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EPA Proposes Cleanup Plan For Part of the Liberty Industrial Superfund Site in Farmingdale, Long Island; Meeting Scheduled

Release Date: 08/11/1997
Contact Information:

(#97107) NEW YORK, N.Y. -- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has scheduled a public meeting in Farmingdale today to discuss the findings of its study of organic and heavy metal contamination in the vacant, western portion of the Liberty Industrial Finishing Superfund site. At the meeting, EPA will provide the details of a plan to clean up this area of the site where soils have been contaminated by past industrial activities, including aircraft parts manufacturing and metal finishing. The plan calls for the excavation and on-site treatment of approximately 7,600 cubic yards of contaminated soil, after which the treated soil will be returned to the excavated areas. The work is estimated to cost about $3.7 million. If sampling prior to the excavation shows that the amount of soil requiring treatment is substantially less than current estimates, a back-up plan that calls for off-site disposal of the contaminated soil and the use of clean backfill material would be followed.

"This remedy will provide a long-term solution for the western portion of the site by permanently reducing the toxicity, mobility and volume of chemically contaminated soil in that area, thereby minimizing further degradation of groundwater," EPA Regional Administrator Jeanne M. Fox said. "The action will allow the future use of the western part of the property."

EPA hopes to finalize the soil cleanup plan for the western portion of the site by the end of September. The actual cleanup work would not begin until negotiations with private responsible parties to undertake the project are completed, design of the cleanup system is finalized and a contract to perform the work is awarded.

Previous investigations indicated that there were several localized areas of the site contaminated with polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) from electrical transformers, drums and wastes from underground storage tanks. EPA determined that these areas posed an immediate risk to trespassers through direct contact. These hazards were removed by private responsible parties, working under an EPA Superfund Order, in the fall of 1995.

Studies are underway that will lead to a cleanup plan for groundwater and contaminated soil on the eastern portion of the site. EPA expects to propose this plan for public comment sometime next year. The eastern portion of the site contains approximately ten buildings that are leased to a variety of tenants engaged in trucking, warehousing, automobile parts salvaging and product distribution. Today's public meeting is scheduled at 7:00 p.m. at the Woodward Parkway Elementary School auditorium in Farmingdale. EPA will consider written and oral comments on the plan from the public through August 27. Detailed information on the site studies and various cleanup options is available for review at the Farmingdale Library at 116 Merrits Road. Written comments on the plan should be sent to:

Lorenzo Thantu, EPA Remedial Project Manager

USEPA, Region 2

290 Broadway, 20th Floor

New York, New York 10007-1866.

For more information contact:
Rich Cahill, Press Office
EPA Region 2
290 Broadway
NY, NY 10007-1866
Voice: 212-637-3666 FAX: 212-637-5046 E-Mail: [email protected]