EPA Press Office:

EPA Settles with Four Companies to Improve Community Safety, Chemical Reporting

New York, N.Y. (Sept. 30, 2025) - U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has taken action against four companies in New York, New Jersey and Puerto Rico for failing to report the use of hazardous chemicals, as required by Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA). These settlements strengthen community safety by ensuring companies comply with the Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) program, which helps neighborhoods stay informed about potentially dangerous substances nearby. 

  

“EPA is helping protect human health and encouraging safer chemical management practices,” said EPA Regional Administrator Michael Martucci. “EPA is doing its job to ensure that facilities continue to comply with important laws.” 

  

The settlements include the following companies: 

  

• New Jersey Galvanizing and Tinning Works (Newark, NJ): Failed to report nickel usage for three consecutive years. An EPA inspection in August 2024 led to a settlement of $63,800. The company also certified their current compliance and agreed to adopt a compliance plan to help ensure future compliance. 

  

• US Polychemical Corporation (Chestnut Ridge, NY): Exceeded reporting thresholds and failed to report for glycol ethers and nonylphenol ethoxylates over three years. The company certified their current compliance and will pay a $39,800 penalty as well as implement a compliance plan to avoid future violations. 

  

• L.D. McCauley, LLC. (Orchard Park, NY): Did not report nitrate compounds for 2020 and 2021. After an EPA review, the company certified to their current compliance, agreed to pay a $45,400 penalty and will implement improved compliance measures. 

  

• Quality Electroplating Corporation (Caguas, PR): Submitted late reports for zinc compounds and provided inaccurate data for nitric acid and cyanide compounds. The company certified to their current compliance, agreed to pay a penalty of $22,900, and created and will implement a plan to stay in compliance. 

  

TRI tracks the management of certain toxic chemicals that pose a threat to people and the environment. Facilities that meet TRI reporting requirements must report the details of releases of toxic chemicals to air, land and water, transfers of chemical waste to offsite locations, and methods of waste management and pollution prevention. 

  

These settlements reflect EPA’s commitment to ensuring compliance with environmental laws to protect and inform communities about the potential hazards associated with chemical releases. 

  

Hazardous chemicals are located in many types of facilities and areas. Responders need to know where hazardous chemicals are used and stored, how to assess the risks associated with those chemicals and how to ensure community preparedness for accidents or incidents that may occur. Many facility owners and operators rely on local resources for emergency preparedness and response, including first responders, emergency medical services and hazardous materials response teams. It is important for communities and facility owners and operators to work closely together to ensure chemical safety and security. 

  

For more information about the TRI Program, please visit EPA's TRI webpage. 

  

Follow EPA Region 2 on X, Instagram, and visit our Facebook page. For more information about EPA Region 2, visit our website. 

  

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 EPA Press Release:

EPA Proposes to Delete Corozal Well Superfund Site from National Priorities List (Spanish Translation Included)

Corozal, P.R. (September 12, 2025) - In a step that illustrates another Superfund success, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing to delete the Corozal Well Superfund site, located in the central mountain town of Corozal, Puerto Rico, from the National Priorities List (NPL)– a list of the nation’s most contaminated sites. EPA’s proposal is in response to meeting all groundwater cleanup goals, and long-term protections successfully in place.

“This proposed deletion shows how EPA’s Superfund program really delivers results,” said EPA Regional Administrator Michael Martucci. “Our work with Puerto Rico has made sure the Corozal community has clean water, and this step forward demonstrates the long-term success of the Superfund cleanup.”

In 2010, Department of Health (PRDOH), sampled and found volatile organic compounds, or VOCs, including tetrachloroethylene, or PCE, in groundwater that supplied a community drinking water system well. In response, PRDOH shut down the contaminated well, and along with EPA, provided residents with alternate sources of drinking water. In 2011, EPA installed a carbon filtration system (Granular Activated Carbon [GAC]) on the supply well to remove contaminants. Afterwards, in 2012, EPA added the Corozal Well Superfund site to the NPL.

Because EPA’s work achieved all cleanup objectives and levels the agency identified, EPA believes no further action is needed under the federal Superfund law. EPA will publish a Notice of Intent to Delete in the Federal Register and will accept public comments for 30 days. The public can comment online, by mail, or in person during public meetings.

Background:

The Corozal Well site consists of a ground water plume with no identified source(s) of contamination, located in Barrio Palos Blancos, Corozal, a rural residential community in interior north-central Puerto Rico. The site straddles the border between the municipalities of Corozal and Naranjito. The groundwater plume affects the Comunidad Santana well, which is the sole source of drinking water for a rural community of more than 200 people. Other community supply wells are located within approximately one mile of the plume.

Sampling at the site, found that the chemical PCE was contaminating a well that supplies supply drinking water to local residents. Exposure to PCE, a solvent commonly used in industrial processes, can have serious effects on people’s health, including liver damage and an increased risk of cancer.

Since 2011 PCE concentration in the raw water extracted from the Santana well have decreased and is currently below Maximum Contaminant Level. (MCL)

Visit the Corozal Well Superfund site profile page for additional background and site documents.

Follow EPA Region 2 on X, Instagram, and visit our Facebook page. For more information about EPA Region 2, visit our website.

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La EPA propone eliminar el lugar Superfondo del Pozo Corozal

(Corozal Well Superfund Site) de la Lista Nacional de Prioridades

Contacto: Carlos Vega, (646) 988-2996, vega.carlos@epa.gov

Corozal, P.R. (12 de septiembre de 2025) – La Agencia federal de Protección Ambiental de EE. UU. (EPA, por sus siglas en inglés), propone eliminar de la Lista Nacional de Prioridades, (NPL) – lista de los lugares más contaminados del país – el Lugar Superfondo Corozal Well, (Corozal Well Superfund Site) ubicado en el Municipio de Corozal, Puerto Rico; un paso que ilustra otro éxito del Programa de Superfondo de la Agencia. La propuesta de la EPA se debe al cumplimiento de todos los objetivos de limpieza de aguas subterráneas y a las protecciones a largo plazo que están en vigor con éxito.

“Esta propuesta de eliminar el lugar del NPL muestra cómo el programa Superfondo de la EPA realmente logra resultados”, dijo el administrador regional de la EPA, Michael Martucci. "Nuestro trabajo con Puerto Rico se ha asegurado de que la comunidad de Corozal tenga agua limpia, y este avance demuestra el éxito a largo plazo de la limpieza de Superfondo”.

En 2010, el Departamento de Salud de Puerto Rico tomó muestras y encontró compuestos orgánicos volátiles, o COVs, tales como el tetracloroetileno, o PCE, en el agua subterránea que abastecía a un pozo comunitario de agua potable. En respuesta, el Departamento de Salud cerró el pozo contaminado y, junto con la EPA, suministró agua potable a los residentes, mediante fuentes alternativas. En 2011, la EPA instaló un sistema de filtración de carbón (carbón activado granular) en el pozo de suministro para eliminar contaminantes. Posteriormente, en 2012, la EPA agregó el Lugar Superfondo Corozal Well a la NPL.

Debido a que el trabajo de la EPA logró todos los objetivos y niveles de limpieza que la agencia identificó, la EPA considera que no se necesitan más acciones según la ley federal del Programa Superfondo. La EPA publicará un Aviso de Intención de Eliminación en el Registro Federal y aceptará comentarios públicos durante 30 días. El público puede comentar en línea, por correo, o en persona durante las reuniones públicas.

Contexto:

El sitio Lugar Superfondo Corozal Well consiste en un área de aguas subterráneas contaminadas, pero sin fuentes de contaminación identificadas, ubicado en el Barrio Palos Blancos en Corozal, una comunidad residencial rural en el interior del norte-centro de Puerto Rico. El Lugar se extiende a lo largo de la frontera entre los municipios de Corozal y Naranjito. El área de aguas subterráneas contaminadas afectó el pozo de la Comunidad Santana, que es la única fuente de agua potable para una comunidad rural de más de 200 personas. Otros pozos de suministro comunitario se encuentran a aproximadamente una milla del área de contaminación.

El muestreo en el Lugar Superfondo también encontró que el químico PCE estaba contaminando un pozo que suministra agua potable a los residentes locales. La exposición al PCE, un disolvente comúnmente utilizado en procesos industriales puede tener efectos graves en la salud de las personas, incluyendo daño al hígado y un mayor riesgo de cáncer.

Desde 2011, la concentración de PCE en el agua cruda extraída del pozo de Santana ha disminuido y actualmente está por debajo del nivel máximo de contaminantes (MCL).

Visite la página del perfil del lugar Superfondo Corozal Well para obtener antecedentes adicionales y documentos del mismo.

Siga a la Región 2 de la EPA en X, Instagram, y visite nuestra página en Facebook. Para obtener más información sobre la Región 2 de la EPA, visite nuestro sitio web.

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For further information: Contact: Carlos Vega, (646) 988-2996, vega.carlos@epa.gov

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EPA Cleanup Progresses Following Smitty’s Supply Fire in Roseland, Louisiana

 USEPA News Release:

EPA Cleanup Progresses Following Smitty’s Supply Fire in Roseland, Louisiana

 

DALLAS, TEXAS (Sept. 2, 2025) –U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) continues to lead the cleanup of the impacted area in Roseland, Louisiana, following a fire at the Smitty’s Supply facility on August 24. Crews using equipment including containment boom, skimmers, and vacuum trucks are working at four sites to contain and remove recoverable contamination from the Tangipahoa River and nearby ditches and ponds. To date, over 2.15 million gallons of material mixed with water have been recovered and stored in frac tanks for off-site disposal at an approved facility.  

EPA created a user-friendly website for all available information about the response, including:

• Recent sampling and monitoring results
• Cleanup progress updates
• Photos from the field
• An interactive storymap

Some notable response metrics include:

• 2,150,400 gallons of material recovered
• 21,180 feet of containment boom laid
• 269 total EPA and contractor personnel deployed

Contaminated material from the fire has not reached Lake Pontchartrain. Containment boom is laid across the Tangipahoa River south of the last visible material to ensure it does not migrate to the lake. the Tangipahoa River is not a source of drinking water, and the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality (LDEQ) has assessed the local water treatment facility, confirming it was not impacted.

EPA appreciates the partnership of cooperating local, state and federal agencies during this response.

• For health concerns: Contact the Louisiana Poison Center Hotline at 1 (800) 222-1222, or personal doctor.
• Impacted wildlife: Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries at (225) 765-2800.
• Fish kill: Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Foundation at (800) 442-2511.
• Animal health questions: State veterinarian’s office at (800) 558-9741 or local veterinarian.

Connect with the Environmental Protection Agency Region 6 on Facebook, X, Instagram, or visit our homepage.