Source: http://www.strausnews.com, May 27, 2011
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on Tuesday released a plan to remove contaminated soil from the site of former lagoons at the Nepera Chemical Company Superfund site in Hamptonburgh.
The 29.3-acre site is a former industrial waste disposal facility. Between 1953 and 1967, lagoons at the site received approximately 50,000 gallons of wastewater per day from the Nepera Chemical plant in Harriman, which made a variety of pharmaceutical and industrial chemicals.
The EPA plans to excavate and dispose of the contaminated soil off-site. It will take about a year to complete and cost approximately $3,025,000.
This plan amends EPA’s 2007 cleanup plan for the site, which called treating the excavated soil on-site to degrade contaminants. The 2007 plan also included treatment of contaminated groundwater at the site, which will not change under the amended plan.
The public can comment on the plan until June 20. The EPA will hold a public meeting on the plan at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, June 15, at Hamptonburgh Town Hall, 18 Bull Rd., Campbell Hall.
“The contaminants in this soil — especially semi-volatile and volatile organic compounds — are harmful to human health, so removing them as quickly as possible must be a priority,” said EPA Regional Administrator Judith Enck.
The subsurface soil contains semi-volatile and volatile organic compounds, among other contaminants. People could potentially be harmed if they ingest or come into contact with contaminated soil or water. EPA says groundwater samples from nearby residential wells and three public supply wells have not revealed site-related contamination. Additionally, the site is fenced to limit exposure.
The six backfilled lagoons cover about five acres. State inspectors detected leaks from the lagoons in 1958 and 1960, and operations ended in 1967. About 7,000 people live within three miles of the site.
The proposed plan is available on EPA’s Web site: www.epa.gov/region02/superfund/npl/nepera.
It is also available at the Hamptonburgh Town Hall at 18 Bull Road, Campbell Hall.