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EPA Adds Marion, La. Site to Superfund List

Release Date: 2/4/2000
Contact Information: For more information contact the Office of External Affairs at (214) 665-2200.

      The Marion Pressure Treating site in Marion, Union Parish, La. has been added to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Superfund program's National Priorities List (NPL), EPA and the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality (LDEQ) announced today.

      "Adding this site to the Superfund list is the best way to ensure that public health and the environment remain protected.  EPA and the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality will continue to work together to clean up this site quickly and efficiently," EPA Regional Administrator Gregg Cooke said.

      LDEQ Secretary J. Dale Givens said, "Since 1997, all proceeds of Louisiana's hazardous waste tax have been dedicated to cleaning up potentially dangerous sites.  In remediating larger sites such as these, however, Louisiana and most other states depend on our partnership with EPA for additional funding. This federal-state partnership was made possible when Congress created the federal Superfund program in 1980."

      The 10-acre facility is located along State Highway 551, approximately 0.5 mile north of the junction of State Highways 551 and 33 in the town of Marion, Union Parish, Louisiana. Contamination from the facility's former wood preserving process threatens Big Creek and bordering wetlands. The site does not appear to pose a threat to local residents through the water supply, air migration, or direct contact with contaminated soil.

      The EPA Superfund program works closely with state agencies to clean and restore uncontrolled contaminated properties.  Superfund cleans sites when the work required is beyond the resources of state and local agencies.

      The site was proposed for addition to the NPL October 1999. In its evaluation of the site, EPA considered comments received during a 60-day comment period.

      Additional information about this site is available on the EPA web site at https://www.epa.gov/oerrpage/superfund/sites/npl/nar1578.htm, and at an informal open house at Marion City Hall Feb. 9 from 6:30 to 8:30 pm.