EPA Expands List of US Superfund Sites

Today, April 7, US EPA expanded the list of US Superfund sites by adding five contaminated hazardous waste and chemical sites to the National Priorities List (NPL). Required under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA), the NPL is a list of sites in the United States affected by “uncontrolled hazardous substance releases…that are priorities for long-term remedial action and response.” [40 CFR 300.5]

Without further ado, the five NEW Superfund sites are:

• A former zinc plant in Fairmont City, IL
• A former dry cleaner in Atlantic, IA
• A former gas plant in Norfolk, NE
• A former pesticides manufacturing facility in Vineland, NJ
• A groundwater plume in Roswell, NM

Today’s Final Rule in the Federal Register also proposes further expansion Superfund list. In addition to adding the five sites above to the NPL, EPA proposed eight additional sites for inclusion. This brings the total number of sites proposed for inclusion on the Superfund list nationally to fifty-five.


  The eight sites proposed for addition to the Superfund list in EPA’s April 7 Final Rule are:

• Two former hard rock mining areas in Jackson, CA, and San Juan County, CO
• A former cleaning products manufacturing site in Live Oak, TX
• A former tire and heavy duty truck molding manufacturing site in Riverside, OH
• The former site of various industrial operations along Wappinger Creek in Dutchess County, NY
• Two contaminated groundwater areas in Indianapolis, IN, and Dorado, PR
• A former glass and zinc manufacturing site in Clarksburg, WV

Read more about the new and proposed Superfund sites on EPA’s page “Current NPL Updates: New Proposed NPL Sites and New NPL Sites”.

How Does a Site Get on the Superfund List?

To be added to EPA’s NPL, a site must first be discovered as a hazard to human health or the environment, and reported to US EPA. Often, EPA discovers Superfund sites when the National Response Center (NRC) receives a report of hazardous substance release as required under 40 CFR 302. A site may also be reported by concerned US citizens.

Next, EPA conducts a preliminary assessment and site inspection of the potential cleanup site. This assessment and inspection can include taking samples of the air, water, and soil and investigating how people might be exposed to the chemicals present at the site.

If EPA’s preliminary assessment and inspection find reason to add the site to the NPL, EPA will propose doing so in the Federal Register. Lastly, provided that public comments do not change EPA’s mind about the contaminated site, the site is added to the NPL list for eventual cleanup.
For more on how Superfund sites are added to the NPL, read Understanding Superfund Discovery and Remediation.

8-Hour HAZWOPER Refresher Coming Soon!

Personnel who work at contaminated hazardous waste sites on EPA’s National Priorities List (NPL) must complete training on OSHA’s Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response (HAZWOPER) Standard found at 29 CFR 1910.120.

Need refresher HAZWOPER training? The convenient, interactive 8-Hour OSHA HAZWOPER Refresher Online Course is coming soon to Lion.com!

Tags: CERCLA, EPA, HAZWOPER, osha, Superfund