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EPA Places Old Roosevelt Field Contaminated Groundwater Area on the Federal List of Hazardous Waste Sites

Release Date: 05/11/2000
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(#00086) NEW YORK, N.Y. -- The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has placed the Old Roosevelt Field Contaminated Groundwater area on the final Superfund National Priorities List (NPL) of the nation's worst hazardous waste sites. The site has a plume of contaminated groundwater from unidentified sources underlying much of the former Roosevelt airfield, a portion of which is currently the Roosevelt Field Mall. Contaminated groundwater is not used for drinking or sanitary purposes in the Mall. Nearby Garden City uses treatment to maintain reliable drinking water service for the public. EPA proposed the site for the NPL last January. The Agency periodically proposes sites to the NPL and designates proposed sites as final. Proposed sites are investigated further to determine the extent of the risks they may pose to human health and the environment. Sites that are placed on the final NPL are eligible for long-term "remedial action" or cleanups financed under the Superfund Trust Fund. The number of NPL federal Superfund sites in New York is 87. "The final listing on the NPL is an essential step in securing federal money for site cleanups," EPA Regional Administrator Jeanne M. Fox said. "We will continue to work closely with the New York Department of Environmental Conservation and the Nassau County Health Department in developing a coordinated, comprehensive solution to this groundwater problem. "We are confident that, with the vigilant monitoring  and controls in place at drinking water systems in the area, the public is being protected," Ms. Fox pointed out. This NPL update was published in the Federal Register today. Members of the public interested in obtaining an updated NPL list or site description, should contact the RCRA/Superfund Hotline at 1-800- 424-9346 or 703-412-9810. Further information on the Superfund program can also be obtained from EPA's homepage: http://www.epa.gov.superfund.