The Krejci Dump Site
The Krejci Dump Site (Krejci) is located in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park (Park). The 33,000 acre Park is located near Brecksville, Ohio, approximately twenty miles southeast of Cleveland, Ohio. A diverse array of activities are available within the Park, from hiking, train rides, and visiting its many historic farms within the Park.
Prior to the establishment of the Park, the land was utilized for many industries and businesses. The Krejci Dump Site, a municipal and industrial dump and/or salvage yard that operated from the 1940's to the 1970's. Solid and liquid wastes were sorted, burned, and/or stored at the Site. During the active years of operation, a large volume of industrial waste materials were disposed at the dump, including metal castings and drums, paint, solvents, tars, oils, fuels, degreasers, slag, fly ash, nickel oxide, and pressurized gas cylinders.
In 1980, the site became a part of the Park, though control was not transferred to the National Park Service (NPS) until 1985. Shortly after NPS took over control of the site, NPS determined that the site constituted a threat to human health and the environment and initiated emergency response activities with the support of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA).
Addressing the Contamination
In May of 1986, the NPS closed the site to the public to ensure visitor safety and to help prevent further damage to the natural resources. USEPA initiated emergency actions to address contamination in 1987. Early efforts focused on removing the on-site exposed wastes and barrels.
In 1997, NPS took action on behalf of the Department of the Interior (Department) against the potentially responsible parties to fund the clean-up approximately $24 million. This funding paid back the money provided by the Central Hazardous Materials Fund (CHF), along with additional funding provided by the NPS. In addition to recovering past costs, the responsible parties agreed to perform the remedial action, valued at $30 million, and pay over $2 million in natural resource damages to support restoration efforts at the site.
Main Image: Krejci Dump, 1981
Remedial Action
Soil excavation began in the summer of 2012. The responsible parties removed more than 375,000 tons of contaminated soil. NPS performed oversight of the remediation to ensure that the remedial action’s goals were met. Once the goals were met, the Krejci Site was graded and vegetated with native vegetation to stabilize soils and prevent erosion. Currently, the Krejci Site is being monitored to ensure that re-vegetation goals are met.
Krejci dump cleanup activity
Main image: Un-named tributary to Standford Run following the removal of contaminated waste.
Restoration Activities
The Krejci Site consists of two tracts of land. Tract one is referred to as the West Site and consists of approximately 42 acres of which an estimated 19 acres were used for past dumping operations. Tract two is referred to as the East Site and consists of approximately 192 acres of which approximately 28 acres was used for dumping.
West Site remediation
The remediation and restoration activities transformed the area from contaminated and damaged into “recreational open space necessary for the urban environment,” the very purpose of the Park’s existence.
East Site remediation.
For More Information
For more information, please visit:
NPS Cuyahoga Valley National Park Website https://www.nps.gov/cuva/index.htm
Krejci Cleanup Information https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/removing-toxins-at-krejci-dump.htm
Main Image: Blue Hen Falls within Cuyahoga Valley National Park in springtime.
Central Hazardous Materials Fund
The CHF is the Department’s principal source of funds for the cleanup of the most highly contaminated sites located within national parks, national wildlife refuges, and other Department-managed lands. Since 1995, the Department has used the CHF to undergo Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) response actions at more than 70 sites and completed cleanup at 20 sites. Sites include abandoned hard rock mines and property transferred to or acquired by the Department that were contaminated by past industrial, military and other uses.
The CHF pursues potentially responsible parties for cost reimbursement or for them to perform work so that the Department can avoid paying for the cleanup costs. Between 1995-2017, the CHF has recovered and avoided over $582 million, which has allowed the program to support many more projects than if funded solely by the ~$217 million appropriations provided during the same time frame.
To learn more about the CHF, visit: https://www.doi.gov/oepc/central-hazardous-materials-fund-chf
