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EPA Proposes Cleanup Plan for Consolidated Iron and Metal Site

Release Date: 07/31/2006
Contact Information: Ben Barry, (212) 637-3651 or barry.benjamin@epa.gov

(New York, NY) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will continue its progress cleaning up the Consolidated Iron and Metal Superfund site in Newburgh, New York with a proposed plan to remove approximately 78,000 cubic yards of soil contamination with lead, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). In addition, EPA will continue to monitor the ground water to ensure that it is not impacted by these activities.

“We have seen a clear improvement of conditions at the site after removing tons of debris and other materials,” said Regional Administrator Alan J. Steinberg. “Now, we’re going to eliminate a potential threat to the health of the surrounding community and make a blighted area available for productive reuse.”

Members of the public are encouraged to comment on the proposed cleanup plan during the public comment period that runs from July 25 – August 23, 2006. The proposed plan and other relevant documents are available at the Newburgh Free Library located at 124 Grand Street, Newburgh, New York, and at EPA’s Manhattan offices at 290 Broadway. EPA representatives will be available to discuss the plan at a public meeting on August 7, 2006 at Newburgh City Hall at 7:00 pm.

Consolidated Iron and Metal operated at the site for approximately 40 years before the facility’s closure in 1999. The company operated a smelter on the site between 1975 and 1995 primarily to melt aluminum scrap materials, transmissions and other metallic materials. These activities created lead-contaminated ash and other by-products. The site was covered with piles of debris, scrap metal, and numerous areas of dark-stained soil. From 1997 to 1999, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) conducted several inspections at the facility and cited the owner for a number of violations. Subsequent inspections by NYSDEC revealed that the owner had failed to correct the violations adequately. In the fall of 1999, the New York State Attorney General shut down operations at the site.

In 1998, EPA sampled an ash pile at the site and found it was contaminated with lead and PCBs. Approximately 6,600 tons of materials were removed from the site in 1999 and placed in an approved treatment, storage, and disposal facility. EPA also constructed a mound at the site to prevent storm water from carrying contaminants into the Hudson River. The site was placed on the National Priorities List of the country’s most contaminated sites in June 14, 2001.

In 2002, EPA constructed a security fence around the site to respond to local concerns about trespassing and scavenging. From June to September 2003, EPA began its cleanup of the site, which included removing thousands of tons of debris and contaminated soil as well as 28,000 gallons of hydraulic oil.

For more information on the Consolidated Iron site: epa.gov/region02/superfund/npl/0204175c.htm.

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