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68th Street Dump Re-Proposed to Superfund Hazardous Site List

Release Date: 4/30/2003
Contact Information: David Sternberg, (215) 814-5548

David Sternberg, (215) 814-5548

PHILADELPHIA - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency today re-proposed the addition of the 68th Street Dump site in Rosedale, Baltimore County, Md. to the Superfund National Priorities List (NPL) of hazardous waste sites.

The NPL is a national list of sites where contaminants have impacted or might impact public health or the environment. NPL sites undergo a thorough investigation of the nature and extent of the contamination, in order to determine what actions should be taken. EPA or the parties responsible for the contamination then take appropriate actions to address whatever risks the sites pose.

The 68th Street Dump site covers about 235 acres in Rosedale and another 18 acres in the City of Baltimore. The site consists of several adjacent landfills which received municipal, commercial, and industrial wastes, from the 1950s through the early 1970s.

Prior to dumping activities, the area of the 68th Street Dump site was covered with wetlands. Contaminants released from the landfill areas have impacted streams which flow through the site, including Herring Run, Moore’s Run, and Redhouse Run.

EPA is re-proposing the site to the NPL because the original proposal had been withdrawn in 1999 after comments identified the need for additional documentation.

“EPA has gathered additional data to support the proposed listing,” said Donald S. Welsh, EPA’s mid-Atlantic regional administrator. There is now a new 60-day public comment period on the proposed listing. Comments postmarked by June 30th will be considered.

Documents related to the site and its re-proposal to the NPL are available for public review at the Rosedale Library, located at 6105 Kenwood Avenue in Rosedale. Some of the documents are also available on the internet at www.epa.gov/superfund/sites/npl/newprop.htm. Further information about the site is available at www.epa.gov/reg3hwmdsuper/MD/68th-street.

EPA has scheduled a public meeting in the community on Monday, May 19 at 7 pm to explain why the site is being proposed to the NPL, what will happen next, and how residents and other interested parties can stay informed. This meeting will be held at the Rosedale Library, located at 6105 Kenwood Avenue in Rosedale.