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EPA proposes Five Points groundwater plume for Superfund list

Release Date: 03/07/2007
Contact Information: Peggy Linn, 303 312-6622; Richard Mylott 303 312-6654

{Denver, Colo. - March 7, 2007} -- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing to add an area of groundwater contamination near Woods Cross City, Utah to the National Priorities List (NPL) of Superfund sites. The groundwater plume is located near the intersection of 1500 South and State Highway 106, extending to the west-northwest. Today's announcement, which is being published in the Federal Register, begins a sixty-day period in which citizens may send EPA their comments on the proposed listing.

The Five Points PCE site consists of a groundwater plume of tetrachloroethylene (PCE), also called perchloroethylene or "perc," which is used as a dry cleaning agent and metal degreaser. The groundwater contamination lies primarily under Woods Cross City, which has four municipal water wells that provide drinking water to a community of approximately 7400 people. Two of these wells are contaminated with PCE, with one of the wells consistently showing PCE levels exceeding the safe drinking water standard of 5 parts per billion (ppb). This well, which provides more than 33 percent of Woods Cross' water supply, has been shut down since February 1999 due to PCE contamination. The other well is showing detections of PCE, but meets the standard for safe drinking water.

The water supplied by the City is safe to drink and is routinely monitored to ensure drinking water standards established by the Safe Drinking Water Act are met.

EPA is currently investigating the potential sources of the plume. It is possible that concentrations of PCE will increase over time if the groundwater contamination is not addressed. The proposed listing would allow EPA to address this complex problem before it gets worse.

The NPL is a list of sites that are contaminated by hazardous substances and eligible for extensive, long-term cleanup under the Superfund program. Listing on the NPL makes a site eligible to receive federal funds for cleanup while EPA seeks to recover costs from identified responsible parties. Placing a site on the NPL also allows EPA to use Superfund money for cleanup when there are no responsible parties who can pay for the work.

Listing the Five Points Groundwater Plume site on the NPL guarantees the public an opportunity to participate in cleanup decisions. Affected communities are also eligible for technical assistance grants from the EPA to help facilitate understanding technical documents and community involvement at the site. Information that EPA used to document the proposed listing of this site is available at: www.epa.gov/region8/superfund/ut/fivepoints.

This information can also be obtained at the following locations:

U.S. EPA Davis County Library South Branch
Superfund Records Center 725 South Main Street
1595 Wynkoop Street Bountiful, UT 84010
Denver, CO 80202-1129

The comment period on this proposal is open from March 7 to May 7, 2007.
Those interested in commenting on the proposed NPL listing should send their original comments (no facsimiles or tapes) and one copy to:

Docket Coordinator, Headquarters
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
CERCLA Docket Office (Mail Code 5305T)
1200 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20460
202/566-0276

Please visit online at www.regulations.gov and follow the instructions for submitting comments or e-mail: superfund.Docket@epa.gov

To review and comment on-line go to www.regulations.gov
Select Agency: "Environmental Protection Agency"
Select Doc Type: "Proposed Rules"
Click on the "submit" button.