News Releases from Region 05

EPA removes the Tomah Armory Landfill site in Tomah, Wis., from the Superfund National Priorities List

Contact Information: Rachel Bassler (bassler.rachel@epa.gov) 312-886-7159

For Immediate Release: No. 19-OPA008

CHICAGO (Feb. 28, 2019) – Today, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 5 Administrator Cathy Stepp announced that the Tomah Armory Landfill Superfund site in Tomah, Wis., has been removed from the National Priorities List (NPL) and cleared for potential redevelopment. Since October 2017, EPA has deleted 18 sites and partially deleted four sites from the NPL, which means these formerly polluted sites and parcels can once again be put to productive use in communicates across the county.

"EPA is making good on its commitment to pick up the pace of Superfund cleanups so the sites can be restored to productive use," said Regional Administrator Cathy Stepp. "Promoting redevelopment is part of the Superfund program's goal and helps spur the local economy in communities."

For more than a decade, EPA monitored lead contamination in the groundwater and determined that waste material will remain in place under the existing soil cover and buildings. The site will still require on-going maintenance and monitoring of the landfill cap and institutional controls. EPA will continue to conduct five-year reviews to evaluate the implementation and performance of the remedy and ensure that it remains protective of human health and the environment. EPA has limited the future use of the landfill property and groundwater.

Under the Trump Administration, the Superfund program has reemerged as a priority to fulfill and strengthen EPA’s core mission of protecting human health and the environment.

EPA removes sites or portions of sites from the NPL once all the cleanup actions are successfully implemented and no further work is required to protect human health or the environment.

Background

The 10-acre site is located in the northeastern section of Tomah. The city operated an open, unlined landfill accepting municipal, industrial, and construction waste from the late 1940s to 1955. Landfilling operations contaminated soil and groundwater with lead. The city sold part of the site to the Wisconsin Department of Military Affairs for construction of the Wisconsin National Guard Armory.

EPA proposed the partial deletion on Dec. 7, 2018 and held a 30-day comment period. The agency’s response to comments and the final rule to delete the site can be found in docket: EPA-HQ-SFUND-1900-0011, accessed through https://regulations.gov.

To learn more about this site: http://www.epa.gov/superfund/tomah-armory.

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