A previous version of this story incorrectly stated the unit of measurement for unspecified oil in the landfill. At least 1,400 gallons of oil came from J.H. Baxter & Co.
Lane County closed the Day Island Landfill in 1974, the same year Steve Prefontaine returned from Scandinavian races with a vision for bark-covered trails in Eugene. After his death a year later, the community built Pre’s Trail without the environmental oversight that today likely would have been required.
Now, about 2 feet of soil separates people who use the trail and the landfill. Beneath, an estimated 950,000 tons of waste lie buried, including thousands of gallons of “unspecified oil,” at least 1,400 gallons of which came from J.H. Baxter & Co. — the west Eugene site of which was recently designated as a Superfund site…