
- Deliver groundwater level data and contamination concentrations of analytes of concern.
- Work for closure of the site.
Approach:
- Evaluate Lee Acres Landfill monitoring network.
- Develop a semi-annual sampling schedule following EPA sampling protocols.
- Develop other scientific methods of characterizing the site, to help support the closure of the site.
- Collaborate with BLM during interactions with regulatory agencies.
Lee Acres Landfill is 40 acres of public land in San Juan County southeast of Farmington, New Mexico. On May 1, 1962 the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) leased land to San Juan County to operate a county landfill. The landfill consists of an undetermined number of solid waste trenches and unlined waste lagoons.
In 1985, New Mexico Environmental Department detected chlorinated volatile organic compounds in a lagoon and in a residential well in the Lee Acres subdivision. During the same period, releases of toxic vapors from the lagoons caused about 15 people to experience a variety of health issues. BLM ordered the county to fence in the landfill, fill in the lagoons, and close the landfill. In 1986, BLM arranged for alternative drinking water supplies for the subdivision. In 1988, BLM hired a contractor to conduct a remedial investigation to determine the type and extent of the contamination. On August 30, 1990, Lee Acres Landfill was put on the National Priorities List (NPL), making it eligible for long term remedial action financed under the federal Superfund program.
Objectives:
- Implement a monitoring program to delineate the contamination plume at Lee Acres Landfill.
- Deliver groundwater level data and contamination concentrations of analytes of concern.
- Work for closure of the site.
Approach:
- Evaluate Lee Acres Landfill monitoring network.
- Develop a semi-annual sampling schedule following EPA sampling protocols.
- Develop other scientific methods of characterizing the site, to help support the closure of the site.
- Collaborate with BLM during interactions with regulatory agencies.