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EPA Proposes Site in East Fishkill for the Federal List of Hazardous Waste Sites

Release Date: 01/11/2001
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(#01003) NEW YORK, N.Y. -- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing to add the Shenandoah Road Ground Water Contamination site in the Town of East Fishkill to its federal Superfund National Priorities List (NPL), making it eligible for further investigations and federal cleanup actions. The site consists of a facility, believed to be the source of the contamination, on East Hook Cross Road and a ground water plume of tetrachloroethene (TCE) and other volatile organic compounds that have contaminated private wells used for drinking water. The facility repaired and cleaned electronics manufacturing equipment from the late 1960s through the mid 1970s. Since last June, EPA has been working with the New York State Departments of Health and Environmental Conservation to protect the community from any public health threat posed by the contamination. As part of an ongoing federal Superfund emergency response action, EPA has installed individual water treatment systems at 56 of the 59 residences with contaminated private wells and upgraded the existing systems at the other 3 residences. EPA has also removed a septic tank believed to be the original source of the contamination. According to EPA Regional Administrator Jeanne M. Fox, "The proposed listing of the site will lead to a thorough investigation of the source of the contamination and an analysis of cleanup options. The federal Superfund provides solutions for communities that face serious problems such as this site." 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. This proposed addition to the NPL brings the total number of federal Superfund sites in New York to 89. EPA is soliciting public comments on its proposed listing of the Shenandoah Road Ground Water Contamination site on the NPL. The 60-day public comment period starts today when the NPL update is published in the Federal Register. Members of the public interested in obtaining copies of the notice, an updated NPL list or site description and commenting on the proposed addition, should contact the RCRA/Superfund Hotline at 1-800-424-9346 or 703-412-9810. Further information about the site and the Superfund program can also be obtained from EPA’s homepage: https://www.epa.gov/superfund.