EPA Backs Virginia Plan to Improve Water Quality

Contact: David Sternberg 215-814-5548 sternberg.david@epa.gov

EPA Backs Virginia Plan to Improve Water Quality

PHILADELPHIA (August 28, 2018) Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced it has approved and helped fund a $105.7 million plan by the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) to implement key water infrastructure projects, including new and upgraded wastewater treatment plants to better serve residents, increase efficiency, and reduce pollution.

"This federal-state partnership is critically important to helping achieve President Trump's and EPA's goal of improving our nation's water infrastructure," said EPA Regional Administrator Cosmo Servidio.  "All Americans deserve clean water and the revolving loan program will greatly benefit Virginia communities."

Virginia's Intended Use Plan includes an award of $32.8 million from EPA's FY 2018 Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF).  The plan by the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality is also funded with a $6.6 million state match, repayments from prior CWSRF loans, and interest earnings.

The projects targeted for funding in the state's CWSRF plan include:

• $23,600,000 to the City of Lynchburg for a wet weather pumping station and wet weather disinfection system at its wastewater treatment plant, which will greatly reduce the impact that storms have on local water quality.

• $10,000,000 to the City of Norfolk to replace multiple aging sewer mains throughout the city.

•  $9,550,000 to the City of Richmond to address sewer overflows during storms through upgrades and modifications to system components and facilities.

• $6,691,500 to the Hampton Roads Sanitation District to rehabilitate 11,000 linear feet of sewer lines along Orcut Avenue and 9,400 linear feet of sewer lines along Mercury Blvd.

• $1,092,854 to the County of Alleghany to rehabilitate the sanitary sewer system in the Rosedale subdivision.

• $423,700 to the Town of Marion to replace 3,185 feet of terra-cotta sewer line.

• $2,000,000 to the City of Petersburg for the replacement of water main for the Poor Creek Force Main.

• $1,869,028 to the Town of Coeburn to replace sewer lines in the Banner and Bondtown areas.

• $12,500,000 to the Pepper's Ferry Regional Wastewater Treatment Authority for upgrades and replacement of various system components.

• $8,172,792 to the Sanitary Board of Bluefield for the replacement of worn, failure- prone and outdated equipment at the Westside Wastewater Treatment Plant.

"Over the last several decades, the Clean Water State Revolving Fund has been critical to our efforts to advance clean water in the Commonwealth of Virginia," said DEQ Director David Paylor.  "This funding will provide significant support to our Chesapeake Bay clean-up efforts in the coming years."  

The CWSRF program provides low interest loans for the construction of wastewater treatment facilities and other projects vital to protecting and improving water quality in rivers, lakes and streams for drinking water, recreation and natural habitat.  The loans help communities keep water and sewer rates more affordable while addressing local water quality problems.

For more information about EPA's Clean Water State Revolving Fund Program: https://www.epa.gov/cwsrf

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EPA News: EPA removes site in Morgantown, W.Va. from Superfund National Priorities List

 

 

Contact: Roy Seneca (seneca.roy@epa.gov), 215-814-5567 EPA removes site in Morgantown, W.Va. from Superfund National Priorities List (PHILADELPHIA) August 23, 2018 – Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that the Ordnance Works Disposal Areas Superfund Site in Morgantown, West Virginia is being deleted from the Superfund National Priorities List. In Fiscal Year 2018, EPA has deleted nine sites and partially deleted one site from the National Priorities List. "Completing Superfund cleanups continues to be a priority at EPA as we work to create a safer and healthier environment for all communities affected," said EPA Mid-Atlantic Regional Administrator Cosmo Servidio. "Removing the Ordnance Works Disposal Areas site from the list represents an important step toward achieving this goal." "I am happy to hear that the Morgantown Ordnance Works Disposal area has completed the remediation process and that it will no longer be listed as a Superfund site," said West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice. "The Superfund program process is a very deliberate one that has many benchmarks that have to be met in order for a site to be listed and then deleted, and I am glad to know that this site no longer poses an immediate threat to the health of our citizens or to our environment." "The EPA's Superfund process is vital to making sure that the environmental sins of the past do not haunt us forever," said West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection Secretary Austin Caperton. "The completion of remediation at this site is yet another success story for the state. This and other Superfund successes, such as the productive reuse of the former Sharon Steel Superfund Site recently recognized by EPA, are promising for the state of West Virginia and the quality of life for its citizens. West Virginia still has Superfund sites that will require much more remediation, but significant progress has been made to ensure a fully-protected and healthy environment." The Ordnance Works Disposal Areas site, which was added to the Superfund list in 1986, consists of a six-acre disposal area within a manufacturing plant area that covers more than 100 acres. The site is located in a rural area at 1100 DuPont Road, Morgantown. Several companies operated chemical production facilities at this site since 1941 including ammonia and methanol production, operation of a coke plant, and production of various other organic chemicals. Contaminated materials from these industries were disposed in the disposal area which includes: a landfill, former lagoons, and contaminated soils and sediments.                                                   Cleanup of the disposal area included excavation and off-site treatment of all tar-like material from the lagoon area and stream sediments. The remedy also required consolidation of contaminated soils and sediments into the existing on-site landfill and covering the landfill with a multi-layer cap. Additionally, the remedy included restoration of excavated areas, streams and wetlands, long-term monitoring, and institutional controls. EPA has conducted five-year reviews of the site's remedy to ensure that the remedies protect public health and the environment, and function as intended. The most recent review, completed in September 2016, concluded that the remedy continues to be protective of human health and the environment. Background The National Priorities List is a roster of the nation's most contaminated sites that threaten human health or the environment. The sites on the list are eligible for cleanup under EPA's Superfund program. EPA removes sites from the list once all the remedies are successfully implemented and no further cleanup is required to protect human health or the environment. For more information about the site, visit: https://cumulis.epa.gov/supercpad/cursites/csitinfo.cfm?id=0302884

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EPA News: EPA Awards Delaware More Than $1.15 Million to Protect Water Quality

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

EPA Awards Delaware More Than $1.15 Million to Protect Water Quality

PHILDELPHIA (August 23, 2018) - Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that it has awarded $1,164,612 to the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC) to improve the health of Delaware's rivers and streams.

"This grant highlights the power of state and federal governments working in partnership to protect the natural environment," said EPA Regional Administrator Cosmo Servidio. "Providing these funds directly to Delaware empowers the state to address its unique and critical environmental challenges."

"Over the years, there has been vast improvement in the water quality in Delaware, but challenges still persist," said Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control Secretary Shawn M. Garvin. "DNREC appreciates the ongoing partnership and funding support from EPA. This grant will support investments in cover crops, nutrient management, the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP), stormwater retrofits, and tree planting projects that will enhance and improve water quality statewide."

The funding is provided under Section 319 of the Clean Water Act, which authorizes EPA to provide grants to states to implement nonpoint source pollution control programs. It will support Delaware's nonpoint source management program, focusing on watersheds with water quality impairments caused by polluted runoff. These nonpoint source control projects include a variety of structural and non-structural best management practices, monitoring, and technology demonstrations. The funding will also support outreach activities to educate the public about nonpoint source pollution.

Nonpoint source pollution is caused by rainfall or snowmelt moving over and through the ground. As the runoff moves, it picks up and carries away pollutants, depositing them into lakes, rivers, wetlands, coastal waters, and ground water. Sources of nonpoint source pollution include urban runoff, agricultural runoff, and changes to natural stream channels.

Congress enacted Section 319 of the Clean Water Act in 1987, establishing a national program to control nonpoint sources of water pollution. Section 319 enables EPA to provide states, territories, and tribes with guidance and grant funding to implement their nonpoint source programs and support local projects to improve water quality.

Since 2005, this work by states has restored more than 550 impaired waterbodies nationally, which includes more than 200,000 acres of lakes and more than 10,500 miles of rivers and streams. Hundreds of additional projects are currently underway across the country.

Learn more about successful nonpoint source projects at https://www.epa.gov/nps/nonpoint-source-success-stories.

 

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EPA News Release: EPA Settlem to Recover $11.75 Million in Cleanup Costs For Elkton, Md. Site

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

 

U.S. EPA Settles with Parties to Recover $11.75 Million
In Past Cleanup Costs for Elkton Firehole Site

PHILADELPHIA (August 22, 2018) – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced a settlement today to recover $11.75 million in past costs associated with the investigation and cleanup of Elkton Firehole Site in Elkton, Maryland, which was formally used for the disposal of waste from the manufacture of fireworks and military explosives.

Under terms of the proposed consent decree, Honeywell International, Inc. and Mack Trucks, Inc will reimburse the government $5,500,000 and the United States on behalf of the settling federal agencies (Army, Navy and the U.S. Department of Defense) will pay $6,250,000.

The 55-acre site at 183 Zeitler Road about two miles north of Elkton was used for the disposal of wastes generated from an explosives manufacturing facility during and just after World War II. 

Triumph manufactured fireworks at the facility beginning in 1933 and expanded in a few years to also manufacture munitions and explosives for the Army and Navy. Waste was collected in drums and disposed of in trench-like areas referred to as fireholes, which were scattered across the site. 

Honeywell and Mack Trucks are successors to Triumph Industries Inc. and its successors, who were the former owners and operators of the site. The Army and Navy were also alleged former operators at the site.

The agreement announced today was reached under the federal Superfund law -- formally known as the Comprehensive Environmental Responsibility, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) -- which requires landowners, waste generators and waste transporters responsible for contaminating a Superfund site to clean up the site, or reimburse the government or other parties for cleanup activities. See https://www.epa.gov/superfund .

The proposed consent decree, filed in federal district court on August 17 by the U.S. Department of Justice, is subject to a 30-day public comment period and final court approval. For more information about this site and its cleanup, see https://response.epa.gov/site/site_profile.aspx?site_id=1299 .

                                                                                                             

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EPA Selects Environmental Education Grantees to Receive $3.3 Million to Support Projects Nationwide

EPA Selects Environmental Education Grantees to Receive $3.3 Million to Support Projects Nationwide WASHINGTON (August 20, 2018) — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is announcing the selection of 37 organizations to receive funding for projects under the 2018 Environmental Education (EE) Grants Program. EPA anticipates providing funding for projects across the nation, once all legal and administrative requirements are satisfied. The funding will range from $50,000 to $100,000, to organizations that provide environmental education activities and programs. The awards are going to organizations in 29 states, including the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico. This year's education projects include: • Using a converted RV to serve as a mobile earth and environmental science lab in Appalachia. • Providing an experiential training for beginning farmers on sustainable agriculture production and farm management. • Raising public awareness through hands-on participation in prairie restoration and promoting environmental literacy and conservation stewardship.  • Managing native and invasive vegetation ecosystems for healthy forests and waterways. • Conducting land revitalization activities to support a new rail line conversion project. • Fostering community food security by teaching communities to grow and care for their own community orchards. • Engaging middle and high school teachers and students in air and water quality monitoring and remediation. • Drafting a prototype EE curriculum focused on water quality in the arid Mountain West. • Increasing public awareness about outdoor water conservation and providing resources for homeowners to create water-efficient landscapes. • Introducing urban youth to environmental science, conservation, and careers in natural resources, through activities such as urban agriculture and forestry. • Teaching indoor gardening and encouraging school waste management projects. • Increasing public awareness and action on recycling. • Investigating storm resilience problems and create practical solutions to help mitigate flooding. To learn more prior grant winners, or to apply for future EE grant competitions, visit: https://www.epa.gov/education/environmental-education-ee-grants This website will be updated as grants are awarded. The following organizations have been selected to receive 2018 EE Grants: • Alliance for the Chesapeake • Appalachian State University • University of Vermont and State Agricultural College • EdAdvance • Groundwork Rhode Island • Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey • New York University • University of the Virgin Islands • Aleli Environmental Inc. • West Virginia University Research Corp. • Engaged Community Offshoots (ECO), Inc. • University of North Georgia • The Trust for Public Land • Neighborhood House of Milwaukee • Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System • Friends of the Chicago River • The Recycling Partnership • National Wildlife Federation • National Center for Appropriate Technology • Insights El Paso Science Center, Inc. • EcoRise Youth Innovations • Kansas City Community Gardens, Inc. • The University of Northern Iowa • Upper Iowa University • Wichita State University • Arizona Board of Regents-Arizona State University • National Wildlife Federation • Jordan Valley Water Conservancy District • National Audubon Society • Purple Mai'a Foundation • Education Outside • Malama Learning Center • Sequoia Riverlands Trust • Children's Forest of Central Oregon • Swinomish Indian Tribal Community • Eastern Washington University • University of Alaska, Fairbanks Since 1992, EPA has distributed between $2 million and $3.5 million in EE grant funding per year, for a total of over $75 million supporting more than 3,700 grant projects. The program traditionally provides financial support for projects that design, demonstrate or disseminate environmental education practices, methods or techniques. More information visit: https://www.epa.gov/education

 

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EPA Highlights August 2018

August 2018 News and Events EPA Acting Administrator Visits With Elected Officials and Stakeholders at Iowa State Fair On August 13, Acting Administrator Andrew Wheeler visited the Hawkeye State's annual state fair to engage with the people of Iowa and take part in a round of meetings with a delegation of Iowa elected officials and agricultural stakeholders. While at the Iowa State Fair, Administrator Wheeler met with Governor Kim Reynolds, Congressman David Young, and Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig to discuss EPA related issues. More information, read the news release. U.S. EPA and DOT Propose Fuel Economy Standards for MY 2021-2026 Vehicles EPA and U.S. Department of Transportation's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) released a notice of proposed rulemaking, to correct the national automobile fuel economy and greenhouse gas emissions standards to give the American people greater access to safer, more affordable vehicles that are cleaner for the environment. The public will have 60 days to provide feedback once published at the Federal Register. Submit public comments at: www.regulations.gov to Docket EPA-HQ-OAR-2018-0283. Information on additional methods for submitting formal comments is available at https://www.epa.gov/dockets/where-send-comments-epa-dockets Details can be found at EPA's website here. More information, read the news release Air Pollution Trends Show Cleaner Air, Growing Economy EPA released its annual report on air quality, tracking our nation's progress in improving air quality since the passage of the Clean Air Act. "Our Nation's Air: Status and Trends Through 2017" documents the considerable improvements in air quality across America over more than 45 years. Read the news release. Explore the report and download graphics and data here: https://gispub.epa.gov/air/trendsreport/2018/ Love Canal Revealed a National Problem; Superfund Provided a Solution The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) commemorated the 40th anniversary of Love Canal, a tragedy that spurred a law to clean up hazardous waste and give voice to communities across the country. More than 260 formerly evacuated homes in the affected area were rehabilitated and sold to new residents, creating a viable new neighborhood. For information and images, visit: EPA's Love Canal website.  EPA's new "Superfund Task Force Recommendations 2018 Update" is available at: https://www.epa.gov/superfund/superfund-task-force-recommendations-2018-update Listen to EPA Region 2 Administrator Pete Lopez talk about the 40th anniversary of Love Canal on our podcast: https://www.epa.gov/podcasts EPA Holds PFAS Community Engagement Even ts Throughout the Country EPA provides active engagement to address PFAS by visiting impacted communities and hearing directly from the public on how to best help states and communities facing this issue. Using information from the National Leadership Summit, community engagements, and public input provided by the docket, EPA plans to develop a PFAS Management Plan for release later this year. To fully engage with communities in the months following the summit, EPA is visiting or has visited the following communities: https://www.epa.gov/pfas/pfas-community-engagement . Information about PFAS visit: https://www.epa.gov/pfas . Acting Administrator Wheeler Updates Administrator's Superfund Emphasis List: Eight Sites Come Off List EPA released the next revision of the Administrator's Emphasis List of Superfund Sites Targeted for Immediate, Intense Action. Eight sites (Centredale Manor Restoration Project, American Cyanamid Co., Ventron/Velsicol [aka Berry's Creek], Delaware Sand & Gravel Landfill, B.F. Goodrich, Mississippi Phosphates Corporation, Allied Paper, Inc./Portage Creek/Kalamazoo River, and Casmalia Resources) have been removed from the Administrator's Emphasis List. With this update, there is a total of 14 Superfund sites on the list. More information: https://www.epa.gov/newsreleases/acting-administrator-wheeler-updates-administrators-superfund-emphasis-list More information about the Superfund Task Force: https://www.epa.gov/superfund/superfund-task-force-recommendations-2018-update Program Updates Asbestos EPA is proposing a significant new use rule (SNUR) for certain uses of asbestos (including asbestos-containing goods) that would require manufacturers and importers to receive EPA approval before starting or resuming manufacturing, and importing or processing of asbestos. The following factsheet provides answers to Frequently Asked Questions Regarding EPA's Proposed New Asbestos Rule:  Information about asbestos: https://www.epa.gov/asbestos Water Infrastructure EPA provides $135 million for innovative groundwater replenishment project expansion in Orange County EPA announced a Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA) loan to the Orange County Water District to help finance its Groundwater Replenishment System final expansion. This loan will help update water infrastructure, cut city costs, and add 700 local jobs. Read the news release. For more information about the WIFIA program and OCWD's Groundwater Replenishment System, visit: https://www.epa.gov/wifia Air Quality EPA and New York Partner to Control and Monitor Air Pollution As part of its work with states to improve air quality, EPA intends to provide the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation with more than $7 million to support the state's air pollution control and air monitoring programs after all requirements of the grants program are completed. This funding will help New York in its efforts to meet the national air quality standards and protect air quality and people's health. Read the news release. For more information about particulate pollution and PM 2.5, visit https://www.epa.gov/pm-pollution. For more information about New York State's Air Pollution Control Program, visit https://www.dec.ny.gov/chemical/281.html

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EPA Receives Record Number of Letters of Interest for WIFIA Water Infrastructure Loans

CONTACT: press@epa.gov   EPA Receives Record Number of Letters of Interest for WIFIA Water Infrastructure Loans The agency received more than $9.1 billion in collective loan requests for 2018 Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act Program funding WASHINGTON (August 16, 2018) — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) received 62 letters of interest (LOIs) collectively requesting $9.1 billion in loans from a wide range of prospective borrowers in response to the Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA) program's 2018 Notice of Funding Availability. "The more than $9 billion in WIFIA loans requested is nearly double our lending capacity for 2018, demonstrating the critical need for investment in our nation's water infrastructure and strong support for EPA's Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act program," said EPA Office of Water Assistant Administrator David Ross. "EPA looks forward to reviewing the letters of interest we received as we advance the President's infrastructure agenda and help communities better protect public health and water quality." EPA received LOIs from prospective borrowers located in 24 states, the District of Columbia, and Guam for a wide variety of projects, including wastewater, drinking water, water recycling, desalination, stormwater management, and combined approaches. More than half of the LOIs addressed one or both of EPA's 2018 WIFIA Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) priorities: reducing exposure to lead and other contaminants in drinking water systems and updating aging infrastructure. While the majority of prospective borrowers are municipal government agencies, other prospective borrowers include small communities, public-private partnerships, corporations, and a tribe. See the full list of letters of interest submitted.  In April 2018, EPA announced the availability of additional WIFIA funding that could provide as much as $5.5 billion in loans. Leveraging private capital and other funding sources, these projects could support $11 billion in water infrastructure investment and create up to 170,000 jobs. Prospective borrowers responding to the 2018 NOFA were required to submit a letter of interest by July 31, 2018. EPA is currently evaluating the submitted letters of interest for project eligibility, credit worthiness, engineering feasibility, and alignment with WIFIA's statutory and regulatory criteria. Through this competitive process, EPA selects projects it intends to finance and invites them to submit a formal application this fall. Background Established by the Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act of 2014, the WIFIA program is a new federal loan and guarantee program at EPA that aims to accelerate investment in the nation's water infrastructure by providing long-term, low-cost supplemental credit assistance for regionally and nationally significant projects.  EPA is currently processing applications from the 2017 WIFIA NOFA. To date, EPA has issued over $1 billion in WIFIA credit assistance through loans to King County (Washington), the City of Omaha (Nebraska), the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (California), and the Orange County Water District (California). According to EPA's estimate of national drinking water and wastewater needs, over $743 billion is needed for water infrastructure improvements. EPA's WIFIA program plays an important part in fulfilling this need and in the President's Infrastructure Plan, which calls for expanding project eligibility. To learn more the 2018 WIFIA NOFA letters of interest submitted, visit https://www.epa.gov/wifia/wifia-letters-interest For more information about the WIFIA program, visit: https://www.epa.gov/wifia.

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Biochar Technology Conference to Bring International Experts to Wilmington, Delaware August 20-23

	UNITED STATES ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY REGION III - OFFICE OF COMMUNICATIONS & GOVERNMENT RELATIONS 1650 Arch Street  Philadelphia, Pennsylvania  19103-2029 Phone - 215/814-5100    Fax - 215/814-5102 EPA Media Advisory

• Contact: Andrea Boyle Tippett aboyle@udel.edu  (302) 831-1421
• David Sternberg sternberg.david@epa.gov (215) 814-5548

Biochar Technology Conference to Bring International Experts to Wilmington, Delaware August 20-23

WHAT: More than 300 international experts are gathering in Wilmington, Delaware to share technologies, information and ideas about a special substance known as biochar. Based on agricultural practices dating back 2,000, years, biochar has proven to be beneficial to the environment in many ways. When mixed with soil, biochar can increase fertility, hold moisture, inactivate certain contaminants, and sequester atmospheric carbon dioxide.  Recycling manures into biochar can also reduce nitrogen and phosphorus runoff from agricultural lands and contamination of nearby water bodies.  

Biochar's value has been rediscovered over the past 10 years making it one of the most studied materials in soil science today.  Biochar is made by heating biomass such as wood, crop residuals, or manures at high temperatures in the absence of oxygen, releasing energy and leaving a black powder residue (biochar). 

The conference will also discuss several other uses of biochar including stormwater management, site remediation work, and animal husbandry.

WHEN: August. 20-23, 21018

WHO:  Featured speakers include:
Dominique Luekenhoff - Acting Director, Water Protection Division, U.S. EPA mid-Atlantic;

David R. Montgomery, PhD. - Internationally Recognized Author and Speaker;

Patrick Dube PhD. - Water Environment Federation; and,

Representative David Zimmerman, Pennsylvania 99^th District

WHERE: Chase Center on the Riverfront – Wilmington, Delaware

AGENDA: https://biochar2018.meetinghand.com/en/318-program

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EPA Proposes Enhanced Cleanup Proposal for Combe Fill South Landfill site in Chester Township, N.J.

 

 

EPA Proposes Enhanced Cleanup Proposal for Combe Fill South Landfill site in Chester Township, N.J. EPA to hold public meeting on August 22, 2018 Contact: Elias Rodriguez, (212) 637-3664, rodriguez.elias@epa.gov (New York, N.Y. – August 10, 2018) Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed a plan to address a newly identified contaminant and enhance treatment of contamination at the Combe Fill South Landfill site located in Chester Township in N.J., an inactive municipal landfill covering 65 acres. EPA's proposal includes expanding and enhancing the existing groundwater treatment system that is currently operating at the site in addition to excavating and removing soil and solid waste materials, which are a contributing source of contamination. "While considerable progress has been made in the cleanup of this site, our proposal takes us a step further by addressing a source of the contamination and allowing us to get at more contamination in the deep groundwater," said EPA Regional Administrator Pete Lopez. "Superfund is a powerful tool that helps us address toxic legacies such as poorly run landfills while working in close coordination with state and community partners." Today's plan targets the landfill's impact on a deeper layer of groundwater that is contaminated with volatile organic compounds, including 1,4 dioxane. The current system extracts and treats mostly shallow groundwater directly under the landfill, along with a limited amount of deeper groundwater from the bedrock aquifer below the landfill. EPA is proposing improvements to this treatment system, including, the addition of deeper groundwater extraction wells to capture more contamination. In addition, EPA will make improvements to the plant in order to handle the additional groundwater and effectively treat 1,4-dioxane, a contaminant that has recently been detected at the site but not treated by the current groundwater treatment system. Further, EPA proposes to remove waste materials and soil from a small portion of the landfill that is contributing to the contamination of the deep groundwater. EPA's cleanup proposal also includes, as an interim step, long-term monitoring of deep groundwater contamination in areas outside the Combe Fill South Landfill Superfund site. EPA will issue a final plan for groundwater contamination after further evaluation of whether the cleanup has been effective. Background The Combe Fill South Landfill, in Morris County, NJ, served as a municipal landfill from the 1940s until 1981. Soil and groundwater at the site were contaminated by volatile organic compounds from the landfill. Combe Fill Corporation went bankrupt in 1981 and the landfill was not properly closed. The original cleanup plan for the site included capping the landfill, installing a landfill gas collection system, pumping and treating the shallow groundwater beneath the site, and installing storm water runoff controls. By 1997, these actions were successfully completed. The system to treat shallow groundwater continues to operate at the site. Starting in the early 1990s, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection began providing in-home water treatment systems to residents whose wells were potentially impacted by contamination coming from the landfill. In 2015, EPA extended a water line to provide a permanent safe source of drinking water to 73 homes and businesses threatened by contaminated groundwater from the site. With the water line extension providing a permanent safe water supply to the neighborhood around the landfill, homes and local businesses no longer needed treatment systems. EPA will hold a public meeting on August 22, 2018 to explain the cleanup proposal and other options considered and to take public comments. The meeting will be held at 7:00 p.m. at Chester Town Hall, located at 1 Parker Road, Chester, NJ. Comments will be accepted until September 11, 2018. Written comments may be mailed or emailed to: Pamela J. Baxter, Ph.D., CHMM, Remedial Project Manager, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 290 Broadway, New York, N.Y. 10007 or e-mail: baxter.pamela@epa.gov. To learn more about the cleanup or to review EPA's proposed plan, please visit: http://www.epa.gov/region02/superfund/npl/combefillsouth On the one-year anniversary of the EPA's Superfund Task Force Report, EPA announced significant progress in carrying out the report's recommendations. These achievements will provide certainty to communities, state partners, and developers that the nation's most hazardous sites will be cleaned up as quickly and safely as possible. EPA's new "Superfund Task Force Recommendations 2018 Update" is available at: https://www.epa.gov/superfund/superfund-task-force-recommendations-2018-update Follow EPA Region 2 on Twitter at http://twitter.com/eparegion2 and visit our Facebook page, http://facebook.com/eparegion2. 18-061

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EPA Announces Proposal to Improve Cleanup at Tutu Wellfield Superfund Site on St. Thomas, U.S. Virgi

 

 

EPA Announces Proposal to Improve Cleanup at Tutu Wellfield Superfund Site on St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands EPA to hold public meeting on August 23, 2018 Contact: Elias Rodriguez, (212) 637-3664, rodriguez.elias@epa.gov (New York, N.Y. - August 8, 2018) Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed a cleanup plan to modify current cleanup activities at the Tutu Wellfield Superfund Site on St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands. Previous industrial and commercial activities at the site contaminated the soil and groundwater with chlorinated volatile organic compounds. EPA's proposed action expands and enhances the groundwater cleanup system that is currently operating at the site. "EPA is moving forward to address contamination at this site against the backdrop of the continuing recovery of the U.S. Virgin Islands from Hurricanes Irma and Maria," said EPA Regional Administrator Pete Lopez.  "Our proposal would expand the reach of and enhance the effectiveness of the existing groundwater pump and treat system to better capture and reach more sources of contamination in the groundwater, which ultimately means we are better protecting people's health." The one and a half square-mile site is in the Anna's Retreat section of St. Thomas. In response to past releases of hazardous substances from area businesses, EPA required each responsible party to address soil contamination on their respective properties and the groundwater contamination that emanated from their operations. EPA also conducted a soil cleanup at the Virgin Islands Department of Education Curriculum Center and constructed a system to pump and treat groundwater underneath the entire site, which began operation in 2004. The U.S. Virgin Islands' government is currently running this system. EPA's proposed cleanup plan would add additional wells to pull out groundwater from more of the areas that are the source of contamination and make the system more effective. The cleanup proposal also includes reinjection of treated, clean groundwater to create an underground barrier downgradient of the source area. In addition, the proposal calls for long-term monitoring and restrictions on the use of groundwater in the vicinity of the site.   Location of the groundwater treatment plant at the U.S. Virgin Islands Department of Education Curriculum Center in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands (Photo courtesy of EPA) EPA will hold a public meeting on August 23, 2018 to explain the proposed cleanup and other options considered and to take public comments. The meeting will be held at 7:00 p.m. at the Grace Gospel Chapel located at 148-320-321 & 322 Estate Anna's Retreat, St. Thomas, Virgin Islands. Comments will be accepted until September 7, 2018. Written comments may be mailed or emailed to: Caroline Kwan, Remedial Project Manager U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 290 Broadway, N.Y., N.Y., 10007 or e-mail: kwan.caroline@epa.gov or 212-637-4275. To learn more about the cleanup or to review EPA's proposed plan, please visit: www.epa.gov/superfund/tutu-wellfield On the one-year anniversary of the EPA's Superfund Task Force Report, EPA announced significant progress in carrying out the report's recommendations.  These achievements will provide certainty to communities, state partners, and developers that the nation's most hazardous sites will be cleaned up as quickly and safely as possible. EPA's new "Superfund Task Force Recommendations 2018 Update" is available at: https://www.epa.gov/superfund/superfund-task-force-recommendations-2018-update Follow EPA Region 2 on Twitter at http://twitter.com/eparegion2 and visit our Facebook page, http://facebook.com/eparegion2. 18-059                                                                #    #    #

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Environmental Protection Agency, 290 Broadway, New York,, NY 10007-1866 United States

Love Canal Revealed a National Problem; Superfund Provided a Solution

 

 

CONTACT: rodriguez.elias@epa.gov                   Love Canal Revealed a National Problem; Superfund Provided a Solution   EPA's Superfund Task Force Continues to Ensure Cleanups Remain a Top Priority (New York, N.Y. -- August 6, 2018)  Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) commemorates the 40th anniversary of Love Canal, a tragedy that spurred a law to clean up hazardous waste and give voice to communities across the country. The federal Superfund law gave EPA the power to ensure that parties responsible for contamination pay for or perform the cleanup and, if there was no viable responsible party, to use public funds. Forty years after the first Presidential Emergency Declaration was signed, the cleanup at the Love Canal Superfund site remains protective of people's health and the environment, and the Superfund program continues to provide environmental, public health, and economic benefits to communities nationwide. "The 40th anniversary of Love Canal is a reminder of both the devastating consequences of environmental disasters and the power of concerned citizens to spur change nationwide," said Acting Administrator Andrew Wheeler. "The Superfund program is a top priority at EPA, and we are making tremendous progress cleaning up contaminated sites, protecting public health, and ensuring a tragedy like Love Canal never happens again." "The Love Canal tragedy shook the Niagara Falls community, and it is in large part due to the hard work of community members to demand action, that brought about the passage of the then unprecedented Superfund law." said EPA Regional Administrator Pete Lopez. "None of us want to see another community go through what this community has endured, and a strong Superfund program is an essential part of safeguarding the public." In August 1978, President Jimmy Carter issued the first of two emergency declarations at Love Canal after learning of reports from the community of strange odors and residues, basements flooded with contaminated groundwater, and health issues, including miscarriages and birth defects. Less than two years later, on December 11, 1980, Congress enacted the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA), which would become known as Superfund. Today, the Superfund program continues to make a visible and lasting difference in communities cleaning up the nation's worst hazardous waste sites, tackling threats to public health and our natural environment, supporting local economies and enhancing quality of life, preventing future releases of hazardous substances, and leading to new advances in science and technology. Under the Trump Administration, the Superfund program has reemerged as a priority to fulfill and strengthen EPA's core mission of protecting human health and the environment. On May 22, 2017, EPA established the Superfund Task Force to provide recommendations on how EPA could streamline and improve the Superfund program. Just two months later, on July 25, 2017, EPA issued the Superfund Task Force Report, which included 42 recommendations in five goal areas:   •    Expediting Cleanup and Remediation;  •    Re-Invigorating Responsible Party Cleanup and Reuse;  •    Encouraging Private Investment;  •    Promoting Redevelopment and Community Revitalization; and  •    Engaging Partners and Stakeholders.  In the first year of Superfund Task Force, EPA made significant progress in carrying out the report's recommendations and stands to complete all 42 recommendations by the end of 2019. These achievements will provide certainty to communities, state partners, and developers that the nation's most hazardous sites will be cleaned up as quickly and safely as possible. Background: Love Canal was originally intended to be a hydroelectric power plant. In the 1890s, William T. Love began excavating the original canal but later abandoned the project. From 1942 to approximately 1953, Hooker Chemicals & Plastic Corp. (now Occidental Chemical Company) used the area as a landfill, disposing of an estimated 21,000 tons of chemicals and hazardous waste. Community residents first began reporting odors and residues at the Love Canal site in the 1960s. In the 1970s, groundwater contaminated with more than 80 industrial chemicals – including heavy metals, pesticides, and dioxin – had migrated through sewers and creeks and began seeping into people's properties. Several presidential emergency declarations were issued and approximately 950 families were evacuated from a 10 square-block area surrounding the Love Canal landfill.  After decades of extensive cleanup work by EPA and New York State, Love Canal was deleted from EPA's National Priorities List of Superfund sites in 2004, but the Agency continues to actively monitor the site. Because groundwater is the pathway through which contamination could move, more than 100 groundwater monitoring on-site and off-site wells gather data quarterly. The data, which is evaluated by EPA and New York State, continues to show that the leachate collection system, the barrier drain, the landfill cap, and the monitoring wells are all intact and working properly. EPA also conducts comprehensive reviews of all data and information every five years to ensure that the remedy remains fully protective. These reviews will be conducted into perpetuity. After an extensive habitability study conducted by health and environmental experts was completed, some areas of the site were reopened and new homeowners have moved into the habitable areas of the site.  More than 260 formerly evacuated homes in the affected area were rehabilitated and sold to new residents, creating a viable new neighborhood. For information and images, visit EPA's Love Canal website.  Listen to EPA Region 2 Administrator Pete Lopez talk about the 40th anniversary of Love Canal on our podcast: https://www.epa.gov/podcasts On the one-year anniversary of the EPA's Superfund Task Force Report, EPA announced significant progress in carrying out the report's recommendations.  These achievements will provide certainty to communities, state partners, and developers that the nation's most hazardous sites will be cleaned up as quickly and safely as possible. EPA's new "Superfund Task Force Recommendations 2018 Update" is available at: https://www.epa.gov/superfund/superfund-task-force-recommendations-2018-update 18-058

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Environmental Protection Agency, 290 Broadway, New York,, NY 10007-1866 United States