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Public Notice
Waste Division

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and ADEQ started the fifth Five-Year Review (FYR) of the cleanup plans (or “remedies”) at the 19th Avenue Landfill Superfund site. The purpose of this FYR is to evaluate whether the cleanup plans are working as designed and that they still protect public health and the environment. The EPA is required to review a site remedy every five years if a cleanup takes more than five years to complete or if hazardous waste remains on-site. In this case, waste remains on-site as part of the remedy.

Site Information

The 213-acre site is in an industrial area of Phoenix at the southeast corner of 19th Avenue and Lower Buckeye Road. Site contamination came from former sand and gravel mining and later landfill operations for municipal refuse and various solid and liquid industrial wastes. The landfill operated until it was closed in 1979. The site was listed on the EPA National Priorities List (NPL), or “Superfund list,” in 1983 and was deleted from the NPL in 2006 when cleanup goals had been met. The NPL is a list of the most hazardous toxic waste sites in the country. The last FYR was completed in 2015 and the next one will be conducted 2025. ADEQ is the lead agency overseeing the long-term operation and maintenance of the Superfund remedies being conducted by the City of the Phoenix.

The city constructed the remedy in 1996. The remedy includes safely containing contaminated materials and soils within the boundaries of the closed Nineteenth Avenue Landfill. It also includes putting a cap over the landfill wastes to limit water from entering the site. Finally, the remedy collected, flared and monitored methane gas from the landfill so the gas wouldn’t move off-site. In addition, the city continues to monitor groundwater underlying the site.

19th Avenue Landfill Site Overview | Visit Page > 

What is Included in a FYR?

The last FYR found the cleanup remedies were working as intended. The 2020 FYR will completed no later than Sept. 20, 2020, and will include:

  • an inspection of the site and cleanup technologies
  • a review of data and maintenance records;
  • a review to see if any new laws or requirements have been put in place since the last FYR.

EPA and ADEQ Would Like to Hear from You

We invite the community to learn more about the site and welcome your input about how you think the site remedies are working. If you would like to discuss the site, please contact either of the site project managers before Feb. 28, 2020:

  • Lisa Kowalczyk, ADEQ, 602-771-3976 | Email >
  • Nadia Hollan Burke, EPA, 415-972-3187 or toll free 800-231-3075 | Email >

Review Documents & Site Information

Original Published Public Notice | View/Print > | En Español >

You may also review the above documentation in person at the ADEQ Record Center | Learn How >

EPA will post a copy of the report, when available, on the site webpage | View EPA Page > 
The report will also be available at the ADEQ Record Center and on the 19th Avenue Landfill Site Repository | View Repository >