North Hampton officials are looking for answers and a detailed plan to finally resolve an issue they say has endangered the health of residents for more than 20 years.

Selectman Larry Miller said Tuesday he'd like to see additional information from the Environmental Protection Agency about the Coakley Landfill, a Superfund site which he said has an eroding cap and compromised perimeter. Miller said the toxins seeping into area soil and groundwater near the 27-acre site at 480 Breakfast Hill Road are problematic, and he said he doesn't believe enough has been done to protect area residents and fix issues with the site's 13-year-old cap.

"It is still there, and it'll be there when we're long since taken care of," said Miller. "It's important that something like this not go to sleep. "That perimeter [around the site] has decayed. I'd like to see what the plan is for fixing the perimeter."

The latest five-year review of the Coakley Landfill, which served North Hampton, Portsmouth, the then-Pease Air Force Base and others from 1972 until its closure in 1985, was released on Sept. 22, according to the EPA. Several toxins were found in testing wells on the site and near the edge of the site's groundwater management zone, including dioxane, manganese and arsenic, according to the 2011 report.

The EPA outlined that dioxane, a carcinogenic component found in solvents that can damage the central nervous system, liver and kidneys, was detected at levels exceeding state limits at "most" of the monitoring wells. Unhealthy levels of manganese were found along the southern and eastern GMZ boundaries, and high levels of arsenic were found along the eastern edge.

Miller said he is also concerned because the plume of toxins is shown to be "moving," which he said could help spread the chemicals to new areas and poses a threat because he said residents extracting groundwater nearby could inadvertantly pull the plume into their wells and acquifers.

Selectmen Chairman Jim Maggiore said Tuesday he shared Miller's concerns about the potential movement of the plume. He also said he's concerned about the Superfund site, which he said was one of the first issues of which he became aware when he was elected to the board, because it prevents the town from utilizing one of its largest acquifers.