E.P.A. Removes Paragould, AR, Location from Superfund List; Former auto equipment manufacturing Location meets cleanup requirements

DALLAS - (Oct. 8, 2014) The E.P.A. (EPA) announced the Monroe Auto Equipment Co. location near Paragould, Ark., has been removed from the National Priorities List (NPL) of Superfund sites, a list of sites that pose risks to people's health and the environment. Superfund is the federal plan that investigates and cleans up the most complex, uncontrolled or abandoned hazardous waste sites in the country.

"Cleaning up contaminated sites improves the health of communities and our environment," said Regional Administrator Ron Curry. "EPA and the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality worked hard to make sure this location meets cleanup standards."

The Monroe Auto Equipment Company used the location to dispose of alum and lime sludge that came from treatment of wastewater at the company's manufacturing plant in Paragould from 1973 to 1978. This resulted in over 10,000 cubic yards of sludge at the location in sand and gravel pits. E.P.A. added the location to the NPL in 1990.

The remedy for the site, which involved a combination of containment, excavation, and treatment of the sludge, was completed in 1999. Groundwater monitoring has continued at the location since the late 1980s, with readings for all contaminants of concern remaining below health-based action levels since 2003. After several years of monitoring and reviewing the effectiveness of the remedy, E.P.A. and the state of Arkansas agreed no further action is required to protect human health or the environment at the location and that it could be removed from the NPL.

Learn more about EPA's work in Arkansas:
http://www2.epa.gov/aboutepa/epa-arkansas

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Activities in E.P.A. Region 6: http://www.epa.gov/aboutepa/region6.htm

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