The City of Wichita has located and removed 40 tons of contaminated waste from the Brooks Landfill. This material was the source of groundwater contamination, and the City began an excavation project a couple weeks ago to remove the source.
The dig is now complete. Approximately 6000 tons of materials have been excavated from the location, most of it was not contaminated. The material that is contaminated waste will be taken to an authorized facility for disposal.
Materials uncovered include two crushed five-gallon buckets containing solvent-soaked rags, and several crushed drums. These were found near the identified source location, and appear to be the primary source of the contamination. Numerous household-sized containers were also removed, which could have been part of the source.
To further remove contamination, the City’s contractor has applied an oxygen-releasing material in the bottom of the excavation. The area will then be refilled with clean soil.
The media is invited to the Brooks Landfill site at 2:00 PM, Wednesday, March 29 to view the excavation and the materials removed, and take pictures.