All News Releases By Date

EPA Adds Cidra Ground Water Contamination Site on the Superfund National Priorities List

Release Date: 07/21/2004
Contact Information:

(#04113) NEW YORK, N.Y. -- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today announced the listing of the Cidra Ground Water Contamination site in Cidra, Puerto Rico, on the National Priorities List (NPL) of the most contaminated hazardous waste sites, making it eligible for federal cleanup dollars. "The addition of the Cidra Groundwater site to the National Priorities List is an essential step toward cleaning up the site," said EPA Regional Administrator Jane M. Kenny. "EPA is already working with the community, and we plan to be there to address any ongoing threats to the public and the environment." The Agency's focus at Cidra is the Pre-Robles Volcanic Rock aquifer under the municipality, that provides the source of municipal drinking water. The Puerto Rico Department of Health closed four public supply wells due to contamination in the late 1990s and 2000. Samples from the closed wells indicate the presence of several volatile organic compounds, primarily tetrachloroethylene, trichloroethylene, and and 1,1-dichloroethylene. There are 15 active public supply wells within four miles of the site, which provide drinking water to almost 9,000 people. The active public supply wells are routinely monitored, and the monitoring has shown that the Cidra site is not currently impacting these wells. EPA will be performing a study to determine the nature and extent of contamination at the Cidra site. The addition of this site to the NPL increases the total number of federal Superfund sites in Puerto Rico to ten. For more information about the Cidra Ground Water Contamination site or to obtain a copy of the notice or a detailed site description, contact the RCRA/Superfund Hotline at 1-800-424-9346 or 703-412-9810.