[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 238 (Thursday, December 11, 2014)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 73475-73478]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-29032]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

40 CFR Part 300

[EPA-HQ-SFUND-1983-0002; FRL-9920-32-Region-5]


National Oil and Hazardous Substance Pollution Contingency Plan; 
National Priorities List: Deletion of the Belvidere Municipal Landfill 
Superfund Site

AGENCY: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

ACTION: Direct final rule.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 5 is 
publishing a direct final Notice of Deletion of the Belvidere Municipal 
Landfill Superfund Site (Site), located in Belvidere, Illinois, from 
the National Priorities List (NPL). The NPL, promulgated pursuant to 
section 105 of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, 
and Liability Act (CERCLA) of 1980, as amended, is appendix B to the 
National Oil and Hazardous Substances Pollution Contingency Plan (NCP). 
This direct final deletion is being published by EPA with the 
concurrence of the State of Illinois, through the Illinois 
Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA), because EPA has determined that 
all appropriate response actions under CERCLA, other than operation, 
maintenance, and five-year reviews, have been completed. However, this 
deletion does not preclude future actions under Superfund.

DATES: This direct final deletion is effective February 9, 2015 unless 
EPA receives adverse comments by January 12, 2015. If adverse comments 
are received, EPA will publish a timely withdrawal of the direct final 
deletion in the Federal Register informing the public that the deletion 
will not take effect.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, identified by Docket ID no. EPA-HQ-
SFUND-1983-0002, by one of the following methods:
     http://www.regulations.gov: Follow on-line instructions 
for submitting comments.
     Email: Thomas Smith, Remedial Project Manager, at 
[email protected] or Janet Pope, Community Involvement Coordinator, 
at [email protected].
     Fax: Gladys Beard at (312) 886-4071.
     Mail: Thomas Smith, Remedial Project Manager, U.S. 
Environmental Protection Agency (SR-6J), 77 W. Jackson, Chicago, IL 
60604, (312) 886-6540 or Janet Pope, Community Involvement Coordinator, 
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (SI-7J), 77 W. Jackson, Chicago, 
IL 60604, (312) 353-0628 or 1-800-621-8431.
     Hand delivery: Janet Pope, Community Involvement 
Coordinator, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (SI-7J), 77 W. 
Jackson Boulevard, Chicago, IL 60604. Such deliveries are only accepted 
during the docket's normal hours of operation, and special arrangements 
should be made for deliveries of boxed information.
    Instructions: Direct your comments to Docket ID no. EPA-HQ-SFUND-
1983-0002. EPA's policy is that all comments received will be included 
in the public docket without change and may be made available online at 
http://www.regulations.gov, including any personal information 
provided, unless the comment includes information claimed to be 
Confidential Business Information (CBI) or other information whose 
disclosure is restricted by statute. Do not submit information that you 
consider to be CBI or otherwise protected through http://www.regulations.gov or email. The http://www.regulations.gov Web site 
is an ``anonymous access'' system, which means EPA will not know your 
identity or contact information unless you provide it in the body of 
your comment. If you send an email comment directly to EPA without 
going through http://www.regulations.gov, your email address will be 
automatically captured and included as part of the comment that is 
placed in the public docket and made available on the Internet. If you 
submit an electronic comment, EPA recommends that you include your name 
and other contact information in the body of your comment and with any 
disk or CD-ROM you submit. If EPA cannot read your comment due to 
technical difficulties and cannot contact you for clarification, EPA 
may not be able to consider your comment. Electronic files should avoid 
the use of special characters, any form of encryption, and be free of 
any defects or viruses.
    Docket: All documents in the docket are listed in the http://www.regulations.gov index. Although listed in the index, some 
information is not publicly available, e.g., CBI or other information 
whose disclosure is restricted by statute. Certain other material, such 
as copyrighted material, will be publicly available only in the hard 
copy. Publicly available docket materials are available either 
electronically in http://www.regulations.gov or in hard copy at:
     U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 5, 77 W. 
Jackson Blvd., Chicago, IL 60604, Phone: (312) 353-1063, Hours: Monday 
through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. CST, excluding Federal holidays.
     Ida Public Library, 320 N. State St., Belvidere, IL 61008, 
Phone: (815) 544-3838, Hours: Monday through Friday 9:00 a.m. to 8:00 
p.m. CST, and Saturday 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. CST.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Thomas Smith, Remedial Project 
Manager, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 5, SR-6J, 77 W. 
Jackson, Chicago, IL 60604, (312) 886-6540, [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Table of Contents

I. Introduction
II. NPL Deletion Criteria
III. Deletion Procedures
IV. Basis for Site Deletion
V. Deletion Action

I. Introduction

    EPA is publishing this direct final Notice of Deletion of the 
Belvidere Municipal Landfill Site (Site) from the NPL and requests 
comments on this proposed action. The NPL constitutes Appendix B of 40 
CFR part 300, which is the Oil and Hazardous Substances Pollution 
Contingency Plan (NCP), which EPA promulgated pursuant to section 105 
of CERCLA, as amended. EPA maintains the NPL as the list of sites that 
appear to present a significant risk to public health, welfare, or the 
environment. Sites on the NPL may be the subject of Remedial Actions 
(RAs) financed by the Hazardous Substance Superfund (Fund). As 
described in 300.425(e) (3) of the NCP, sites deleted from the NPL 
remain eligible for Fund-financed RAs if future conditions warrant such 
actions.
    Because EPA considers this action to be noncontroversial and 
routine, this action will be effective February 9, 2015 unless EPA 
receives adverse comments by January 12, 2015. Along with this direct 
final Notice of Deletion, EPA is co-publishing a Notice of Intent to

[[Page 73476]]

Delete in the ``Proposed Rules'' section of the Federal Register. If 
adverse comments are received within the 30-day public comment period 
on this deletion action, EPA will publish a timely withdrawal of this 
direct final Notice of Deletion before the effective date of the 
deletion, and the deletion will not take effect. EPA will, as 
appropriate, prepare a response to comments and continue with the 
deletion process on the basis of the Notice of Intent to Delete and the 
comments already received. There will be no additional opportunity to 
comment.
    Section II of this document explains the criteria for deleting 
sites from the NPL. Section III discusses procedures that EPA is using 
for this action. Section IV discusses the Site and demonstrates how it 
meets the deletion criteria. Section V discusses EPA's action to delete 
the Site from the NPL unless adverse comments are received during the 
public comment period.

II. NPL Deletion Criteria

    The NCP establishes the criteria that EPA uses to delete sites from 
the NPL. In accordance with 40 CFR 300.425(e), sites may be deleted 
from the NPL where no further response is appropriate. In making such a 
determination pursuant to 40 CFR 300.425(e), EPA will consider, in 
consultation with the state, whether any of the following criteria have 
been met:
    i. Responsible parties or other persons have implemented all 
appropriate response actions required;
    ii. All appropriate Fund-financed response under CERCLA has been 
implemented, and no further response action by responsible parties is 
appropriate; or
    iii. The remedial investigation has shown that the release poses no 
significant threat to public health or the environment and, therefore, 
the taking of remedial measures is not appropriate.
    Pursuant to CERCLA section 121(c) and the NCP, EPA conducts five-
year reviews to ensure the continued protectiveness of RAs where 
hazardous substances, pollutants, or contaminants remain at a site 
above levels that allow for unlimited use and unrestricted exposure. 
EPA conducts such five-year reviews even if a site is deleted from the 
NPL. EPA may initiate further action to ensure continued protectiveness 
at a deleted site if new information becomes available that indicates 
it is appropriate. Whenever there is a significant release from a site 
deleted from the NPL, the deleted site may be restored to the NPL 
without application of the hazard ranking system.

III. Deletion Procedures

    The following procedures apply to deletion of the Site:
    (1) EPA consulted with the State of Illinois prior to developing 
this direct final Notice of Deletion and the Notice of Intent to Delete 
co-published today in the ``Proposed Rules'' section of the Federal 
Register.
    (2) EPA has provided the State 30 working days for review of this 
notice and the parallel Notice of Intent to Delete prior to their 
publication today, and the State, through IEPA, has concurred on the 
deletion of the Site from the NPL.
    (3) Concurrently with the publication of this direct final Notice 
of Deletion, a notice of the availability of the parallel Notice of 
Intent to Delete is being published in a major local newspaper, The 
Rockford Register Star News- Dispatch. The newspaper notice announces 
the 30-day public comment period concerning the Notice of Intent to 
Delete the Site from the NPL.
    (4) The EPA placed copies of documents supporting the proposed 
deletion in the deletion docket and made these items available for 
public inspection and copying at the Site information repositories 
identified above.
    (5) If adverse comments are received within the 30-day public 
comment period on this deletion action, EPA will publish a timely 
notice of withdrawal of this direct final Notice of Deletion before its 
effective date and will prepare a response to comments and continue 
with the deletion process on the basis of the Notice of Intent to 
Delete and the comments already received.
    Deletion of a site from the NPL does not itself create, alter, or 
revoke any individual's rights or obligations. Deletion of a site from 
the NPL does not in any way alter EPA's right to take enforcement 
actions, as appropriate. The NPL is designed primarily for 
informational purposes and to assist EPA management. Section 
300.425(e)(3) of the NCP states that the deletion of a site from the 
NPL does not preclude eligibility for future response actions, should 
future conditions warrant such actions.

IV. Basis for Site Deletion

    The following information provides EPA's rationale for deleting the 
Belvidere Municipal Landfill Site from the NPL. A Final Close-Out 
Report was completed on February 06, 2014, which concluded that the 
Site achieved the degree of cleanup or protection specified in the 
ROD(s) for all pathways of exposure. All selected remedial and removal 
actions, remedial action objectives (RAOs), and associated cleanup 
goals are consistent with Agency policy and guidance. No further 
Superfund response is needed to protect human health and the 
environment.

Site Background and History

Site Location
    The EPA ID# for the Site is ILD980497663. It is located on the west 
side of the City of Belvidere (City), Illinois, and occupies 
approximately 19 acres of a 139-acre site. The Record of Decision (ROD) 
and Consent Decree (CD) describe the Site as including all 139 acres, 
because the contaminated groundwater was discovered in the area between 
the landfill and the river. The former landfill, situated on property 
owned by the Boone County Conservation District (BCCD), is bordered by 
the Kishwaukee River to the west, Spencer Park to the south, a gravel 
pit to the north, and Appleton Road to the east. Two flooded and 
abandoned sand and gravel pits are located on the east side of the 
former landfill facility and are referred to as the West Pond and the 
East Pond. The only residential development in the area is a small 
trailer park approximately one mile west of the Site. The former drum 
disposal area is located immediately northwest of the former landfill. 
Portions of the Site are located within the 100-year flood plain of the 
Kishwaukee River.

Site History

    The Site was owned and operated by the City from 1939 to 1965 as a 
municipal landfill. They disposed of waste in an old gravel pit. From 
1965 to 1973, the City retained ownership while private contractors 
operated the landfill. In 1970's, inspection reports by IEPA personnel 
indicated that special wastes and some hazardous waste had been 
disposed of in the unpermitted landfill. The landfill was covered with 
sandy soil from an on-site borrow pit and soil remaining from highway 
construction. In 1976, the BCCD purchased the property to develop an 
experimental prairie and recreational area.
    In 1979, the IEPA compliant landfill cover was installed over the 
Site and then vegetated with native prairie plants. However, in 1981, a 
hydrogeological investigation by IEPA found that the final cover 
remained inadequate in some areas and that leachate posed a threat to 
surface and ground water. The Site was proposed to EPA's National 
Priorities List (NPL) (47 FR 58476) in 1982 and listed in September 
1993 (48 FR 40658).

[[Page 73477]]

Remedial Investigation and Feasibility Study (RI/FS)

    Between 1984 and 1988, IEPA conducted a Remedial Investigation/
Feasibility Study (RI/FS) at the Site. The results of the RI determined 
that there was low-level contamination in the pond and river sediments, 
and higher levels of contamination in the groundwater and surface 
soils. About 100 full or partially full drums were discovered in an 
area immediately west of the landfill. Due to the potential hazards 
associated with the drums, EPA disposed of the drums off-site in 
December of 1986.
    EPA release the Proposed Plan for public comment in May of 1988. 
The EPA communicated to the public that remedial action was necessary 
to mitigate risks associated with Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs) and 
semi-volatile organic compounds (SVOCs) contaminated soils and 
groundwater.

Record of Decision Findings

    EPA signed a Record of Decision (ROD) on June 29, 1988. The ROD 
documented EPA's decision to clean up the Site. The remedy included a 
RCRA Subtitle C landfill cap; plume barrier groundwater extraction 
system (PBGES); removal of PCB-contaminated soil from the drum disposal 
area; deed restrictions; flood protection; site fencing; and 
monitoring. The RAOs include: (1) Minimizing risk to public health and 
the environment from direct contact with contaminated material; (2) 
controlling the migration of contaminated material to surface waters; 
(3) controlling migration of leachate to groundwater via infiltration; 
and (4) minimizing potential risk to public health from future 
consumption of contaminated groundwater.

Response Actions

    Soil samples from the Remedial Design (RD) indicated that PCB 
concentrations in the drum disposal area were less than 50 ppm with 
only one sample containing more than 10 ppm. EPA excavated contaminated 
soil to a depth of one foot in and around the former drum disposal 
area, installed monitoring wells, a flood protection berm, an access 
road and a security fence around the landfill. Excavated soil was 
consolidated on the Site and covered with a six-foot RCRA Subtitle C 
landfill cap, which consisted of a leveling layer, low permeability 
layer, drainage layer, vegetative cover, and a gas venting system. EPA 
constructed a Plume Barrier Groundwater Extraction System (PBGES) down-
gradient of the landfill to intercept groundwater between the landfill 
and the Kishwaukee River. It operated from 1991 to 1995 and consisted 
of a 1,200 foot long linear array of 40 extraction wells, a single 
suction pumping system, and a force main connection to the City 
sanitary sewer system. A restrictive covenant was recorded for the Site 
in 1991. The construction of the RA was officially completed May 29, 
1992, and EPA issued a Preliminary Close-Out Report on June 6, 1992.

Cleanup Goals

    Confirmatory sampling verified that the ROD cleanup objective for 
removal of PCB-contaminated soil and landfill consolidation has been 
met. The landfill cap material is in compliance with RCRA Subtitle C 
landfill closure requirements. These actions eliminate the direct 
contact risk to human health and the environment. The exposure to 
contaminated groundwater has been eliminated by past operation of the 
PBGES and the monitoring well data demonstrates groundwater containment 
verifying the protection of the Kishwaukee River and the downgradient 
aquifer. In 2011, the IEPA and the IDNR collected sediment, water, and 
fish samples from Deeppitt Pond. In April, 2013, IDNR reported that the 
sediment, water, and fish tissue results were below health based 
standards. Based on that data, BCCD now allows fishing in the Deeppit 
Pond. The Site remedy is protective of human health and the environment 
across all pathways of exposure because the Site meets the current 
protectiveness standards for groundwater and institutional controls are 
in place that restrict land and groundwater uses.

Operation and Maintenance (O&M)

    The City is responsible for O&M activities. The PBGES was shut off 
in May 1995 because all target compound criteria were satisfied for 
three consecutive sampling events at compliance wells, however, the 
City will maintain the system until the Site is deleted from the NPL. 
The City is responsible to ensure groundwater use remains prohibited 
and that the Kishwaukee River is adequately protected. Ongoing sampling 
indicates no contamination in the river. The primary activities 
associated with O&M for the final cover system include: Routine 
landscape and monitoring equipment maintenance, security and access 
control, cover integrity surveys, and air monitoring.

Institutional Controls

    A Restrictive Covenant Agreement was recorded in February 1991 to 
insure the integrity of the RA. The restrictions ``runs with the land'' 
and include prohibition of groundwater use and construction activities 
on the clay cap. The BCCD maintains ownership of the Site for use as a 
park and conservation purposes. In addition, Belvidere City Ordinance 
Code, Section 114-160 (1997) prohibits the construction, alteration, 
rebuilding, or restoration of private wells within city limits.

Five-Year Review

    EPA has conducted four statutory five-year reviews (FYRs) under 
Section 121(c) of the CERCLA (1995, 2000, 2005, and 2010). The purpose 
of a statutory FYR is to evaluate whether a completed RA remains 
protective of human health and the environment at sites where hazardous 
waste remains on-site at levels that do not allow for unlimited use and 
unrestricted exposure. EPA concluded that all the RAs are in place and 
protective. The next FYR will be conducted in 2015.

Community Involvement

    Public participation activities have been satisfied as required in 
CERCLA section 113(k), 42 U.S.C. 9613(k), and CERCLA section 117, 42 
U.S.C. 9617. Documents in the deletion docket which EPA relied on for 
recommendation of the deletion of this Site from the NPL are available 
to the public in the information repositories, and at 
www.regulations.gov.

Determination That the Site Meets the Criteria for Deletion in the NCP

    The NCP (40 CFR 300.425(e)) states that sites may be deleted from 
the NPL when no further response action is appropriate. EPA, in 
consultation with the State of Illinois, has determined that the 
responsible parties have implemented all response actions required.

V. Deletion Action

    EPA, with concurrence of the State of Illinois through IEPA, has 
determined that all appropriate response actions under CERCLA, other 
than maintenance, monitoring, and five-year reviews have been 
completed. Therefore, EPA is deleting the Site from the NPL.
    Because EPA considers this action to be noncontroversial and 
routine, EPA is taking it without prior publication. This action will 
be effective February 9, 2015 unless EPA receives adverse comments by 
January 12, 2015. If adverse comments are received within the 30-

[[Page 73478]]

day public comment period, EPA will publish a timely withdrawal of this 
direct final notice of deletion before the effective date of the 
deletion, and it will not take effect. EPA will prepare a response to 
comments and continue with the deletion process on the basis of the 
Notice of Intent to Delete and the comments already received. There 
will be no additional opportunity to comment.

List of Subjects in 40 CFR Part 300

    Environmental protection, Air pollution control, Chemicals, 
Hazardous waste, Hazardous substances, Intergovernmental relations, 
Penalties, Reporting and recordkeeping requirements, Superfund, Water 
pollution control, Water supply.

    Dated: November 24, 2014.
Susan Hedman,
Regional Administrator, Region 5.

    For the reasons set out in this document, 40 CFR part 300 is 
amended as follows:

PART 300--[AMENDED]

0
1. The authority citation for part 300 continues to read as follows:

    Authority:  33 U.S.C. 1321(c)(2); 42 U.S.C. 9601-9657; E.O. 
12777, 56 FR 54757, 3 CFR, 1991 Comp., p. 351; E.O. 12580, 52 FR 
2923; 3 CFR, 1987 Comp., p. 193.

Appendix B--[Amended]

0
2. Table 1 of Appendix B to part 300 is amended by removing ``Belvidere 
Municipal Landfill'', ``City of Belvidere, IL''.

[FR Doc. 2014-29032 Filed 12-10-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P