barkhamsted-new hartford landfill

ROUTE 44

The Barkhamsted-New Hartford Landfill site (Site) encompasses 98 acres near the Barkhamsted and New Hartford town line. An unnamed brook borders the Site to the southwest and the north and flows through a wetland to the Farmington River. The surrounding area is rural and residential. Many private wells and a municipal water supply well serving an estimated 4,800 people are located within 3 miles of the Site. Since 1974, the Site has been owned and operated by the Regional Refuse Disposal District One. The unlined landfill accepted municipal and industrial wastes, including oily metal grindings and sludge containing heavy metals. A barrel-crushing operation to reclaim metals was also located on Site. In 1983, leaking drums containing hazardous solvents were observed on Site during a State inspection. Tests indicated volatile organic compounds (VOCs) were present in shallow and deep wells on Site. The Site was closed under State solid waste regulations. In the fall of 1999, under the direction of the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection (now the Connecticut Department of Energy & Environmental Protection, CT DEEP), the landfill owner installed an impermeable landfill cap, a runoff and landfill liquid collection and treatment system, and a system to capture landfill gases. EPA issued a Record of Decision for the groundwater remedy in September 2001. EPA's cleanup plan included natural attenuation with long-term monitoring of groundwater, surface water, and sediment, along with the implementation of institutional controls to prevent ingestion of and contact with contaminated groundwater. Today the Site supports uses including an active waste transfer station, recycling area, and a maintenance and office building.