The Keystone Sanitation Landfill is located in Adams County, Pennsylvania. It occupies an area of approximately 40 acres in a gently rolling, predominantly agricultural setting. The landfill was used from 1966 until 1990 for disposal of household and municipal waste and certain types of industrial and construction debris.
The landfill is situated on a ridge, and surface-water runoff flows from the site in all directions. Conewago Creek, a tributary to the Susquehanna River, drains the northern and eastern portions of the site. Piney Creek, a tributary to the Monocacy and Potomac Rivers, drains the southern and western portions of the site.
Chemical analysis of environmental media on and near the site began in 1974 following installation of monitoring wells around the perimeter of the property. A Remedial Investigation (RI) was conducted by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) during 1989 and 1990. Results of well monitoring and the RI work revealed that the groundwater under and near the site, the surface soil on and near the site, and the surface water and sediment in some of the small streams near the site were contaminated with volatile organic compounds, and heavy metals including mercury, zinc, and manganese.
A settlement of $204,161 was reached with eight original generator parties and many de micromis and de minimus Responsible Parties. This settlement was negotiated in cooperation with the EPA and filed as several Consent Decrees in U.S. District Court in September 1999. An additional settlement of $125,000 was reached with the owner/operators in a Consent Decree in U.S. District Court in May 2001. The final amount that was available for restoration, including restoration implementation, oversight and monitoring is $371,083. The two projects were identified in the Restoration Plan (RP): Littlestown Fish and Game Club wetland restoration/conservation easement and Penn Forestry conservation easement. The wetland enhancement with conservation easement with the Land Conservancy of Adams County was completed in 2008. The Penn Forestry project became unavailable necessitating a RP amendment in 2010. The preferred project in the amendment was a conservation easement on the Green property which was also near the landfill and provided comparable habitat. The easement was procured in 2011 and is held by Land Conservancy of Adams County which oversaw the creation of the habitat management plan and continues to oversee maintenance of the easement. Funds from the two settlements have been exhausted.