EPA Completes Reviews of Six Superfund Site Cleanups in Vermont During 2019
MONTPELIER – EPA has completed comprehensive reviews of site cleanups at six National Priorities List Sites (Superfund Sites) in Vermont by performing a required Five-Year Reviews of each site. The Superfund program, a federal program established by Congress in 1980, investigates and cleans up the most complex, uncontrolled or abandoned hazardous waste sites in the country and endeavors to facilitate activities to return them to productive use.
"EPA performs Five-Year Review evaluations at Superfund Sites to ensure that our implemented site remedies continue to protect public health and the environment," said EPA New England Regional Administrator Dennis Deziel.
"Vermont DEC is pleased to partner with US EPA to complete Five-Year Reviews on these federal Superfund sites. Conducting periodic reviews helps ensure that our cleanup actions continue to be protect the public and our environment," said Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation Commissioner Emily Boedecker.
The Superfund Sites where EPA has completed Five Year Reviews in 2019 are below. The links will direct users to each Superfund Site page, where you can find the Five-Year Review report in the "Site Documents and Data" section.
Completed Five-Year Reviews during FY19 of private facilities in Vermont
- Bennington Municipal Sanitary Landfill, Bennington, VT www.epa.gov/superfund/bennington
- BFI Sanitary Landfill (Rockingham) AMTL, Rockingham, VT www.epa.gov/superfund/bfi
- Elizabeth Mine, Strafford, VT www.epa.gov/superfund/elizmine
- Parker Sanitary Landfill, Lyndon, VT www.epa.gov/superfund/parker
- Pownal Tannery, Pownal, VT https://www.epa.gov/superfund/pownal
- Tansitor Electronics, Inc, Bennington, VT www.epa.gov/superfund/tansitor
Background
Throughout the Superfund process of designing and constructing a cleanup remedy for a hazardous waste site, EPA's first goal is to make sure the remedy will be protective of public health and the environment. At many sites, EPA continues to ensure protectiveness by requiring reviews of completed cleanups every five years. It is important for EPA to regularly check on these sites to ensure the remedy is working properly. Five-year review evaluations identify potential issues and, if called for, recommend action(s) necessary to address them.
EPA is actively involved in Superfund studies and cleanups at 14 sites across Vermont. There are many phases of the Superfund cleanup process including considering future use and redevelopment at sites and conducting post cleanup monitoring of sites. EPA must ensure the remedy is protective of public health and the environment and any redevelopment will uphold the protectiveness of the remedy into the future.
More information on EPA topics pertaining to Vermont: https://www.epa.gov/vt