Issued: Jul 15, 2022 (11:32am EDT)

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EPA Proposes Cleanup Plan to Address Contaminated Groundwater in the Olean Well Field Superfund Site in Cattaraugus County, New York

Contact: Mike Basile, (716)-551-4410, Basile.Mike@epa.gov

NEW YORK (July 15, 2022) - Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed a plan to inject material into constructed wells to break down the hazardous contamination in groundwater across several areas south of the former AVX Corporation (AVX) property at the Olean Well Field Superfund site in Olean, New York.

"This proposed cleanup plan reflects EPA's recommendations on how to best address groundwater contamination," said EPA Regional Administrator Lisa F. Garcia. "It safely brings us one step closer to a comprehensive cleanup of the AVX portion of the site."

The cleanup technique, called in-situ treatment, uses various minerals and bacteria to spur the decontamination of harmful compounds found in contaminated groundwater. This method supplements the natural process of breaking down the contamination over time. The cleanup includes long-term monitoring to ensure the cleanup is working as intended and other controls to prevent exposure to the contaminants.

The Olean Well Field Superfund site contains various wells, homes, and manufacturing facilities. Earlier industrial operations at the AVX property, as well as three other facilities that EPA considers sources of site contamination, resulted in the contamination of soil and groundwater with trichloroethylene, 1,4-dioxane, and other volatile organic compounds. The contaminants migrated from the AVX property in groundwater south of the AVX property. As a result of the contamination at all four facilities, EPA added the site to the Superfund list in 1983. Since that time, several investigations have led to cleanup remedies for the four source facilities and impacted groundwater, most of which are being implemented by potentially responsible parties for the site.

The proposed plan's 30-day public comment period will occur from July 15, 2022, to August 15, 2022. In addition, EPA will host a Public Meeting on July 27, 2022, at 6:00 p.m. at the TECH Building, Mangano Reception Room, near the Cutco Theater, 305 North Barry Street, Cattaraugus County Campus of Jamestown Community College in Olean, New York.

To learn more about the public meeting, contact Mike Basile at Basile.Mike@epa.gov or (716)-551-4410.

Written comments on EPA's proposed plan may be mailed or emailed no later than August 15, 2022, to Maeve Wurtz, Remedial Project Manager, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 290 Broadway – 19th Floor, New York, NY 10007, Email: Wurtz.Maeve@epa.gov.

Visit the Olean Well Field Superfund site profile page for additional background and to view the proposed plan.

Follow EPA Region 2 on Twitter and Facebook page. For more information about EPA Region 2, visit our website.

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