EPA News: EPA Regional Administrator to host Minden listening session (W. Va.)

Contact: Roy Seneca, 215-814-5567 seneca.roy@epa.gov

EPA Regional Administrator to host Minden listening session

PHILADELPHIA (May 30, 2018) – On June 7, 2018, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Mid-Atlantic Regional Administrator Cosmo Servidio will host a public listening session in Minden, West Virginia to provide a provide a brief update regarding EPA's investigative activities and hear residents' concerns regarding contamination in the community.

The session will be held from 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the New Beginning Apostolic Church, 179 McKinley Road in Minden.

"This is an important opportunity to meet with the community while we are undergoing the site assessment process," said Regional Administrator Servidio. "I look forward to hearing first hand from the people of Minden about their concerns and questions as we await the results of our assessment to determine if the Shaffer Equipment Company site qualifies to be placed on the Superfund National Priorities List (NPL)."

The assessment includes conducting additional soil sampling from the Shaffer Equipment property, nearby residential properties, Arbuckle Creek and other area locations. The most recent soil sampling conducted prior to the site assessment has identified Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs) at levels that do not indicate an immediate threat to human health. 

EPA is continuing to coordinate with the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection (WVDEP) on site assessment sampling, monitoring and evaluation work in Minden. New sampling data will be used to develop the Hazard Ranking System (HRS) package for the site.

Currently, there is insufficient data to determine if the Shaffer Equipment Site qualifies for listing on the Superfund NPL. If a site has a high enough HRS score and meets other criteria, EPA, with the agreement of the Governor, may propose that it be added to the Superfund NPL.  If listed, EPA will conduct a remedial investigation that will look at long term risks that the contamination poses to human health and the environment.

More information on the process to add a site to the Superfund NPL can be found at: https://www.epa.gov/superfund/superfund-national-priorities-list-npl    

For more information on EPA's response efforts at Shaffer Equipment Site and surrounding areas in Minden, visit: https://response.epa.gov/ShafferEquipmentCompany .

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