Tybouts Corner, Delaware

Geography

Tybouts Corner is located at the intersection of U.S. Route 13 and Hamburg Road/Bear Tybouts Road just north of an interchange with Delaware Route 1 and an intersection with the northern terminus of Delaware Route 71. Tybouts Corner and has an elevation of 52 ft.

History

Tybouts Corner is named after George Z. Tybout, a local landowner and agricultural pioneer in the 19th century. His daughter, Ella Tybout, became a noted magazine writer.

The Tybouts Corner landfill opened in 1968. It was initially used only for household waste, but soon industrial waste was deposited there as well, violating state regulations. Fires burned about once a month at the site. The landfill closed in 1971, when it was filled to capacity. In 1980, the Environmental Protection Agency filed suit against New Castle County for its mismanagement of the waste disposal. The EPA listed the former landfill as the second-most hazardous in the country in 1982. It was listed as a Superfund site in 1985.

The Stauffer Chemical Company accidentally contaminated drinking water wells in Tybouts Corner with chemical wastes at its plant in the 1970s. The heavy soil in the area helped limit the spread of pollution. The plant was purchased by Formosa Plastics Corporation in 1981. In 1985, residents were concerned after an environmental group charged Formosa with releasing vinyl chloride emissions. Scientists suggested that it could have poisoned their water. As a result, the wells were closed and residents had their drinking water piped in.

A gas tanker with 8,400 gallons of gasoline overturned on U.S. Route 13 in Tybouts Corner in February 1986. It possibly hit a patch of ice and spun out of control. Though no fire was reported, police mandated the evacuation of 30 houses in the area.

A temporary gas venting system was installed in 1996. A permanent gas venting system was built in 2000. These systems prevent underground landfill gas from extending beyond the landfill property boundary. In May 2007, the groundwater was considered to have greatly reduced its contents of contaminants, so the EPA and Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control shut down the water pumping wells. The following year, quarterly monitoring of the groundwater ended and it has been monitored twice yearly since then.

References

References

1. {{cite gnis. 217024. Tybouts Corner
2. {{Delaware road map. (2008)
3. (October 20, 2001). "Uncovering the pages of history". [[The News Journal]].
4. (March 13, 1983). "Tybouts Corner dump shut, but danger still lurks below". [[The News Journal]].
5. (December 23, 1982). "The 2d-worst dump in the U.S.". [[The Philadelphia Inquirer]].
6. (July 10, 1985). "Superfund may do a lot, but keep its limits in mind". [[The Morning News (Delaware).
7. (March 3, 1983). "Del. dumps targeted by EPA face suits". [[The Baltimore Sun]].
8. (October 19, 1978). "Polluted well no surprise, state water official admits". [[The Morning News (Delaware).
9. (January 20, 1985). "Gas leaks at Formosa 'horrifying'". [[The Morning News (Delaware).
10. (November 8, 1985). "Businessman touts freezing as purifier". [[The Morning News (Delaware).
11. (February 11, 1986). "Gas tanker overturns, closes U.S. 13". [[The News Journal]].
12. "TYBOUTS CORNER LANDFILL NEW CASTLE, DE Cleanup Activities".