The Former Mount Clemens Landfill (Site) is a 50+ acre former landfill which operated from the 1940s -1960s. Residential buildings and a waste water treatment plant were constructed atop and adjacent to the Site in the late 1960s - early 1970s. In 2005, elevated levels of methane in the soil and groundwater were discovered near the Site and various actions were taken to address the problem. A passive ventilation trench was installed to control possible methane migration into adjacent residential buildings. Methane alarms were placed in adjacent residential structures which are monitored by site owners and the local Fire Department. The Site boundaries were better defined and the extent of methane gas generation/migration was characterized. Data is collected monthly from soil probes and monitoring wells installed throughout the Site.
In April 2011, the City of Mount Clemens requested assistance with the Site from U.S. EPA Region 5. In cooperation with the City of Mount Clemens, U.S. EPA constructed an active ventilation system involving sub-surface wells and trenches to extract landfill gas and transfer it to solar-operated flares to be located on the Site. This system actively collects and vents the methane, thereby more effectively reducing potential impacts to human health and the environment.
This website contains all relevant documents, photographs, data and reports for the project, which was completed in March 2012.
