EPA Begins Reviews of Nine Site Cleanups this Year

News Release
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
New England Regional Office
February 25, 2016

Contact: Emily Bender, (617) 918-1037

EPA Begins Reviews of Nine Site Cleanups this Year

BOSTON – EPA has begun reviewing site cleanups at nine Superfund Sites, including four Federal Facilities, across New England by performing required Five-Year Reviews of each site.  The reviews this year will include sites in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Vermont.

Once a cleanup remedy or part of a remedy is in place at a hazardous waste site, it is important for EPA to regularly check on its progress to ensure the remedy is working properly to clean up the site. The primary purpose of the formal Five Year Review is to ensure continued protection of public health and the environment at the given Superfund Site.  In addition to extensive review of the remedy itself, the engineering and the overall functionality, EPA may also look at outside variables that could potentially affect the performance of the remedy, including things like redevelopment, climate change impacts and overall wear and tear.

EPA conducts evaluations every five years on completed clean up and remediation work performed at sites listed on the “National Priorities List” to determine if the implemented remedies at the sites continue to be protective of human health and the environment. Five year review evaluations identify any deficiencies to the previous work and, if called for, recommend action(s) necessary to address them.

The Superfund Sites where EPA will begin Five Year Reviews in Fiscal Year 2016 are below.  Please note, the Web link provided after each site provides detailed information on site status and past assessment and cleanup activity.  Once the Five Year Review is complete, a report of its findings will be posted to this website.  The web link also provides contact information for the EPA Project Manager and Community Involvement Coordinator at each site.  Community members and local officials are invited to contact EPA with any comments or concerns about a Superfund Site or the conclusions in the recent Five Year Review.

Connecticut

New London Submarine Base, New London, CT,
    Review of 24 Sites and 12 Operating Units
    http://www.epa.gov/superfund/newlondon

Maine

Eastern Surplus, Meddybemps, ME
    Review of Entire Site Remedy
    http://www.epa.gov/superfund/eastern

Massachusetts

Fort Devens-Sudbury Training Annex, Sudbury, MA
    Review of Area 7
    http://www.epa.gov/superfund/sudburyannex

Materials Technology Lab, Watertown, MA
    Review of Operable Units 1 and 3
    http://www.epa.gov/superfund/amtl

South Weymouth Naval Air Station, Weymouth, MA
    Review of Operable Unit (OU) 1 Site 1, OU2 Site 2, OU7 Site 7,
    http://www.epa.gov/superfund/sweymouth

New Hampshire

Coakley Landfill, North Hampton, NH
    Review of Operable Units 1 and 2
    www.epa.gov/superfund/coakley

Dover Municipal Landfill, Dover NH
    First Review of the entire remedy
    http://www.epa.gov/superfund/dover

Savage Municipal Landfill, Milford, NH
    Review of Operable Units 1, 2 and 3
    http://www.epa.gov/superfund/savage

Vermont

Pine Street Canal Superfund Site, Burlington, VT
    Review of Entire Site Remedy
    http://www.epa.gov/superfund/pinestreet

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