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U.S. EPA seeks public comment on Frontier Fertilizer site cleanup

Release Date: 02/15/2008
Contact Information: Mary Simms, 415-947-4270, simms.mary@epa.gov

For Immediate Release: February 14, 2008
Contact: Mary Simms, 415-947-4270, simms.mary@epa.gov

U.S. EPA seeks public comment on Frontier Fertilizer site cleanup

SAN FRANCISCO – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is asking for public comment on a proposed agreement with Target Corporation to allow for redevelopment of land adjacent to the Frontier Fertilizer Superfund site.

Under this agreement, Target Corporation, with EPA oversight, will fund and perform movement of eight groundwater monitoring wells at privately-owned parcels lying to the north and west of the Frontier Fertilizer Site.

“Our first priority is to ensure clean up efforts are protected without disruption,” said Keith Takata, Superfund Division director for the U.S. EPA’s Pacific Southwest region. “Community input is an essential part of this process, and we encourage individuals to review the agreement, ask questions, and submit comments.”

Through the proposed agreement, which is the first of its kind in California, Target Corporation guarantees that it has sufficient funds to complete the modification of eight groundwater monitoring wells, and agrees to pay for EPA's oversight costs to make sure the work is being done properly. It also provides protections for both the buyer performing the cleanup and future buyers who purchase portions of the property.

The agreement will be listed in the Federal Register tomorrow, on February 15th. The public comment period closes on March 17th.

The Frontier Fertilizer Superfund Site is located on Second Street, near the eastern boundary of Davis, California. Soil and groundwater beneath the site were contaminated by improper disposal of pesticides during the 1970's and 1980's. Contaminated surface soil from the site was removed and treated in 1985 and 1994, while groundwater has been continuously pumped and treated since 1993.

A copy of the proposed agreement is available from Judith Winchell, Docket Clerk, (415) 972-3124. Comments regarding the proposed agreement should be addressed to Bonnie Arthur (SFD-81), or Judith Winchell (SFD-75) at U.S. EPA Region 9, 75 Hawthorne Street, San Francisco, Calif., 94105, and should refer to “Frontier Fertilizer Cleanup.”

For more information on the Frontier Fertilizer Superfund site please visit:
https://yosemite.epa.gov/r9/sfund/r9sfdocw.nsf/vwsoalphabetic/Frontier+Fertilizer?OpenDocument.


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