News Releases from Region 02
EPA Deletes Fulton Terminals Site in Fulton, New York from federal Superfund list
(New York, N.Y – July 26, 2018) After cleaning up more than 10,000 cubic yards of contaminated soil and approximately nine million gallons of contaminated groundwater, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has deleted the Fulton Terminals Superfund site, located in the City of Fulton, New York, from the National Priorities List, which is the federal Superfund list of the most contaminated hazardous waste sites.
“Removing sites from the federal Superfund list improves and revitalizes communities, which is a priority for this administration,” said EPA Regional Administrator Pete Lopez. “EPA’s mission is to protect people’s health and the environment. We also want to leave a place better than we found it. When we combine our resources, like we did at the Fulton Terminals site, we achieve those goals and help to restore communities.”
"The EPA's de-listing of the Fulton Terminals site is another step in the process in order to redevelop this site for future use that overlooks the beautiful Oswego River and is located on the main street that runs through the City of Fulton," said Mayor Ronald L. Woodward Sr.
The City of Fulton, the current owner of the former facility property, is interested in developing the land for community use. The decision to remove the site from the Superfund list comes after several reviews of the site and contamination in the groundwater beneath the site. The EPA accepted public comments on the proposed deletion for 30 days before deleting the site.
Deletion of a site from the “National Priorities List” occurs when site cleanups are successfully implemented and no further cleanup is required to protect human health or the environment. The Agency also deletes portions of National Priorities List sites when work at those portions is complete and other parts of the site still have ongoing actions.
Background - Soil and groundwater at the site were contaminated with volatile organic compounds because of spills and leaks from storage tanks at the site. From 1972 to 1977, the property was used by Fulton Terminals, Inc. as a staging and storage area for solvents and other materials that were scheduled for processing at Pollution Abatement Services, a chemical waste incineration facility in Oswego County, which is also a federal Superfund site. The Fulton Terminals Superfund site was listed on the Superfund list in 1983.
The cleanup at the site, completed in 1997, included:
- Excavating and treating the soil with heat to remove the volatile organic compounds
- Backfilling the excavated areas with clean soil
- Pumping and treating the contaminated groundwater
The soil at the site and groundwater located under the former facility no longer pose a threat to public health or the environment. Based on an analysis of all of the data from groundwater monitoring wells, the EPA has concluded that the groundwater cleanup has achieved the required protective cleanup levels.
In 2015, the EPA delisted a major portion of the Fulton Terminals site. This action removes from the NPL the remaining 50-foot section of the site between the former Fulton Terminals facility and the Oswego River where groundwater was significantly contaminated.
To learn more about the Fulton Terminals Superfund site, please visit: www.epa.gov/superfund/fulton-terminals
On the one-year anniversary of the EPA’s Superfund Task Force Report, EPA announced significant progress in carrying out the report’s recommendations. The Agency also finalized its plans for completing all 42 recommendations by the end of 2019, which are outlined in a new “2018 Update” to the Superfund Task Force recommendations.
The Superfund Task Force Report 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.
As outlined in the “2018 Update,” the Agency plans to complete implementation of the Superfund Task Force recommendations by September 2019 and will have fully integrated that work into EPA’s Superfund program. 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
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