WASHINGTON — EPA announced it is adding five hazardous waste sites that pose risks to human health and the environment to the National Priorities List (NPL) of Superfund sites and is proposing to add three additional sites to the list, according to a press release.
The Superfund program is a federal program established by Congress in 1980 that investigates and cleans up the most complex, uncontrolled or abandoned hazardous waste sites in the country, converting them into productive local resources by eliminating or reducing health risks and environmental contamination associated with hazardous waste sites, stated the release.
The five additions to the NPL include: North Shore Drive, groundwater plume, in Elkhart, Indiana; Delta Shipyard, former boat cleaning and repair, in Houma, Louisiana; Pierson’s Creek, chemical manufacturer, in Newark, New Jersey; Baghurst Drive, groundwater plume, in Harleysville, Pennsylvania; and Jard Company Inc., former capacitor manufacturer, in Bennington, Vermont, reported the release.
“Cleaning up hazardous waste sites protects our country’s most vulnerable populations prevents diseases, increases local property values and facilitates economic restoration of communities across [the U.S.],” said Mathy Stanislaus, assistant administrator for the Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response. “By listing a site on the Superfund National Priorities List, we’re taking an important action to protect human health and encourage economic restoration of communities.”
