Designated NHL August 7, 2001 | NRHP Reference # 01001050 Added to NRHP 7 August 2001 | |
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Fresno Municipal Sanitary Landfill, opened in 1935 in Fresno, California, was the first modern landfill in the U.S., pioneering the use of trenching, compacting, and daily burial to combat rodent and debris problems. It became a model for other landfills around the country, and one of the longest-lived. The landfill was operated by the City of Fresno until it closed in 1989. At that time, the landfill had reached the size of 145 acres (0.59 km2). It was declared a National Historic Landmark in 2001.
Superfund site
In 1983, the California Department of Health Services conducted tests which found that the site contained methane and vinyl chloride gases that were penetrating into the areas around the landfill. These tests also concluded that contaminants were being found in private ground-water wells around the landfill. On June 24, 1988, the site was proposed as a superfund site and was finalized on the NPL list on October 10, 1989.