EPA Press Office:

EPA Cleanup Plan Will Address Contaminated Soil at the Olean Well Field Superfund Site in Cattaraugus County, New York

NEW YORK (September 29, 2023) – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has finalized its cleanup plan to excavate and remove soil contaminated with volatile organic compounds on the former AVX Corporation (AVX) property at the Olean Well Field Superfund site in Olean, New York. This action will protect those at risk and remove a source of groundwater contamination.

“Following a public meeting, and the opportunity to hear directly from the community, EPA has finalized its cleanup plan for the Olean Well Field Superfund site,” said Regional Administrator Lisa F. Garcia. “This plan will enable us to remove soil that is a source of contamination at this site and advance our over overall cleanup of the site.”

The finalized plan will address soil contamination that was not fully addressed by prior cleanup actions. The contamination is under and near the former manufacturing building on the AVX Property. Under the plan, contractors will:

• demolish and remove the concrete slab floor and foundation.
• dig out the polluted soil that is above the water table.
• take the dug-out material off site.
• restore the area with clean fill.

The Olean Well Field site is an approximately 1.5 square-mile area in Cattaraugus County that contains various wells, homes, and manufacturing facilities. Earlier industrial operations at the AVX property, as well as at three other facilities that EPA considers sources of site contamination, resulted in the contamination of soil and groundwater with trichloroethylene, 1,4-dioxane, and other volatile organic compounds. As a result of the contamination at all four facilities, EPA added the site to the Superfund list in 1983. Since that time, several investigations have led to cleanup remedies for the four source facilities impacting soil and groundwater, most of which are being carried out by parties responsible for the site.

On July 27, 2023, EPA proposed this cleanup plan to the public and held a public meeting on August 8, 2023, to explain the plan and take comments. The finalized plan, called a Record of Decision, released today, addresses the comments received and formalizes EPA’s selected cleanup plan for the contaminated soil at the site.

Visit the Olean Well Field Superfund site profile page for additional background and to view the Record of Decision.

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