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EPA Proposes to Delete the Warwick Landfill Superfund Site in Orange County, New York from National List of Hazardous Waste Sites

Release Date: 08/24/2000
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(#00158) NEW YORK, N.Y. -- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced today that it is proposing to delete the Warwick Landfill federal Superfund site in Orange County, New York from the National Priorities List (NPL) of hazardous waste sites, since all appropriate cleanup actions have been completed and the site is no longer a threat to human health and the environment. EPA is seeking public comment on this proposal. The site is a 19-acre unlined landfill that was used by the Town of Warwick from the mid-1950s until 1977, and evidence indicates that some hazardous materials were dumped at the landfill during this period. The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) found seepage from the landfill contaminated with heavy metals, volatile organic compounds and phenols in 1979, and subsequently closed it.  The site was proposed for listing on the NPL in September 1985 and placed on the final NPL in March 1989. In June 1991, EPA selected a long-term remedy for the contaminated site, which included closing the landfill in accordance with New York State regulations. Private parties deemed responsible for the contamination completed the construction of a cap over the landfill in September 1998 under EPA supervision. EPA also supervised an investigation of the groundwater by the private parties in accordance with the terms of a Superfund legal order. The investigation included extensive groundwater sampling and the installation of new monitoring wells. The investigation revealed limited groundwater contamination at the site and concluded that the contamination previously found in residential wells was not related to the Superfund site. After public comments on the findings, EPA decided that no further federal action to address on-site groundwater was warranted. Based on a comprehensive review of the Superfund cleanup and several post cleanup inspections, EPA and the NYSDEC concluded that all the appropriate site cleanup actions have been completed. Sites deleted from the NPL remain eligible for any additional cleanup activities that may become necessary in the future due to unforseen or changing site conditions. The public is invited to comment on the proposed decision to delete this site from the NPL. The public comment period began on August 15, 2000 and extends to September 13, 2000. Copies of the proposal and other site-related documents are available to the public for review at Warwick Town Hall at 132 Kings Highway and the Greenwood Lake Village Hall on Church Street. Written comments should be addressed to: Damian Duda, USEPA, 290 Broadway, 20th floor, New York, New York, 10007-1866. Written comments can also be faxed to Mr. Damian Duda at (212) 637-3966 or e-mailed to [email protected].