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PARTIES AGREE TO REIMBURSE EPA $823,000 FOR MOTOROLA 52nd STREET SUPERFUND SITE CLEANUP COSTS

Release Date: 7/27/2000
Contact Information: Dave Schmidt, U.S.EPA, (415) 744-1578

     MOTOROLA, HONEYWELL, CITY OF PHOENIX PAYMENTS WILL COVER CRITICAL ADVANCE WORK AND ENABLE FUTURE SUPERFUND CLEANUPS

     SAN FRANCISCO -- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today announced a proposed consent decree in which responsible parties Motorola Inc., Honeywell International Inc., and the City of Phoenix have agreed to pay $823,000 to reimburse the EPA for critical advance work that prepared the way for cleanup of the Motorola Inc. 52nd St. Superfund Site in Phoenix.

      "We're pleased that the responsible parties have agreed to reimburse EPA," said Keith Takata, the EPA's regional Superfund chief.  "EPA will recycle the money to clean up other Superfund sites, which benefits taxpayers as well as the environment.."

     The Motorola Inc. 52nd St. Superfund site has an underground plume of contaminated groundwater.  Identified sources are Motorola's Semiconductor Products Sector Plant, and a Honeywell aerospace facility formerly operated by AlliedSignal, which merged with Honeywell.  AlliedSignal/Honeywell International have leased a portion of the facility property from the City of Phoenix since 1952.  The soil and groundwater beneath these facilities is contaminated with the chlorinated solvents TCA (trichloroethane) and TCE (trichloroethylene).

     In December 1998, the EPA ordered the parties to construct a groundwater treatment plant to clean up the plume.  Construction began in March 2000 and is expected to be completed by August 2001.  Another groundwater treatment plant, constructed by Motorola, has already been operating since 1992.  The responsible parties are paying for construction, operation, and maintenance of these facilities.  

     Advance work paid for by the EPA included a public health assessment by the Agency For Toxic Substance and Disease Registry (ATSDR),independent groundwater sampling and analysis, investigating cleanup alternatives, analysis of the responsible parties' design and work plans for the treatment plant, and conducting meetings to solicit public input.

     Under the proposed consent decree, the three parties have agreed to reimburse the EPA for 70% of its costs incurred between July 1, 1992 and November 30, 1997, 80% of EPA costs from the latter date through March 31, 1999, and 100% of EPA's oversight costs incurred after that date. The proposed consent decree is subject to a 30-day public comment period before becoming final.  Comments should refer to United States v. Motorola,  Inc., et al., D. AZ, Civil No. 98-2049 PHX-RCB, DOJ Ref. #90-11-3-06000. Comments should be addressed to:

Assistant Attorney General for the Environment and Natural Resources Division
Department of Justice
P.O. Box 7611, Washington, D.C. 20530