Groundwater in the Great Lakes Basin

INTRODUCTION
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Hazardous wastes are generally defined as materials,
including liquids, solids and gases, that are dangerous
or potentially dangerous to environmental or human
health. Hazardous wastes are identified as having
one or more of the following properties: ignitability,
corrosivity, reactivity or toxicity (U.S. EPA, 2006a).
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has
compiled a list containing more than 500 hazardous
wastes (U.S. EPA, 2006c). According to the U.S.
EPA (2006c) more than 40 million tons of hazardous
wastes are produced in the U.S. every year. However,
other sources indicate that this figure might be as
high as six billion tons (Natural Resource Council on
Environmental Epidemiology, 1991). Canada produces
more than six million tons of hazardous waste per year
(Environment Canada, 2003). Hazardous waste sites are
deemed potentially dangerous if not properly maintained
because they hold the potential to release irritant gases,
metals, solvents, pesticides and many other harmful
substances. These substances can easily migrate away
from the site contaminating the surrounding air, soil and
water (both above and below ground). Many examples
of groundwater contamination resulting from hazardous
waste dumps can be found in the literature, including
many in the Great Lakes region, especially in the Niagara
Falls area (Love Canal, Hyde Park, etc.) (Fletcher, 2002).
Hazardous waste production began to increase in the
1940s along with industrial expansion and the chemical
revolution (Government of Canada, 2002). During the
1940s and 1950s land disposal of hazardous waste in
Figure 1.
unlined landfills and lagoons was common industrial
practice. In many cases, these practices continued into
the 1980s. As a result there are currently more than
4,500 known hazardous waste sites in the Great Lakes
Basin. Of the known sites, 98% are in the United States
and 2% in Canada (Fletcher, 2003). Of the previously
estimated total, only 6% are still open and accepting
waste (Fletcher, 2003). Currently there is only one
operating commercial hazardous waste landfill in
Ontario, located near Sarnia (Fletcher, 2003).
GROUNDWATER CONTAMINATION
The density distribution of hazardous waste sites varies
considerably across the basin (Figure 1). Some of the
highest densities are located in the Detroit, Michigan,
and Niagara Falls, New York, areas where there is more
than 1 site per 13 square kilometers (Fletcher, 2003).
In contrast, in the adjoining Canadian areas, the densities
are much lower with less than 1 site per 52 square
kilometers in Lambton County, Ontario, and less than 1
site per 259 square kilometers in Niagara Falls, Ontario
(Fletcher, 2003).
Hazardous waste sites are a significant concern to
water quality of the Great Lakes. Precipitation that
has come in contact with hazardous waste percolates
down through the earth, contaminating groundwater
supplies that serve to recharge the lakes. Significant
groundwater contamination has occurred at the FMC
Density distribution of waste sites
in the Great Lakes Basin
Sources: IJC, 1993; U.S. EPA CERCLA
Data, 1990; U.S. EPA RCRA Data, 1992;
MOE Inventory Data, 1990
Corporation Dublin Road
Site, an inactive waste
site located in Orleans
County of northwestern
New York. From 1933 to
1968, debris, including
laboratory wastes,
pesticides and chemical
residues, was disposed
leading to water and soil
contamination. Lead,
mercury, arsenic and
pesticides have been
identified resulting in
the construction of a
groundwater extraction
treatment system and an
on-site water treatment
facility. Over the next
20 to 30 years approximately
126 million
gallons of groundwater
will need to be treated
(U.S. EPA, 2006d).