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EPA Proposes Nassau County Site for the Superfund List

Release Date: 03/08/2004
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(#04033) NEW YORK, N.Y. -- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today proposed to add the Peninsula Boulevard Ground Water Plume site in Hewlett, Long Island to its National Priorities List (NPL) of the most hazardous waste sites, making it eligible for federal cleanup dollars. "The people of Hewlett should not have to worry about the safety of their drinking water," said EPA Regional Administrator Jane M. Kenny. "Listing Peninsula Boulevard on the National Priorities List will enable the Agency to get in and further investigate the ground water contamination that has already impacted a local drinking water supply." The Peninsula Boulevard Ground Water Plume site is in a predominantly residential area that overlies tetrachloroethylene (PCE) contaminated ground water. The 43 wells in the Long Island Water Corporation Plant 5 well field, which supply drinking water to 6,400 people, are impacted by the contaminated water. Since April 1991, water from these wells has been treated at the site to remove PCE before distribution to the public. New York state referred the site to EPA in 2001 for investigation and possible inclusion on the NPL. While the particular contaminants in the ground water are most often produced by drycleaners, it is not possible to pinpoint which drycleaners in the area are responsible for the contamination. The Agency also proposed another New York State site the Diaz Chemical site in Holley, New York for NPL listing today. EPA periodically proposes sites to the NPL and designates proposed sites as final. Sites that are designated as final are eligible for funds to plan and conduct long-term cleanups. Proposed sites are investigated further to determine the extent of the risks they may pose to human health and the environment. The addition of these two sites would bring the total number of federal Superfund sites in New York to 90. For more information about the Peninsula Boulevard site or to obtain a copy of the notice or a detailed site description, contact the RCRA/Superfund Hotline at 1-800-424-9346 or 703-412-9810.