Cleanup at toxic Valleycrest landfill Superfund site completed

DAYTON — One of the longest-running environmental clean-ups of one of the most contaminated sites in the country is finally over.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that remediation work at the Valleycrest landfill site between Valley Street and State Route 201 has wrapped up.

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Wednesday afternoon, the Ohio EPA director joined federal EPA officials and city of Dayton leaders at the gates of the site to talk about the accomplishment.

The site, formally used for industrial and municipal hazardous waste, was added to the National Priorities List in 1994. Work began after they finalized the work plan in 2021.

The cleanup removed thousands of barrels of waste and other items.

EPA officials said there will be ongoing maintenance work to make sure that cleanup functions as intended.

News Center 7′s Mike Campbell spoke to people who live by the site and have been waiting decades for this day to come.

“Well, it looks a lot better. I hope it’s cleaned up,” Larry Pitts said.

When asked if this gives him peace of mind, Pitts said it might as time passes.

“That might be down the road when everything is for sure. There was a lot of toxic waste over there,” he said.

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