(DALLAS - Sept. 28, 2015) The E.P.A. (EPA) suggested to add the Lea and West 2nd Street Groundwater Plume location in Roswell, NM, to 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 and converts them into productive community resources by eliminating or reducing public health risks and environmental contamination.
The location lies in central Roswell near the intersection of N. Lea Ave. and W. two
nd Saint The location contains groundwater and soil contaminated with tetrachloroethylene, or PERC, as well as trichloroethylene and other volatile organic compounds. Sources of contamination include 2 areas of soil associated with former dry-cleaning operations, a former in-ground concrete separator tank, and a groundwater plume.
"Making communities safer and healthier is the number-one goal at Superfund cleanups," said E.P.A. Regional Administrator Ron Curry. "By addressing this contamination, we can reduce risks for Roswell families and promote future economic development."
If not addressed, the plume could threaten drinking water sources for Roswell residents. Tetrachloroethylene is considered a potential human carcinogen. Animal studies have shown exposure over long periods could cause other effects in the liver and kidneys and changes in brain chemistry.
E.P.A. regularly works to identify companies or people responsible for the contamination at a site, and requires them to conduct or pay for the cleanup. For the newly listed sites without viable potentially responsible parties, E.P.A. will investigate the extent of the contamination before assessing how best to treat it.
This year marks the 35
th anniversary of the enactment of the Comprehensive Environmental, Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA), the law establishing the Superfund program. Superfund's passage was a giant step forward in cleaning up legacy industrial waste sites to help ensure human health and environmental protection. The Superfund law gives E.P.A. the authority to clean up delivers of hazardous substances and directs E.P.A. to update the NPL at least annually. The NPL contains the nation's most serious uncontrolled or abandoned hazardous waste sites. The list serves as the basis for prioritizing both enforcement actions and long-term E.P.A. Superfund cleanup funding; only sites on the NPL are eligible for such funding.
Federal Register notices and supporting documents for the final and suggested sites:
http://www.epa.gov/superfund/sites/npl/current.htm
Information about how a location is listed on the NPL:
http://www.epa.gov/superfund/sites/npl/npl_hrs.htm
Superfund sites in local communities:
http://www.epa.gov/superfund/sites/index.htm
More information about the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA), the law establishing the Superfund program, can be found at:
http://epa.gov/superfund/policy/cercla.htm
More about activities in E.P.A. Region six is accessible at
http://www.epa.gov/aboutepa/region6.html
