EPA Deletes Haviland Complex Town of Hyde Park Contamination Site from the National Priorities List
NEW YORK (August 17, 2023) – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has deleted the Haviland Complex Town of Hyde Park Contamination Superfund site in Hyde Park, New York, from the National Priorities List (NPL) of Superfund sites. Cleanup work at the site is complete and the levels of contamination in the groundwater have dropped to below state and federal drinking water standards.
"EPA's work here is done. Thanks to our actions, the contamination in the groundwater has dropped to the point where you can drink the water,” said EPA Regional Administrator Lisa F. Garcia. “I am pleased that our work with the local government and the local community at the Haviland town complex is complete, and that we are removing its designation as an active Superfund site.”
The Haviland Complex site is a 275-acre area in Hyde Park, New York, that was contaminated by Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) from the septic and sewage systems of a car wash, a laundromat, a dry cleaner, and a middle school. Contamination was discovered in 1981 and the site was added to the Superfund program in 1986.
EPA selected a cleanup plan in 1987 and modified it in 1997. The plan included removing the source of contamination from the sewers and allowing the levels of VOCs to drop naturally while carefully monitoring to assess the progress. EPA installed additional monitoring wells in 1999 to monitor levels of contamination in groundwater. The Dutchess County Department of Health installed a public water system in the area as part of a county-wide plan. The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) connected the affected homes to this system in 2000. EPA transferred the oversight of the Haviland Complex site to NYSDEC in April 2011. NYSDEC continued to monitor the groundwater.
EPA has conducted reviews, called five-year reviews, to evaluate the effectiveness of the cleanup plan. These reviews ensure that the cleanup actions taken protect people's health and the environment are working effectively. Data shows that groundwater contamination has been below state and federal drinking water standards since 2015 and is expected to remain below relevant standards in the future. All of EPA’s goals have been met at the site and groundwater monitoring and five-year reviews will no longer be required there.
The NPL includes some of the nation’s most serious uncontrolled or abandoned releases of contamination. EPA deletes sites or parts of sites from the NPL when no further cleanup is required to protect human health or the environment. Years, and sometimes decades, of complex investigation and cleanup work have contributed to getting these sites to where they are today.
While EPA encourages site reuse throughout the cleanup process, deletions from the NPL can revitalize communities, raise property values, and promote economic growth by signaling to potential developers and financial institutions that cleanup is complete. Achieving this milestone can be especially impactful for disadvantaged and over-burdened communities.
Visit the [Haviland complex] Superfund site profile page for additional background and site documents.
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