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News Releases from Region 04

U.S. EPA Accelerates Progress at the BF Goodrich Superfund Site in Calvert City, Kentucky

12/06/2017
Contact Information: 
Jason McDonald (mcdonald.jason@epa.gov)
404-562-9203, 404-562-8400

ATLANTA – On November 30, 2017, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced its proposed comprehensive cleanup plan to address contaminated soil and groundwater at the BF Goodrich Superfund Site in Calvert City, Kentucky.

"For over three decades this site has been on what is called the ‘National Priority List,’” said EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt. “I am pleased to say this agency can finally offer Kentuckians a path forward. This proposed cleanup plan is a monumental step towards ensuring the contaminated groundwater and the Tennessee River are protected for Kentuckians to depend on and enjoy for many years to come.”

“I would like to thank Administrator Pruitt for his leadership on an issue that is incredibly important to Kentucky,” said Governor Matt Bevin. “Under his direction, the EPA coordinated with our own Kentucky Energy and Environment cabinet to formulate a solution that will protect both the health of Kentuckians and the welfare of our environment. What a refreshing change of pace from past EPA Administrators who have talked much and delivered little on this issue.”

The current facility manufactures ethylene dichloride (EDC), a feedstock for the production of polyvinyl chloride (PVC). Until the 1980s, chemical wastes were discharged to a series of unlined ponds in the floodplain where contaminants migrated into the soil, groundwater, and the Tennessee River. The site was listed on the National Priorities List in 1983.

In addition to BF Goodrich, the site is the location of multiple chemical plants that have been operating along the south side of the Tennessee River since the mid-1950s. Some of the chemical manufacturing businesses operating at the Site are owned by Westlake Vinyls Incorporated, Lubrizol Corporation, and Cymetech, LLC. Within the B.F.Goodrich facility area are several actively operating chemical plants that employ more than 500 people in the area.

Due to the threat posed by this site, EPA, in consultation with the Kentucky Department of Environmental Protection (KDEP), developed and evaluated a range of options to reduce the risk to human health and the environment posed by the Site. EPA's recommended cleanup plan includes source control through the installation of a barrier wall that extends around the on-shore (i.e., beneath the chemical plants) contaminated soil and groundwater and the removal of non-aqueous phase liquids contaminated soil from beneath the river to prevent the possible future release of concentrated material into the river. Construction costs for the preferred option is estimated at $200 million to $250 million, with long-term operating and maintenance costs ranging from $1 million to $3 million, annually.

EPA will host a public meeting on Thursday, December 7, 2017, at the Marshall County Public Library located 23 Park Road in Calvert City. Representatives from EPA will present the details of the Plan to address the environmental impacts at the B.F. Goodrich site, and answer any questions the public may have regarding the preferred cleanup remedy. The meeting will be held in an “Open House” format from 3:00 pm until 5:00 pm and then a formal presentation and public meeting from 5:00 pm until 6:30 pm. You may email your comments to Jackson.Brad@epa.gov.  If you prefer to submit written comments, please mail them, postmarked no later than December 30, 2017, to Brad Jackson at US EPA, 61 Forsyth Street, SW, 11th Floor, Atlanta, Georgia 30303.

To view the proposed cleanup plan and for more information about the BF Goodrich Superfund Site, please visit: www.epa.gov/superfund/bf-goodrich

A repository for information regarding the Site has been established in the Marshall County Public Library located at 23 Park Road, Calvert City, KY 42029.

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