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Fruit Avenue One of 11 Sites to Receive Superfund Funding

Release Date: 7/17/2003
Contact Information: For more information contact the Office of External Affairs at (214) 665-2200.

      The Fruit Avenue site in Albuquerque, New Mexico, is one of 11 new sites nationwide to receive funding for Superfund cleanup this year. By prioritizing these sites based on public health risk, we are ensuring they are cleaned up first. Funding in the amount of $4 million will be used to start the cleanup, further protecting human health and the environment from onsite contamination.  

      The Fruit Avenue site is a chlorinated solvent ground water plume in downtown Albuquerque. The cleanup will include soil vapor extraction of contaminants from soil on the source area property, ground water hot spot treatment with chemical oxidation, and pump, treat, and re-injection of ground water contaminated above the federal drinking water standards.

      "I am pleased that four Region 6 sites are slated for quick cleanup. We are committed to completing our cleanup work at Fruit Avenue within the next year. Ultimately, this property will be available for redevelopment, bringing new jobs and a healthier environment to this community," EPA Regional Administrator Richard E. Greene said.

      EPA will continue to work with potentially responsible parties to recover its costs at all Superfund sites. Historically, about 70 percent of Superfund cleanup activities have been paid for by responsible parties. There are currently 729 cleanup projects underway at 450 sites nationwide, 11 of which are in New Mexico.  

      More information about the Fruit Avenue site is available on the Internet at https://www.epa.gov/earth1r6/6sf/pdffiles/fruitavenue.pdf.