The Belvidere Municipal Landfill covers 11.3 acres in Belvidere, Boone County, Illinois. It was active from 1939 until September 1973. When it closed, the site was inadequately covered with sandy soil excavated from a borrow pit and soil left over from highway construction just south of the facility. The site is incompletely fenced and mostly overgrown with natural grasses.
Leachate streams are visible on the west and northwest sides of the fill.
Monitoring wells installed by the State detected PCBs, toluene, xylenes, and other toxic organic compounds. A puddle beneath one of the leachate plumes on the northwest side of the fill contains relatively high concentrations of ethylbenzene and toluene. It will guide further actions at the site. The description may change as additional information is gathered on the sources and extent of contamination.