Public Comment Period: 5-year Review For Sauk County Landfill Superfund Site

Posted on by Coreen Fallat

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) invites the public to share information about the Sauk County landfill and the ongoing cleanup process as part of a 5-year review. The review, required under federal law, ensures the continued effectiveness of remedies at the site. This is the sixth review since the completions of construction work in the 1990s. The last 5-year review was competed in 2020.

The landfill operated from 1973 to 1983 and received municipal, commercial and industrial wastes. To address groundwater contamination from volatile organic compounds (VOCs) originating from materials disposed of in the landfill, the cleanup remedies included capping the landfill, landfill gas collection and testing of private water supply wells.

Today, Sauk County maintains the landfill cap and fencing to prevent direct contact to waste material. Monitoring of groundwater wells evaluate contaminant migration and groundwater use restrictions in the immediate area protect the public from using contaminated groundwater.

The DNR invites interested parties to provide information that might be important to the 5-year review of the Sauk County Landfill Superfund Site by May 16, 2025, to one of the contacts listed below.

  • Luke Lampo, DNR Hydrogeologist, Luke.Lampo@wisconsin.gov, 608-206-5809, 3911 Fish Hatchery Rd., Fitchburg, WI 53711.
  • Nabil Fayoumi, EPA Remedial Project Manager, Fayoumi.Nabil@epa.gov, 312-886-6840, 77 W. Jackson Blvd., Chicago, IL 60604.

To learn about the Sauk County Landfill site or see previous 5-year reviews, visit the Bureau for Remediation and Redevelopment Tracking System (BRRTS) on the Web (BOTW) at dnr.wisconsin.gov and search for “BRRTS.” Launch BOTW and enter 02-57-001004 into the “BRRTS No.” field.

Additional information can be found on the EPA Sauk County Landfill webpage.

Remediation And Redevelopment Program Seeks Regional Spill Coordinators

Posted on by Coreen Fallat

The Remediation and Redevelopment (RR) Program is recruiting two Regional Spill Coordinators.

The positions will be located in the DNR’s West Central and Northern Regions. The deadline to apply is March 31, 2025.

The successful candidates will coordinate the DNR’s response to spills of hazardous substances, conduct on-site inspections and provide oversight of investigations and cleanup of spill incidents. Regional Spill Coordinators work closely with DNR personnel across the agency, emergency responders and contractors to act quickly to protect public health and safety from risks associated with the spill.

A full position description, including necessary qualifications, is available online at the Wisc.jobs website (Job ID Number 17225).

Meeting Notes Available From Jan. 23 RR External Advisory Group Meeting

Posted on by Coreen Fallat

Meeting notes and materials from the Jan. 23, 2025, meeting of the Remediation and Redevelopment External Advisory Group (RR EAG) are available on the DNR’s RR EAG webpage.  

The RR EAG was formed to address a broad range of issues, encompassing both technical and policy topics related to encouraging the investigation, cleanup and redevelopment of contaminated sites in Wisconsin.   

Subscribe for updates on future RR EAG meetings. 

Now Available: Consensus-Based Sediment Quality Guidelines (RR-088) – Updated Note To Users

Posted on by Coreen Fallat

An updated “Note to User” is now available for the publication Interim Guidance: Consensus-Based Sediment Quality Guidelines (RR-088). The note clarifies that the normalization of total organic carbon (TOC) content at sites with contaminated sediment is not recommended as the standard practice for actions at the site. The DNR recommends evaluating all available information to make site-specific investigative, remedial and management decisions for each site. No changes were made to the publication. 

Additional documents and guidance from the Remediation and Redevelopment Program may be found using the search tools available on the publications and forms webpage.    

Questions regarding this document may be submitted to Carrie Webb.   

Now Available: Updated Publication Wisconsin Vapor Quick Look-Up Table Indoor Air Vapor Action Levels And Vapor Risk Screening Levels (RR-0136)

Posted on by Coreen Fallat

The publication Guidance: Wisconsin Vapor Quick Look-Up Table Indoor Air Vapor Action Levels and Vapor Risk Screening Levels (RR-0136) is now updated and available on the DNR website. The U.S. EPA updated toxicity information for 1,1-dichloroethylene (1,1-DCE) in November 2024 by changing from U.S. EPA’s Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS) chronic inhalation reference concentration (RfC) to the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) RfC for this chemical. The update decreased the VALs and VRSLs for 1,1-DCE.    

The purpose of this look-up table is to list volatile organic compounds frequently encountered at cleanup sites in Wisconsin. Consultants should compare vapor data for open sites to the updated table for potential additional actions. Vapor data for chemicals not listed on RR-0136 should accessed via the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Vapor Intrusion Screening Level (VISL) Calculator; instructions on using VISL are included in RR-0136.    

Additional documents and guidance from the Remediation and Redevelopment Program may be found using the search tools available on the publications and forms webpage. 

Questions regarding this document may be submitted to Jennifer Borski at Jennifer.Borski@wisconsin.gov.  

 

ITRC Comprehensive Vapor Intrusion Mitigation Training Feb. 27 and March 11

Posted on by Coreen Fallat

The Interstate Technology Regulatory Council (ITRC) will offer online vapor intrusion training over two sessions on Feb. 27 and March 11, 2025.  

The training series provides an overview of vapor intrusion mitigation and shares information on using the ITRC’s Vapor Intrusion Mitigation Interactive Directory. The interactive directory includes fact sheets, technology information sheets and checklists. Staff members from the DNR participated in the development of the technical resources and the training.  

The training is a series of eight modules covering the topics listed below and will be presented over two, two-hour sessions: 

Session 1 – Feb. 27, 2025 (noon to 2 p.m. CST)
Topics include: 

  • Introduction and overview of vapor intrusion mitigation training team 
  • Conceptual site models for vapor intrusion mitigation 
  • Public outreach during vapor intrusion mitigation 
  • Rapid response and ventilation for vapor intrusion mitigation 
  • Remediation and institutional controls 

Session 2 – March 11, 2025 (noon to 2 p.m. CST)
Topics include: 

  • Active mitigation approaches 
  • Passive mitigation approaches 
  • System verification, operations, maintenance and monitoring, (OM&M) and exit strategies 

Environmental professionals are encouraged to register at the CLU-IN Vapor Intrusion Mitigation webpage. The training is also available on-demand at the CLU-IN Vapor Intrusion Mitigation archive. 

While the documents are designed to assist state regulators, they also serve to raise awareness with environmental consultants and other industry professionals. 

Site-specific questions regarding vapor intrusion in Wisconsin should be directed to the assigned DNR Project Manager. General vapor intrusion questions can be directed to the appropriate contact listed at RR Program Staff Contacts. 

Update To RR Sites Map Layers

Posted on by Coreen Fallat

An update to the layers on the RR Sites Map is available as of Feb. 6, 2025, to improve performance of the application.  

The RR Sites Map is the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR)’s web-based mapping system that provides information about contaminated properties and other activities related to the investigation and cleanup of contaminated soil or groundwater in Wisconsin. The RR Sites Map is part of the DNR’s Wisconsin Remediation and Redevelopment Database, an interlinked system tracking information on different contaminated land activities.   

As of Feb. 6, some layers that were previously available by default will require additional steps to display on the map. This change affects layers from the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection, the Natural Resources Conservation Service, the U.S. Census Bureau and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.  

The updates to layers will not affect DNR layers such as open and closed sites, or layers such as tax parcels and municipal boundaries. 

Instructions for viewing layer on the RR Sites Map are available on the RR Sites Map webpage under User Tips. 

Questions about the change may be directed to the DNR at DNRRRBRRTSFeedback@wisconsin.gov. 

DNR To Hold RR External Advisory Group Vapor Intrusion Subgroup Meeting

Posted on by Coreen Fallat

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) will host a meeting of the Remediation and Redevelopment External Advisory Group’s (RR EAG) Vapor Intrusion Subgroup on Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025. 

The RR EAG was formed to address a broad range of issues, encompassing both technical and policy topics related to encouraging the investigation, cleanup and redevelopment of contaminated sites in Wisconsin.

The RR EAG identifies issues and topics of interest that may be addressed by subgroups. Subgroup members are expected to research and develop recommendations on the selected topics for presentation to the full group. RR EAG subgroup meetings are open to the public. Interested individuals may attend in-person or register to attend by zoom.

Location:
State Natural Resources Building (GEF 2)
Room G09
101 S Webster St.
Madison, WI

When:
2 – 3:30 p.m. – Zoom attendance registration.

In-person attendees should RSVP to Coreen Fallat by noon on Feb. 10, 2025, at CoreenR.Fallat@wisconsin.gov. Please check in at the security desk before taking the elevator.

Visit the DNR’s RR EAG webpage for the meeting agenda, materials and additional information. Subscribe for updates on future RR EAG meetings.

DNR To Hold RR External Advisory Group Meeting

Posted on by Jodie Thistle

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) will host a meeting of the Remediation and Redevelopment External Advisory Group (RR EAG) on Jan. 23, 2025.

The RR EAG was formed to address a broad range of issues, encompassing technical and policy topics related to encouraging the investigation, cleanup and redevelopment of contaminated sites in Wisconsin.

The RR EAG identifies issues and topics of interest that may be addressed by subgroups. Subgroups are expected to research and develop recommendations on the selected topics for presentation to the full group. RR EAG meetings are open to the public.

What: RR EAG Meeting
When: Jan. 23, 2025, 9 a.m. to noon
Where: In-person or virtual.
State Natural Resources Building (GEF 2)
Room G09
101 S Webster St.
Madison, WI

In-person attendees should RSVP to Coreen Fallat at CoreenR.Fallat@wisconsin.gov by noon on Jan. 22, 2025. Please check in at the security desk before taking the elevator. Virtual attendees can register to attend online via Zoom.

Visit the DNR’s RR EAG webpage for meeting agendas, materials and additional information. Subscribe for updates on future RR EAG meetings.

NR 700 Reporting Due Jan. 31, 2025

Posted on by Coreen Fallat

Semi-annual reporting for the period of July 1 to Dec. 31, 2024, is due by Jan. 31, 2025. Semi-annual reporting is required of responsible parties (RPs) for all open sites, including those sites the DNR formerly classified as “conditionally closed” in the Bureau for Remediation and Redevelopment Tracking System (BRRTS) online database. Consultants may submit these reports on behalf of RPs. 

The DNR will send an email with a unique Report Identification (ID) number to contacts of sites listed in the database during the first week of January 2025. If you do not receive an email by Jan. 8, 2025, you can request a Report ID number by submitting the Report ID Request Form.  

The Report ID number uniquely identifies the activity you can report, the reporting period and verifies the person using the Report ID is authorized to submit the report. If you have any questions, please contact Tim Zeichert at Timothy.Zeichert@wisconsin.gov or 608-219-2240. 

State law requires semi-annual reports from people who meet the definition of a responsible party in NR 700. Property owners, such as local governments that have an exemption under Wis. Stats. §§ 292.11(9)(e) or 292.23, and lenders that have an exemption under Wis. Stats. § 292.21 for specific properties are not required to submit a semi-annual report for those exempt properties under state law. 

Sites formerly classified by the DNR as “conditionally closed” are open sites that have not been granted case closure and, by definition, have remaining action(s) needed (e.g., properly abandoning monitoring wells or investigative waste needing to be removed).  

Semi-annual reporting for sites formerly classified as “conditionally closed” should indicate what actions are being taken to complete the remaining actions. 

The next reporting period is from Jan. 1, 2025, to June 30, 2025.