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EPA Adds 6 and Proposes 4 Sites to Superfund's National Priorities List

Release Date: 04/19/2006
Contact Information: Roxanne Smith, (202) 564-4355 / smith.roxanne@epa.gov

(Washington, D.C. - April 19, 2006) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is adding six new hazardous waste sites that pose risks to human health and the environment to the National Priorities List of Superfund sites. That brings the total of final sites on the list to 1,244. EPA is also proposing to add four other sites to the list.

Contaminants found at these final and proposed sites include benzene, carbon tetrachloride, chromium, creosote, mercury, N-nitrosodimethylamine (NMDA), carcinogenic polyaromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) compounds, toluene, trichloroethene (TCE), tetrachloroethene (PCE), vinyl chloride, and other volatile organic compounds.

With the proposal of the four new sites, there are 59 proposed sites awaiting final agency action: 54 in the general Superfund section and five in the federal facilities section. Altogether, there are 1,303 final and proposed sites.

In addition to adding sites, EPA is proposing to restore the Ringwood Mines/Landfill site to the National Priorities List. The site was originally added to the list Sept. 1, 1983 and deleted Nov. 2, 1994.

EPA is also withdrawing the proposal to add the Sunflower Army Ammunition Plant in De Soto, Kan., to the list. The proposed rule can be found at 60 FR 8212 (Feb. 13, 1995).

With all Superfund sites, EPA tries to identify and locate the parties potentially responsible for the contamination. Historically, through EPA's enforcement program, approximately 70 percent of Superfund cleanups have been performed by the parties responsible for site contamination. For the newly listed sites without viable potentially responsible parties, EPA will investigate the full extent of the contamination before starting significant cleanup at the site. Therefore, it may be several years before significant cleanup funding is required for these sites.

Sites may be placed on the list through various mechanisms:

· Numeric ranking established by EPA's Hazard Ranking System.
· Designation by states or territories of one top-priority site.
· Meeting all three of the following requirements:

< The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) of the U.S. Public Health Service has issued a health advisory that recommends removing people from the site;
< EPA determines the site poses a significant threat to public health; and
< EPA anticipates it will be more cost-effective to use its remedial authority than to use its emergency removal authority to respond to the site.

Federal Register notices and supporting documents for final and proposed sites: epa.gov/superfund/sites/npl/current.htm

The following sites have been added to the National Priorities List:

Klau/Buena Vista Mine, San Luis Obispo, Calif.
Alternate Energy Resources, Augusta, Ga.
Olin Chemical, Wilmington, Mass.
Parkview Well, Grand Island, Neb.
West Highway 6 & Highway 281, Hastings, Neb.
Quendall Terminals, Renton, Wash.

The following sites have been proposed to the National Priorities List:

ASARCO Taylor Springs, Taylor Springs, Ill.
Sherwin-Williams/Hilliards Creek, Gibbsboro, N.J.
Matteo & Sons Inc., Thorofare, N.J.
Maunabo Urbano Public Wells, Maunabo, Puerto Rico

The following site has been proposed to be restored to the National Priorities List:

Ringwood Mines/Landfill, Ringwood, N.J.