VA ROUTE 696
The 24-acre Kim-Stan Landfill is located in Alleghany County, a predominately rural county located in west central Virginia. The landfill is situated in a mixed commercial and residential area of Selma, Virginia. The unlined landfill, which has been inactive since 1990, lies along the southern edge of VA Route 696, approximately 1,000 feet south of the Jackson River, and near a string of ponds that drain into the Jackson River. The lack of any substantial containment for surface water runoff or leachate was a major problem at the Kim-Stan landfill. During heavy rain, storm water runoff from the landfill drained northward. It frequently flooded the highway on the northern border of the landfill and carried runoff onto the Oakland Church and CSX Railroad properties, the wetlands, and the ox-bow "ponds." Sampling results indicated that hazardous substances from the landfill contaminated the nearby wetlands and the ponds, which the public use as fisheries. During the period of 2000-2001, Allegheny County, with the endorsement of EPA and the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality, completed a project to divert clean storm water around the landfill. The diversion has reduced the volume of leachate that is generated. The Kim-Stan Landfill operated as a sanitary/industrial landfill for almost 20 years, and reportedly received approximately 865,000 tons of waste between November 1972 and May 1990. The depth of the waste buried at the landfill has been estimated at up to 80 feet thick. Wastes known to have been disposed at the landfill include 5,000 gallons of waste oils contaminated with polychlorinated biphenyls; unknown quantities of aluminum sludges containing mercury; asbestos; and medical waste. Test pit data and information collected by local citizens indicate that landfilled wastes were derived from a wide range of sources, including hospitals, light industrial plants, manufacturing plants, automobile repair shops and dry cleaners. While the landfill was in operation, the owners/operators undertook several measures to address surface runoff and leachate production. None of the measures taken to contain leachate within the boundary of the landfill was successful. Beginning in 1982, a number of organizations, including EPA Region III and the Commonwealth of Virginia, began collecting environmental samples to assess the surface water runoff and leachate problem at the landfill. The sampling results provided evidence that hazardous substances were entering the environment from the landfill. Both ground water and surface water were being contaminated, as a result. The landfill was shut down by court order on May 11, 1990. When operations ceased, the active part of the landfill remained uncovered. The thickness of the soil cover over the rest of the landfill generally did not exceed six inches. Although the Commonwealth of Virginia and Allegheny County undertook several measures since 1990 to improve conditions at the landfill, surface runoff and leachate discharge still continued to pose environmental concerns until the Remedial Actions required by the 2002 ROD were implemented.
574 |
People living within a 1 mile radius |
$45,492 |
Average Income |
236 |
Occupied homes |
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