Georgetown investigating cleanup of old Donovans Road dump

Georgetown has entered into an agreement with the state to voluntarily conduct a remediation investigation of an old municipal landfill off Donovans Road.

Located on about 16 acres on the northeast side of the road, around the bend from Donovan Salvage Works, the property was the town’s waste disposal facility from 1938 until 1969.

The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control’s Division of Waste and Hazardous Substances issued a notice of the agreement in October, but it’s been a nearly two-year process to get to this point.

Georgetown Town Manager Gene Dvornick said the city was contacted by DNREC in early 2020 to allow access to conduct a visual site inspection and site walk. Based on the inspection, he said, the facility evaluation was recommended and approved by the town.

Michael Globetti, DNREC spokesperson, said the state became aware of the former dump in fall 2019, when local residents informed the agency of it while conducting work in the area related to other sites.

DNREC issued a final facility evaluation report in January 2021. The report shows that contaminant levels exceed allowable thresholds in the soil, groundwater and sediment found within the footprint of the dump. Soil contaminants include antimony, arsenic, copper, iron, lead, and thallium; groundwater contaminants include cobalt, iron, manganese and, in one sample, arsenic; sediment contaminants include cadmium, lead, zinc and/or cyanide.

Globetti said under the new agreement, Georgetown will expand on the state’s facility evaluation by conducting a more formal remedial investigation. The town’s testing will include additional samples, laboratory analysis of the samples, and a Human Health and Ecological Risk Assessment to determine any risks associated with the site, he said.

The need for a remedy or the type of remedy will be determined based on the risk, said Globetti. If a remedy is required, a final plan of remedial action must be approved by DNREC, he said, adding that prior to final plan approval, a proposed plan would be developed and publicly noticed for public comment.

Dvornick said the town has authorized $65,000 for the investigation, which should take seven to nine months to complete.

Looking forward, once the investigation is complete, Dvornick said the city and state will review the documents and determine what actions or steps should be taken.