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EPA Celebrates Cleanup of the Garland Creosoting Superfund Site

Release Date: 10/14/2010
Contact Information: Dave Bary or Joe Hubbard at 214-665-2200 or r6press@epa.gov

The cleanup was completed with the use of American Recovery and Reinvestment Acts funds

(DALLAS – October 14, 2010) The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) held an open house in Longview, Texas, this afternoon to celebrate the cleanup of the Garland Creosoting Superfund site. The 12-acre site, located at 3915 Garland Road in Longview, is an abandoned wood treating facility that used creosote to preserve wood products from 1960 to 1997.

In April 2009, EPA announced funding through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to accelerate the cleanup which began in November 2009 and was completed in August 2010. The cleanup activities, costing $6 million, included excavation of contaminated creosote soil and the installation of an interceptor collector trench and groundwater treatment system to prevent the movement of contaminated groundwater into an intermittent stream, which flows through the southwestern corner of the site and further downstream where it meets Iron Bridge Creek. Iron Bridge Creek flows into the Sabine River, a source of drinking water for thousands of Texans.

“Recovery Act funds have been spent wisely for the citizens of Longview and the surrounding communities,” said EPA Regional Administrator Al Armendariz. “Accelerating the cleanup of the Garland Creosote area has served to address a contamination problem before becoming more widespread.”

The federal Superfund program was created in 1980 to clean up uncontrolled hazardous waste sites that pose unacceptable risks to human health and the environment.

More information on the Superfund program is available at: https://www.epa.gov/superfund

More information on the Garland Creosoting site is available at: https://www.epa.gov/earth1r6/6sf/pdffiles/0601644.pdf

More about activities in EPA Region 6 is available at https://www.epa.gov/region6

EPA audio file is available at https://www.epa.gov/region6/6xa/podcast/oct2010.html