History:
This 11.5 acre Summit National Liquid Disposal Services dump site
is a former coal strip mine containing a coal wash pond and a coal
stockpile. From 1972 to 1978, the site was used as a waste disposal
facility and received such wastes as oils, resins, paint, and metal
plating sludges, flammable solvents, and chlorinated solvents. Two
surface water ponds and an incinerator were located on the site.
Some wastes were incinerated, others were buried, and some were
dumped on the soil. In 1978, Ohio EPA ordered Summit National to
cease receiving wastes and to remove all wastes from the site. Instead,
the facility closed, leaving 16,000 drums and 300,000 gallons of
waste on site, as well as contaminated soils, ground water, and
surface water. There are several agricultural fields located within
a few thousand feet of the site. Berlin Lake Reservoir is located
about one mile southeast of the site. The site was placed on the
National Priorities List in 1983.
Current Status:
The investigation found contamination on-site of the ground water,
soil, and pond sediments and surface water. In 1990, the estimate
for cleanup fluctuated between $34 million and $25 million. The
revised $25 million plan calls for only the surface soil to be incinerated.
The aquifier will not be cleaned up (cleanup would take 30 years).
Instead, a gravel-lined ditch will be used to collect water from
the aquaifier.
Exposure Assessment:
In 1984, US EPA found concentrations of PCBs on and off the site,
as well as runoffs containing benzene and polychlorinated biphenyls.
Officials are concerned that the dump has contaminated the ground
water and can affect the 209 wells within three miles of the site.
The Berlin Lake Reservoir is a standby water supply for the City
of Youngstown. The reservoir is threatened because a contaminated
waste lagoon overflowed into the tributary of the reservoir.
Source Information:
(1) US EPA National Priorities List Site: Ohio, Sept. 1990, Summit
National Liquid Disposal Services, pages 56-57, EPA/540/4-90/035,
(2) "Action at Dump Ordered", Jim Carney, The Beacon
Journal, April 10, 1987, (3) "$400,000 Toxic Pond Cleanup
at Deerfield Nearly Completed," Jim Carney, The Beacon
Journal, May 8, 1987, (4) "Group Likes Pact for Cleanup,"
Bob Downing, The Beacon Journal, July 3, 1990, (5) "Hearing
Aug. 1 on Deerfield Cleanup," Bob Dowling, The Beacon Journal,
July 24,1990, (6) "More than 100 Crowd Hall to Hear US Plan
to Cleanup Deerfield Dump," The Beacon Journal, Aug.
2, 1990. |