SECTION ONE
Introduction
Ft. Griffey occupies approximately 86,000 acres along the northern bank of the Ohio River,
approximately 12 miles from Cincinnati, Ohio. Ft. Griffey began operating in 1917 and currently
serves as a military reservation. Ft. Griffey is divided by I-5 into North Ft. Griffey and the Main
Post.
Landfill 5 (LF5) is located on North Ft. Griffey near Reese Lake and Reese Springs, which is the
primary drinking water supply for the fort. The 52 acre landfill is divided into three cells - South,
Northeast, and Northwest - and is located adjacent to a gravel pit (Figure 1).
From the early 1950s to the late 1960s, LF5 was reportedly used for the disposal of refuse,
including domestic and light industrial solid waste and construction debris, and for the disposal
of liquid waste in unlined cells. In addition, LF5 was reportedly used as a gravel quarry in the
1940s and for equipment storage and maintenance. After disposal activities ceased, the landfill
was covered with native materials such as sand, gravel and soil; the landfill is currently covered
with trees and grass.
PREVIOUS INVESTIGATIONS
According to the 1993 remedial investigation (RI), there were no reports of hazardous waste
disposal in LF5. However, historical aerial photographs show two suspected liquid waste
disposal pits located in Northeast and South LF5 and evidence of equipment maintenance
activities near Northeast LF5 . Tetrachloroethene (PCE) and trichloroethene (TCE) are suspected
of having been used in degreasing and equipment maintenance operations at Ft. Griffey; leaks
and spills of solvents from maintenance operations on or near LF5 and disposal of solvents in
unlined pits are the suspected sources of contamination.
In 1988, a limited site investigation of LF5 was conducted by Larkin Midwest Laboratory. The
investigation indicated that the shallow groundwater beneath the landfill was contaminated with
chlorinated hydrocarbons, aromatic hydrocarbons, and manganese (Mn). While the data were not
provided in the available references, TCE was reported to have been found at concentrations
ranging from 1 to 32 micrograms per liter (g/L).
In 1991, Remediation Enhanced Developments, Inc. (RED) conducted several pre-RI activities
under contract with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Louisville District including a
test pit investigation, a passive soil gas survey, and a preliminary ecological assessment.
According to RED, the results of these activities indicated that TCE and PCE were widely
distributed in the area of LF5.
The RI, completed in 1993 by RED, again under contract with USACE Louisville District,
included a more extensive landfill and soil gas survey and a groundwater investigation. The RI
confirmed the presence of chlorinated hydrocarbons and aromatic hydrocarbons contamination at
LF5. Elevated levels of TCE, PCE, and dichloroethene (DCE) were detected in the soil. TCE,
vinyl chloride (VC) and benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene (BTEX) contamination was
detected in the groundwater. Elevated levels of Mn were also detected in the groundwater along
the western borders of South and Northwest LF5. However, the RI attributes these elevated
levels to the dissolution of Mn from geologic materials in the area of LF5.
1-1
Ft. Griffey Landfill 5 OU Interim RA Report
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