beacon heights landfill

BLACKBERRY HILL ROAD

The Beacon Heights Landfill site covers 34 acres on an 83-acre property. Between 1920 and 1979, the landfill was used for the disposal of industrial and municipal waste, including oils, chemical liquids, sludges, solvents, rubber, and plastics. Landfill operations included open burning, along with burial of non-combustibles. During a 1984 EPA investigation, benzene and several other solvents were detected in two private wells on Skokorat Road at levels that exceeded drinking water standards set by the State of Connecticut. Approximately 44 homes are located within 1/2 mile of the site along Skokorat and Blackberry Hill Road. The nearest residences lie approximately 1,000 feet to the north and west of the site; 800 people live within a mile of the site. Local residences once used groundwater as the drinking water supply source until they were connected to the municipal water supply in 1989. The local surface water is used for recreational purposes. Hockanum Brook, located 1/2 mile northwest of the landfill, flows into the Naugatuck River 2 miles northwest of the site.