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1. Has contamination been confirmed at the Queen Creek Landfill?

Yes. Routine monitoring that the County conducts on all of its closed landfills showed a low level of contamination in the groundwater and was confirmed by a follow up test. The levels detected were under 10 parts per billion which is very low, however, still exceeds the action level of 0.005 mg/L (5 parts per billion).

2. Are there health risks presented by the contaminated groundwater?

There are no known health risks from the groundwater. The groundwater is located approximately 180 to 190 feet below ground surface (ft bgs) and there is no known exposure pathway to this water.

Existing water supply wells identified within two miles of the QCLF are generally not of concern as they are completed in a deeper aquifer unit and are not located directly downgradient of the landfill, based on the current groundwater flow direction.

3. Does this affect the Town of Queen Creek's drinking water system?

None of the Town's active drinking or irrigation wells are within one mile of the monitoring well on the landfill property that PCE was detected in. In addition, the Town tests for PCE at all well sites and has reported that all results have been non-detect.

4. Who is responsible for the monitoring and clean up?

Maricopa County is the owner of the property and is responsible for monitoring and remediating the groundwater contamination, as necessary. This will be done in conjunction with guidance and approval from the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ). The Town of Queen Creek is not responsible for the project but is an important stakeholder and will be consulted in each step of the remediation.

5. Learn more about Maricopa County's commitment to remediating the problem.

Maricopa County is handling this as an environmental property damage claim and is committed to continuing characterization and remediation activities until they are no longer needed. The County is committed to being a good member of the QCLF community and to being a good steward of the environment.