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Community Relations - Fact Sheets

Centralia Environmental Services, Inc.,
Prior-Blackwell and Prior 1,2,3 and 4

Fact Sheet #3
May 2002

Centralia, Illinois

Background

The three landfills are located in Marion County approximately two miles south of Centralia, Illinois on Perrine Avenue south of Webster Creek. The Burlington Northern Railroad bisects the landfill areas. South and west of the landfills are several residences. The Centralia landfill sites are three of thirty-three (33) abandoned landfills that Illinois EPA identified in 1998 as critical environmental problems that need to be addressed. In 1999, Governor George H. Ryan and Illinois lawmakers included $50 million in the Illinois FIRST program to address problems posed by these abandoned landfills.

Prior 1,2,3,4 Landfill, consisting of 29 acres west of the Burlington Northern Railroad, was permitted 1975. Inactive since 1987, it was not certified closed by Illinois EPA and has erosion features and ponding water. The Prior-Blackwell Landfill, consisting of 7.75 acres north of the Prior 1,2,3,4 Landfill, was permitted in 1981 and closed in 1986.

Centralia Environmental Services, Inc. (CESI) Landfill (35 acres) is located immediately east of the other two. The Burlington Northern Railroad borders the west side of the landfill. Two intermittent streams cross the site. Permitted for municipal waste and special nonhazardous waste in 1986, areas I, II and III were filled with waste and had a partial soil cover. The permit to operate Area IV was denied, resulting in an extremely steep excavation face - 30 to 50 feet high by 500 feet long - when operations at the site stopped in 1989. The landfill is not certified closed.

The planned landfill caps will increase surface drainage and minimize the infiltration of water into the landfills, which comes in contact with waste to form leachate. The leachate is a pollution threat to the nearby streams and groundwater. Construction work on CESI began in 2001, while work is just beginning on Prior-Blackwell and Prior 1,2,3, 4 Landfills.

Has Illinois EPA's contractor completed the construction work at the Centralia Environmental Services site?	Work that Bodine Environmental Services, the contractor for the state of Illinois, has completed includes: Reshaping the surface grade on the landfill to improve the slopes for proper drainage; Installing 18 inches of compacted clay as the first step in constructing the landfill cap; and Installing four passive gas vents Bodine Environmental Services will complete the installation of 12 inches of topsoil on the cap and expects to seed it with various native grasses in spring 2002. Other work includes completion of a fence around the entire site.
Will there be ongoing monitoring of the site?	Yes. It is important that the vegetation on the cap becomes firmly established to avoid erosion problems. Illinois EPA has committed to two years of limited oversight. This includes: Monitoring the cap for erosion and making repairs as necessary Monitoring the vegetative cover Maintaining the fence and warning signs Performing prescribed burns on the prairie grass every two years. Illinois EPA is hopeful that Marion County will agree to assist the State with monitoring the site regarding the integrity of the cap and fence, dumping, and trespassing.
What is the total cost of the project at the CESI Landfill?	The total cost for the site work on CESI performed by the state of Illinois is approximately $ 1.5 million.
Who owns the site?	John Prior is the owner of record for all three landfill sites.
Can Illinois EPA prevent the site owner (who defaulted on the site work) from benefiting from the improvements or damaging the work that has been done with state money?	The Illinois Attorney General's Office (IAGO) or the County States Attorney have the authority to pursue cases against anyone who would cause damage to work done by Illinois EPA and could threaten to pollute the environment or threaten human health.
Can the public make use of the site for recreational purposes?	The CESI site is private property. However, Illinois EPA points out that, since the landfill was not properly closed, certain uses not related to the landfill permit could result in legal action. Also, public or private activities such as four-wheeling, motorcycle riding and hiking could damage the cap, causing it to erode. Such damage could allow water to run through the landfill and produce leachate, which could pollute Webster creek. In addition, potentially dangerous methane gases will continue to emit from vents and flares for several years.
Do the new landfill rules safeguard against this type of degraded, messy site happening again?	Yes. The newer rules provide that a landfill must be located in an area that won't threaten groundwater or surface water. A new landfill must be built with a liner to prevent leachate migration to groundwater, and a leachate collection system must be installed each time a new landfill disposal cell is built. The rules also call for storage and treatment of the leachate. In addition, if the landfill is of a certain size, air pollution rules apply regarding capture of methane gas. A further provision in the new landfill regulations also requires substantial financial assurance by the landfill owner to ensure that funds are available for proper closure and long-term site maintenance.
What is the scope of work to be done at the Prior Blackwell and Prior 1,2,3 and 4 sites?	It is much the same as what has been done at the CESI site. The only differences in the work on the Prior-Blackwell and Prior 1,2,3, 4 from the CESI are that the cap includes a drainage layer and six more inches of clay. Work plans also include installation of gas vents, a fence around the site and use of native grasses
When will the work begin?	The construction work will begin in June 2002 and will take approximately 200 calendar days. The contractor expects to be finished with construction of the cap in December 2002 and to begin seeding the topsoil in the spring of 2003.
How much will the corrective action on the Prior sites cost the state?	The total cost of constructing the final cap for the Prior-Blackwell and the Prior 1,2,3,4 Landfills is estimated to be $ 3 million.

Note:

Public use of this site should be eliminated. Heavy equipment and major construction work scheduled for the site are inherently dangerous. The Illinois EPA is aware of evidence of four-wheeling, motorcycle riding and other types of trespassing that have occurred at the site in the past. There is also evidence of illegal dumping at the site.