Site Name: COAKLEY LANDFILL
EPA ID: NHD064424153 EPA Region: 01 Metro Statistical Area: 6450
480 BREAKFAST HILL RD, GREENLAND, NH 03840
Site Description:
FORMER SAND & GRAVEL OPERATION COVERS 20 ACRES IN RESI AREA.SANI LF PERMIT GRANTED 1971. WASTES INCL. MUNI/INDUST, COMM.& ASH FROM REFUSE-TO-ENERGY PLT. SITE SUSPECT IN CONTAM. OF 20 RESI WELLS WITH VOLATILE ORGANICS.
Operable Unit: 02
ROD ID: EPA/ROD/R01-94/090 ROD Date: 09/30/94
Contaminant: VOCs, chloroethane, 1,1-dichloroethane, chlorobenzene, ethyl benzene, benzene
O&M Costs: $98,000 Estimated Costs: $1,412,000
Keys: Landfill, institutional controls, groundwater monitoring, natural attenuation, groundwater contamination, drinking water contamination
Abstract:
Please note that the text in this document summarizes the Record of Decision for the purposes of facilitating searching and retrieving key text on the ROD. It is not the officially approved abstract drafted by the EPA Regional offices. Once EPA Headquarters receives the official abstract, this text will be replaced.
The 100-acre Coakley Landfill site is located in the Towns of Greenland and North Hampton, New Hampshire. Land use in the area is predominantly agricultural, commercial, or residential with a wetlands area located west of the site.
The Coakley Landfill began operation as a sand and gravel quarry in 1965. Landfill operations began in 1972. From 1973 to 1977, rock quarrying was conducted at the site. Much of the refuse disposed of at the landfill was placed in open trenches created by rock quarrying sand gravel mining. In 1978 and 1979, oil-soaked debris was placed in the northern section of the landfill. The exact volume of the material is unknown. In 1981, the State of New Hampshire granted a nearby town permission to dispose of pesticide waste containers at the landfill. From July 1982 to July 1985, municipalities began transporting their refuse to the landfill for incineration. In 1983, the Bureau of Solid Waste Management ordered that all waste must be incinerated before disposal in the landfill. Prior to incineration, approximately 120 tons per day of waste were disposed of at the landfill.
In 1979, leachate breakouts were detected in the surrounding areas of the landfill. In 1983, the testing of the water quality from a drinking water well revealed the presence of five different VOCs. The site was listed on the NPL in 1983 and in July 1985, the landfill ceased operations. In August 1985, an RI/FS was conducted and a ROD was written for source control (operable unit 1). This ROD addressed capping the landfill and groundwater extraction. A second RI/FS was conducted in 1994 to investigate methods for managing migration of contaminants.
This ROD addresses OU2 which provides for remediation of contaminants which have migrated from the site. Studies identified ingestion of groundwater as the principal threat to human health. EPA considers the environmental risk posed by the site to be low.
Remedy:
The selected remedial action for this site includes using institutional controls (such as deed restrictions) to prevent use of contaminated groundwater; using natural attenuation for the contaminated groundwater plume; and groundwater monitoring.