During the week of July 20^th, ERRS contractors continued clay covering operations of the three-acre landfill face area. As previously noted, no smoke or fire has been observed since the first week of June. Capping operations are being conducted in six inch lifts to insure proper compaction. 

On Wednesday, July 22^nd, compaction testing was conducted by PSI Inc, Columbia, South Carolina. The pre-existing 50-foot grid was used on the landfill face area and 34 grid locations were tested. Only four grids were found to be outside the desired landfill capping specifications of 95% compaction and 21-27 % moisture content. Those four grid locations along the eastern boundary of the landfill face near Air Monitoring Well No. 4 were re-tilled with the D-6 bulldozer and allowed to dry out overnight to lower the moisture content. On Thursday, July 23^rd, ERRS contractors continued with the third six-inch lift of clay, borrowing clay from the southern perimeter of the site and the former sedimentation pond area.

START contractors continued to collect data from the subsurface air monitoring wells along the northern and eastern edge of the landfill face. Oxygen, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, hydrogen sulfide and temperature are being closely monitored for any changes which would necessitate the placement of a fire trench around the previous burn area. All gas levels have remained low thus far and subsurface temperatures remain consistently low. A conference call is scheduled during the week of July 27^th to discuss the air monitoring well results with landfill engineers. at which time a decision on the need for a fire trench is anticipated.

Again no rain was observed during the week of July 20th at the Site, and cracks in the clay capping are prominent. As OSC Huyser noted the previous week, most cracks are less than 1/6” in width but several areas contained cracks with widths exceeding 3/4". Additional moisture may be required daily to insure the integrity of the cap.  

2.1.2 Response Actions to Date

• May 25-29: ERRS mobilization, site preparation  (access roads, entrance, trailer, work zones) 
• June 1-2: Grading and wetting burned area
• June 3: First record of no morning smoke observed
• June 3-5: Continue grading and wetting burned area. Moved cover soils from borrow area to burned area
• June 5-26: Continue grading and covering operations.
• June 16: Exhausted stockpile of cover soil at top center of Site
• June 26 Initial cover soil installation completed.
• June 29 Initial six inches of clay cap begun. Completed on July 3rd.
• July 2nd Three additional gas monitoring wells installed to monitor landfill carbon monoxide and temperatures near former burn area.
• July 13-17: Began removal of trees and topsoil from West Ridge Borrow Zone
• July 14: Exhausted Old Yard Stockpile at the south side of the Site
• July 14-17: Begin installation of second 6" clay layer on burn area
• July 20-22 Complete second 6" clay lift on burn area
• July 22 Conducted compaction testing by PSI Inc - 30 of 34 grids passed
• July 23-25 Begin installation of third clay layer on landfill face area

• Isolation of burning material by removal and relocation of available fuel path and installation of earthen cover; (ONGOING)
• Isolation of designated asbestos disposal cell through the installation of earthen cover;
• Re-grading waste materials and native soils for purpose of cover installation; (ONGOING)
• Installation of temporary measures to prevent off-site migration of dust or contaminants as removal operations are conducted; and, (ONGOING)
• Continue sampling and monitoring, as needed, for site safety purposes and to further delineate or identify contaminants. (ONGOING)

• Continue landfill slope grading and cover operations
• Finalize landfill design plans
• Begin evaluating extent of asbestos cell for covering operations
• Continue clay capping of 3 acre face area
• Continue monitoring carbon monoxide and temperature at 4 monitoring well locations 

EPA and DHEC are evaluating soil gas data to determine whether the current subterranean conditions around the north and south perimeter of the burn area. A list of parameters for acceptable gas concentrations and procedures for ongoing measurement will continue to be developed for the project.

The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) has reviewed chemical constituent and other sampling and monitoring data collected at the Bennett Landfill Fire Site as part of EPA's Removal Site Evaluation. A final version of at Health Consultation Letter and Fact Sheet were released on June 19, 2015. These materials are posted to the documents section of the epaosc.org/bennettlandfill webpage. ATSDR is currently in the finalization process of a Health Consultation Letter and Fact Sheet for particulate monitoring results. The data for the particulate monitors was released on June 11, 2015 and is also posted to the documents section of the epaosc.org/bennettlandfill webpage.

6.2 Reporting Schedule
New POLREPS will be issued weekly on Fridays for the duration of on-site activities.

Daily photos of site conditions and progress are being posted to the "Images" section of epaosc.org/bennettlandfill. These photos are collected from the same general locations each day.