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EPA Updates Its National Priorities List of Superfund Sites – One Proposed in Texas

Release Date: 09/23/2009
Contact Information: Dave Bary at 214-665-2200 or r6press@epa.gov

(Dallas, Texas - September 23, 2009) The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) announced the Van der Horst USA Corporation site in Terrell, Texas, has been proposed to the National Priorities List (NPL) of Superfund sites.

The Van der Horst USA site, located in a commercial warehouse district, is an inactive chromium and iron plating facility that began operations in the 1950s and operated until December 2006. Finished products associated with these plating operations included natural gas pipeline cylinders for the transportation of natural gas and cylinder bores for large diesel engines such as railroad locomotive engines. As part of the plating operations, the facility generated spent kerosene, wastewater treatment sludge, and chromium contaminated wastewater and soil. When the site was abandoned in April 2007, these wastes remained on-site in two underground sumps, 27 various-sized vats, and 450 55-gallon drums. A residential neighborhood lies less than one mile to the southeast of the facility.

“Adding this site to the Superfund list makes federal money available, allowing EPA and the TCEQ to speed cleanup and meet our commitment to protecting public health and the environment,” said Acting EPA Regional Administrator Lawrence E. Starfield. “EPA and TCEQ are committed to work together to clean up this site quickly and efficiently.”

In May 2008, a small fire occurred in the main building at the facility and under an emergency action the TCEQ and EPA responded. EPA is currently conducting a cleanup of the site to segregate, classify, and dispose of hazardous wastes. Due to the large amount of waste and groundwater contamination present, the short term cleanup will not fully remediate the site, making it necessary to propose it to the NPL.

Other sites proposed to the national cleanup list include the following: Salt Chuck Mine, Outer Ketchikan County, Alaska; Millsboro TCE Site, Millsboro, Delaware; JJ Seifert Machine Company, Ruskin, Florida; Kerr-McGee Chemical Corporation, Jacksonville, Florida; Chemetco Site, Madison County, Illinois; Gratiot County Golf Course, St. Louis, Michigan; Kerr-McGee Chemical Corporation, Navassa, North Carolina, Newtown Creek Brooklyn/Queens, New York; and Black Butte Mine, Cottage Grove, Oregon.

More information on the Superfund National Priorities List is available at: https://www.epa.gov/superfund/sites/npl/current.htm

More about activities in EPA Region 6: https://www.epa.gov/region6

EPA audio file is available at https://www.epa.gov/region6/6xa/podcast/sep2009.html