byron salvage yard

NW1/4 SEC 13 T24N R10E

The Byron Salvage Yard site, located in Ogle County, Illinois, encompasses both the Byron Salvage Yard (BSY) and the Dirk’s Farm Property (DFP). During the 1960's and 1970's the site accepted drums of electroplating wastes and other materials (oil sludges, paint sludges, cutting wheels, solvents, and scrap metal). Industrial wastes were reportedly dumped directly on the ground at the BSY and at times of heavy rainfall, the waste would be carried off the BSY by the resulting surface waste runoff. Plating waste, containing cyanide, was also sprayed onto roads as dust control at the site. Similar dumping practices were also carried out during the same time period at the DFP. There were four primary disposal areas on the DFP, referred to as the North, South, East, and West Disposal Areas, located 300 to 1,200 feet west of Razorville Road. Five other smaller disposal areas on the DFP were also identified. The discovery of these dumping practices prompted a series of regulatory actions that culminated in the Site being placed on the National Priorities List (NPL) in 1982. Various Site investigation and remediation activities have been carried out at both the BSY and the DFP properties since contamination was documented. Approximately 5,000 people live in Byron, Illinois, and approximately 50 people live within one mile of the site.