Friday, March 29, 2024

EPA begins five-year review of nine New England Superfund sites

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently started the five-year review process on nine Superfund Sites in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Vermont, evaluating the progress and efficacy of the remedies in place at each site.

The EPA is reviewing three sites in Massachusetts and New Hampshire and one in Vermont, Maine and Connecticut, including four federal government facilities. The reviews, which are required, will determine whether or not the remedies, or a specific part of a remedy, is still functioning to protect public and environmental health. This includes an in-depth evaluation of the remedy, its engineering and its overall functionality.

Additionally, the EPA might also consider external factors such as site redevelopment, climate change impacts or overall wear and tear. The agency also reviews completed cleanup and remediation work on National Priorities List sites, ensuring that the work was completed adequately and suggesting any necessary actions if it was not.

These five-year reviews are necessary to ensure that ongoing cleanup work is being carried out properly and that the remedies are addressing the sites’ problems, and to ensure that completed work is still serving its purpose.

The EPA will publish the results of these reviews online, at which point it will accept comments from area residents and officials.