E.P.A. Suggests Project to Clean Up the Source of Ground Water Contamination at the Cortese Landfill Location in Sullivan County, New York

Category: Hazardous Waste
Type: News
Source: EPA
Date: Friday, August 20th, 2010

(New York, N.Y.) The E.P.A. (EPA) has suggested a project to clean up recently discovered areas of contaminated liquid under the landfill and near some contaminated lagoons at the Cortese Landfill Superfund location in Sullivan County, NY. The ground water beneath this closed landfill was contaminated over several decades by hazardous waste disposed of at the location and it continues to be affected by the 2 areas of contamination to be addressed by EPA's suggested plan. E.P.A. is taking public review on its suggested cleanup project until September 12, and will hold a public meeting on Monday, August 23 to discuss the details of the plan.

"EPA has already removed thousands of drums of hazardous waste from this site, and capped the landfill to prevent rainwater from carrying contamination from it into surrounding areas," said Regional Administrator Judith Enck. "Now, we are planning the final stage of the cleanup, which will tackle the recently discovered source of the contamination at the site."

According to EPA's suggested plan, a series of technologies will be used to address contaminated liquid located primarily underneath the area of the landfill in which drums were disposed and a smaller drum-disposal area located south of the landfill adjacent to the lagoons. Among these is a technology called "air sparging," which is the process of injecting air directly into the contaminated liquid and surrounding ground water. As the air bubbles rise, the volatilized contaminants are removed by physical contact with the air, and are carried up into the soil where they are collected using a vapor extraction system.

The Cortese Landfill, formerly known as the Tusten Landfill, received municipal waste from approximately July 1970 to July 1981. Disposal practices at the landfill were poorly documented and records regarding the types and volume of waste disposed of at the location are essentially nonexistent. For a six-month period in 1973, however, industrial waste was brought to the location in drums containing paint thinners, sludge, solvents, dyes, waste oil and petroleum products. There is evidence that drums were buried in and/or emptied into trenches and that tanker trucks emptied waste into a lagoon. Subsequent ground water monitoring revealed elevated concentrations of volatile and semi-volatile organic compounds at the site.

Parties named as responsible for the contamination at the location have excavated lagoons and other areas of soil and removed in excess of 5,000 drums, 3 tractor trailer loads of hazardous sludge, and 50 dump trucks of contaminated soil from the landfill. They also have capped the landfill and performed a number of investigations in support of the remedy that is being proposed.

A public meeting will be held on August 23 at the Tusten Town Hall, 210 Bridge Street, Tusten, New York to elaborate further on the suggested cleanup project and gain public input. Comments on the suggested project can be presented at the public meeting or sent to Mark Granger, Region two Remedial Plan Manager, at (212) 637-3351 or granger.mark@epa.gov.

Copies of the suggested project and supporting documentation are accessible at the Tusten-Cochecton Library, 198 Bridge Street, Tusten, New York 12764. Copies are also accessible at http://www.epa.gov/region02/superfund/npl/cortese/index.html

Follow E.P.A. Region two on Twitter at http://twitter.com/eparegion2 and Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/eparegion2.

10-087

User Comments

There are currently no comments for this story. Be the first to add a comment!
Click here to add a comment about this story.

Alternative Fuels Glossary
... According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, MTBE has been detected in ground water across the country, somtimes contaminating drinking water. Recent work by EPA and other researchers is expected to help ...

E.P.A. Finalizes Cleanup Project for Cortese Toxic Location in Sullivan County, New York
... up areas of contaminated liquid waste and ground water at the Cortese Landfill Superfund location in Sullivan County, NY. The ground water was contaminated by hazardous waste disposed of at the location when ...

1st Air Quality Permit Requirements Suggested for Industry in 'Indian Country'
... in Indian Country. The suggested Project includes 2 NSR rules: 1) The minor NSR rule, would apply to new and modified ... meet countrywide air quality standards. Under the suggested plan, E.P.A. would have the authority to review these permit applications, ...

LANDOWNERS GAIN IN EXCESS OF $7.0 MILLION TO CONSERVE IMPERILED SPECIES THROUGH THE FISCAL YEAR 2004 PRIVATE STEWARDSHIP GRANT PLAN
... , Inc.) - Lancaster Co. (PA), Carroll and Cecil Counties (MD), Sullivan, Orange, and Dutchess Counties (NY) - ($55,522) - This Plan is designed to create a network of local implementers to work with a diverse ...

E.P.A. Orders Removal of PCB-Contaminated Materials from Massena, N.Y. Location and Decontamination of Buildings Before Demolition
... portions of the General Motors Central Foundry Division Superfund location in Massena, N.Y. MLC intends to demolish several ... and an on-site landfill. E.P.A. added the General Motors Central Foundry Division location to the Superfund National Priorities ...

E.P.A. Suggests Project to Address Contaminated Soil at Evor Phillips Location
... ground water treatment system to address the most highly contaminated ground water. The cleanup of on-site contaminated soil, which is the subject of this suggested plan, is the 2nd phase. The last phase ...

E.P.A. Reaches Arrangement with IBM to Perform Cleanup Work at Ground Water Contamination Location in East Fishkill
... to complete a cleanup begun by E.P.A. at the Shenandoah Road Ground Water Contamination location in the Town of East Fishkill. The ... plume of tetrachloroethane (PCE)-contaminated ground water, as well as soil contamination at a facility located at seven East ...

Connecticut Facilities Reporting PCB Activity
... Chemicals Fertilizers & Chemicals PCB Facility Reports Pesticide Regulatory Agencies Water Ground vs Surface Water ... 317546 Newington, CT 06131-7546 8/14/2002 O'Sullivan's Island Facility Owner City of Derby CT ...

Missouri Facilities Reporting PCB Activity
... & Chemicals PCB Facility Reports Pesticide Regulatory Agencies Water Ground vs Surface ... COUNTY ELECTRIC COOP KERBY HAROLD (816)457-3733 PO BOX 159 ... (314)468-4712 305 N PARK SULLIVAN, MO 63080 3/7/1990 SIKESTON BD ...

Pennsylvania Facilities Reporting PCB Activity
... & Chemicals PCB Facility Reports Pesticide Regulatory Agencies Water Ground vs Surface ... ST CLAIRTON, PA 15025 6/4/1990 SULLIVAN CNTY REC INC Facility Owner SULLIVAN CNTY REC INC HARTING CRAIG A (717)924-3381 RTE 87 ...