Community Relations - Fact Sheets

Brockman I Landfill
Remedy Completed

Fact Sheet #2
June 2005

Ottawa, Illinois

What is the problem with the Brockman I landfill?

Brockman I is an 18-acre inactive landfill that is located in an area approximately three miles southwest of Ottawa that previously had been strip-mined. The landfill was operated by Wilmer Brockman, Jr., between 1970 and 1979, accepting a wide range of hazardous and non-hazardous waste from industrial and municipal sources. Waste included paint and plating sludges, organic solvents and cyanides. Illinois EPA records show a history of mis-management at the site, and the landfill was not properly capped and closed when it ceased operations in 1979. Without proper cover, melting snow and rain could enter the landfill, washing contaminants from the waste into the groundwater below.

In May 2005, the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (Illinois EPA) signed off on the completed remedy at the old Brockman I Landfill located southwest of Ottawa. The work was the result of a 2003 consent order between the state of Illinois and 19 settling parties who either owned the property or brought waste to the landfill when it was in operation between 1970 and 1979.

What is the remedy? A major component of the remedy is a cap. A cap is a covering over the landfill that will prevent precipitation from entering the landfill and washing contaminants in the waste into the groundwater below. The final cap is actually more protective than the cap specified in the 2003 consent order. The final cap-- in layers from top to bottom—is shown at the left. The GCL is nearly impermeable. Moisture would move only approximately one eighth of an inch per year through this material and then would have to move through the low permeability layer of mine spoil and the grading layer mine spoil before reaching groundwater. Most, if not all, of the soil moisture, however, is expected to be taken up by the grass on the top of the cap so it would not reach the GCL. The plants release unused water to the air in a process called evapotranspiration.

What are the other parts of the remedy? The other parts of the remedy include surface water and sediment controls and a passive landfill gas venting system. The 19 parties also agreed to maintain the cap for ten years, monitor the groundwater for 15 years and to pay the state of Illinois $350,000 reimbursement costs the state has incurred during the project.

What is the passive venting system? As waste decomposes, it generates gas. When a cap is placed over the top of a landfill, the gas needs a route to escape. Passive vents installed within a few feet of the bottom of the landfill waste will allow this gas to escape. The vents are far enough from houses that nearby residents should smell no odors. In addition, a system of three shallow landfill gas probes was placed along the northern boundary of the site to monitor the possible migration of landfill gas off-site through the soil.

Who will maintain the cap after 10 years? The landfill cap should be stable after the first five years, but the settling parties will continue to provide cap maintenance for an additional five years. The Illinois EPA will also monitor the cap during and after the 10-year period.

Are area private wells endangered? The private wells in the area are not in the path of the groundwater flowing out of Brockman I. The Illinois EPA and the responsible parties have installed numerous monitoring wells in and around the landfill. Information from these monitoring wells not only shows contaminant levels but also establishes the direction of groundwater flow. The consent decree requires responsible parties to monitor these wells for 15 years to evaluate ongoing conditions.

Brockman I Landfill before the cap was constructed in 2005.

All pictures below are courtesy of Conestoga-Rovers & Associates

The "before" pictures were taken in 2003 and 2004 so do not show the condition of the landfill before the responsible parties graded it in 1997. Before becoming a landfill, the Brockman I site had been strip mined for coal and looked similar to this nearby property only flatter. Brockman I also had leachate seeps and exposed waste.

Oct 28, 2003 View image JPG 48K	Exposed debris on the north side of the Brockman I landfill.	Oct 28, 2003 View image JPG 49K	Crevice caused by erosion on the southside side of the Brockman I Landfill.
Jun 14, 2004 View image JPG 49K	Exposed debris on the northeast corner Brockman I landfill.	Oct 28, 2003 View image JPG 49K	Erosion and waste on the south side of the Brockman I Landfill.
Jun 14, 2004 View image JPG 48K	The north west part of the Brockman I landfill.

Brockman I Landfill after it was capped in 2005

All pictures and videos below are courtesy of Conestoga-Rovers & Associates

Brockman I landfill on May 17, 2005 after the cap was installed and grass established. The video files provided below are in the Apple QuickTime format®. You will need the free QuickTime software to view this content.

May 17, 2005 View image JPG 48K	From the center of the landfill facing west. The grass will prevent soil erosion, protect the cap and take up much of the preciptation that falls on the landfill so moisture does not penetrate into the landfill--washing contaminants into the groundwater below.	May 17, 2005 View video QuickTime 3.9MB	The south pond of the Brockman I Landfill. This pond was constructed to handle stormwater. The video shows a 360 degree perspective starting from the west.
May 17, 2005 View video QuickTime 5.5MB	The northeast corner of the Brockman I Landfill. The pipe is a passive vent installed within in few feet of the bottom of the landfill. When landfill waste decomposes it creates gas. These vents allow the gas to escape. The vents are far enough from houses that nearby residents should smell no odors.	May 17, 2005 View video QuickTime 7.3MB	Looking south from the east side of the Brockman I Landfill.

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