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Local company settles with EPA

Release Date: 08/21/2008
Contact Information: Margot Perez-Sullivan, (415) 947-4149, perezsullivan.margot@epa.gov

SAN FRANCISCO – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency finalized an agreement with Paul McCoys Laundry and Dry Cleaners, Inc., of Phoenix, Ariz. requiring the company to pay $26,000 for cleanup of the Motorola 52nd Street Superfund site.

Paul McCoys Laundry and Dry Cleaners, Inc. will pay $26,000 to settle their liability in the cleanup based on a limited ability to pay. The EPA evaluated the financial condition of the company and concluded that the cash payments represent a fair contribution to the cleanup.

“This company has accepted their share of responsibility for the site,” said Keith Takata, Superfund Director for the EPA’s Pacific Southwest region. “We believe this is an equitable settlement which will help move along our ongoing cleanup efforts.”

The EPA will place the $26,000 in an interest bearing account to be used for work on the Motorola 52nd Street Superfund site. The settlement went into effect on August 13, following a 30-day public comment period.

Paul McCoys Laundry and Dry Cleaners, Inc. located at 16th Street and Washington, operated as a commercial laundry and dry cleaner from the 1940’s until 1990. It began dry cleaning operations in the mid 1950’s. In 1990, it stopped operating as a dry cleaner and limited operations to laundry folding and storage.

The Motorola 52nd Street Superfund site in eastern Phoenix is an area of groundwater contamination that is approximately seven miles long and was placed on the National Priorities List in 1989. The groundwater is contaminated with solvents and other chemicals, including trichloroethylene (TCE) and other industrial solvents. As part of the cleanup, there are currently two remedial systems capturing and treating contaminated groundwater. In the area where Paul McCoys Laundry and Dry Cleaners, Inc. is located, the EPA is determining the appropriate remedy to address the contaminated groundwater.