United States Environmental Protection Agency
Region V
POLLUTION REPORT

Subject: 

The Mallard Lake Landfill Site is located at 26 W. 580 Schick Rd, Hanover Park, IL. The coordinates of the site are 41°57’09"N Latitude
88°08’39"W Longitude. The Mallard Lake Landfill site is approximately 250 acres. The site is bordered to the north by the Du Page River and residential properties in the city of Hanover Park. To the east it is bordered by residential properties located in the city of Bloomingdale. The south portion of the site is a mixed industrial and residential area and the west portion of the site is bordered by residential properties in the city of Hanover Park


During the first phase of the site investigation, conducted November 6-10, 2007, high levels of methane vapor, exceeding 75%, were detected in the headspacees of temporary monitoring wells at locations within 30-50 of residential homes.  There is a great concern for migration of methane and VOC vapors into nearby homes via vapor intrusion pathways.  The high levels of methane gas have been found in Discovery Park, on the DuPage Forest District right of way which runs west from the Mallard Lake Landfill to County Farm Road, on the west side in the right of way of county farm road just north of Lawrence and South of the landfill along Schick Rd.

Weston Solutions, (WESTON) START, U.S. EPA OSC Walter Nied, U.S. EPA CIC Mike Joyce and Allied Waste (PRP) consultants STS, continued air monitoring of homes along the Mallard Lake Facility using a TVA 1000 Flame Ionization Detector/Photo Ionization Detector  (FID/PID) and a MultiRae five-gas meter.  U.S. EPA CIC Mike Joyce continued to provide literature explaining the purpose of the residential monitoring.
• On November 21st,  START, U.S. EPA along with PRP consultants STS screened 6 out of 21 residences along Whitney Drive and Goddard Lane. (See Table 4, Residential Screening Results, November 21, 2007 (Figure 5).
• During residential screening, OSC Steve Faryan asked two residents along Goddard Lane if they were interested in explosive gas meters being installed in their home.  Both residences expressed that they were interested in having the explosive gas meters installed.
• To date, START, U.S. EPA and STS have screened a total of 33 homes out of 92 visited for explosive atmospheric conditions along Lawrence Avenue, Whitney Drive, Goddard Lane County Farm Road and a subdivision south of Schick Road.
• Local ABC news affiliate WLS-TV7 was on site during air monitoring on November 21, 2007 to report U.S. EPA efforts in residential screening.
• On November 23rd, START, U.S. EPA and STS conducted soil gas sampling of five piezometer wells (at the request of U.S.EPA) in Discovery Park along Whitney Drive and in a utility Right of Way along County Farm Road.
• The five wells were previously installed by STS to monitor groundwater. However, during installation (the week of November 13th), STS detected high concentrations of methane gas using a GEM 500 gas detector.
• START collected the five grab samples (WLT-CP1-112307, WTL-CP2-112307, WLT-CP12-112307, WLT-RW3-112307, WLT-RW4-112307 and WLT-RW5-112307) using summa canisters.  STS documented static pressure and purged the wells using a GEM 500 detector.  Methane gas detections were 79.2% (maximum concentrations at piezometer CP1).
• The summa canisters were delivered to STAT Analysis Corporation in Chicago, Illinois for analysis of volatile organic compounds (VOCs)  using method TO-15 and methane.  Analytical results are expected by Monday, November 26, 2007.
• On November 23rd, Allied Waste received 12 gas explosion meters for installation into residences homes along Whitney Drive. The PRP’s are expecting to receive at least 12 more by Monday, November 26, 2007.
• On November 27,2007, START, U.S. EPA and
STS installed the the explosive gas detectors in 2 of the homes immediately adjacent to the landfill on Whitney and Goddard Streets.

A site briefing was held on November 27 with USEPA, IEPA, IDPH, Hanover Park, Hanover Park Fire Dept, BFI,DuPage Forest District, STS, and Weston Solutions. An update was given to all parties and the priorities were given to continue in home screening in the methane investigation area, install the exposimeters, complete the investigation, conduct shallow soil gas sampling, conduct in home sampling with sub slab ports, and put a emergency plan together to improve the gas collection system on the West and South Perimeter.

• Continue Screening of homes in residential homes to the west of Mallard Lake Facility including Goddard and McCormick Lane.

Access Agreement with emergency phone number contacts has been prepared and will have residents sign prior to installation of  explosimeters in homes along Whitney and County Farm.  US EPA has requested that BFI install  explosimeters to all residents in the study area.

Expand the investigation to determine the extent of the landfill gas.  Sample the ground water in the temporary wells.  
•Enter into an Order with the landfill owner/operator to prepare a corrective action for the landfill gas migrating off-site.
•Propose an immediate remedial system to mitigate the potential migration of methane gas into nearby residences including sub-slab investigations.

• Continue residential screening of homes along the Mallard Lake Facility.
• Obtain and install explosive gas meters in homes along the Mallard Lake Facility.
• Obtain and analyze water samples from the monitoring probes.
• Collect and analyze air samples in residential basements using summa canisters.
• Conduct and analyze sub-slab samples and shallow soil gas samples near residences.
• Complete the extent of landfill gas migration to the west and south of the Mallard Lake Facility.
• Propose and/or implement short-term remedial system to mitigate the potential migration of methane gas into nearby residences until a more thorough investigation of the methane migration is conducted.

Many residents have not been home during the visits.  Contacts will be made in the early evening to facilitate entry to conduct screening and installation of explosimeters.