March 31, 2004—The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently proposed that 11 new high risk hazardous waste sites be added to the Superfund National Priorities List (NPL). Of the 11 sites proposed for listing: two sites are former mining sites, one site has significant drinking water contamination from unidentified sources, one site has significant water resource sediment contamination, and one site has residential soil contamination.
The sites present a wide array of contaminants, including lead, arsenic, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and volatile organic compounds, among others. The NPL serves primarily informational purposes, identifying for the states and the public those sites that appear to warrant remedial actions. Nationally, more than 70 percent of all Superfund sites are cleaned up by those responsible for the pollution.
The 11 proposed sites are: Jacobsville Neighborhood Soil Contamination, Evansville, IN; Devil’s Swamp Lake, Scotlandville, LA; Annapolis Lead Mine, Annapolis, MO; Picayune Wood Treating, Picayune, MS; Grants Chlorinated Solvents Plume, Grants, NM; Diaz Chemical Corporation, Holley, NY; Peninsula Boulevard Groundwater Plume, Hewlett, NY; Ryeland Road Arsenic, Heidelberg Township, PA; Cidra Ground Water Contamination, Cidra, Puerto Rico; Pike Hill Copper Mine, Corinth, VT; and Ravenswood PCE Ground Water Plume, Ravenswood, WV.
