Superfund Site Analysis

There has been contamination found in the groundwater surrounding all four towns. The groundwater is contaminated with VOCs, trichloroethene (TCE), ethylene dibromide (EDB), carbon tetrachloride (CCI4), perchloroethylene (PCE), benzene, vinal chloride, 1,1,2,2-TeCA, 1,4-dichlorobenzene, manganese, thallium, lead, toluene, and RDX. “Ethylene dibromide is especially worry some because it was found upwelling in cranberry bogs located in Falmouth and Mashpee (militarycontamination)”. Where it would was stored in the cranberries skin. “Falmouth being the most affected area losing twenty five percent of its possible drinking water supply (wr.usgs)”. Although the plumes are deep down in the aquifer. “People could be at risk if they accidentally drink the water or come into direct contact with the contaminated groundwater (militarycontamination)”. The way towns keep the residents from coming in contact with the possible risks of

Prior to the late 1950s the site was used as an excavation pit for sand and gravel. The quarry was subsequently used for the disposal of waste materials from 1950 until 1966. 10 acres of the 28-acre site has been used as a disposal area for several hazardous waste contaminants that included volatile organic compounds (VOCs) such as benzene, tetrahydrofuran, toluene, vinyl chloride and xylene; other organics such as phenols and PCBs as well as lead. The main area of contamination is in the southern half of the 10 acre area which encompasses about 6 acres which

So often humans extract for resources like Lead, Aluminum, coal, marcellus shale, natural gas, or asbestos, and over time leave behind a environmental contaminated location. When nearby people start getting sick, showing up with health issues linked to the contamination in their environment, then the EPA usally gets involved. In a different light, the ecological effects from these sites can be things like habitat fragmentation, or in particularly vulnerable species, extinction. For example, in Wyoming, when the coal extraction began, a nearby lake is inevitably going to be contaminated with acid mine drainage. Say a specialists amphibian lived symbiotically with a moss or algae in the lake ecosystem, and without intervention the species dramatically suffer. Superfund sites are a popular topic sustainability and conservation biologists should use their popularity in the nation to aide in the local community remediation methods. For example, I am working to sample vegetation, water quality, fish biomass, and macro invertebrates biomass in local acid mine drainage remediation sites here in Indiana. This is a direct impact from human

Superfund starts when the release of hazardous materials or a possible waste site is reported. The EPA then investigates the site and compiles a database of hazardous materials and their location. After cleanup is complete, the EPA continues to see to compliance monitoring of the site. The sites cleaned up by Superfund are ones outside of Federal control and are therefore the responsibility of the independent owners. The owners must pay for property cleanup, aftercare, and monitoring of the site. They are charged penalties or fines if they fail

The Fruit Avenue Plume (FAP) Superfund site (Site) is identified on the National Priorities List (NPL) as a chlorinated solvent groundwater plume, located in the downtown area of Albuquerque, New Mexico (Figure 1). The site originally consisted of a groundwater-contaminant plume, spanning multiple aquifer zones up to 544 feet deep; it was approximately 3,500 feet long and ranged in width from 550 to 1,300 feet.

When trying to look up the policy behind the superfund act it was all blocked, which I found extremely interesting. I was trying to get a better feeling of what exactly the policy cover from the original document. The article by Ariel Wittenburg looked into more defining what the Superfund was supposed to be doing. The she transited into how it has helped and what it covers. Finally she talks about the failures of the program that stem from policy. The most shocking part of the article had to deal with the difference is reductions; in 1991-1993 only had a 10% reduction compared to the 53% reduction rate in 2001 to 2003. It would be interesting to see how many of these sites should still be on the list when looking at concentrations of toxins in the environment. Also how the talked about the finances of this programs was eye opening. This is a major issue

Despite the ongoing issues about Superfunds being an effective means of proper regulations, Superfunds allow the usage of the land that once was contaminated. By allowing the Superfund some flexibility, the superfund should be monitored on some sort of level to follow through with the process of the cleanup. Limiting (and monitoring) the flexible contaminated levels prevents the land from becoming overly contaminated (harming humans and the environment) and suggests that the cleanup show improvements. By limiting the flexible requirements, it prevents the unwanted actions of the Superfund causing more damage then there was previously. For example; situations such as the Love Canal located in Niagara Falls, New York the Superfund stated the following: “Complaints about odors and residues were first reported at the site during the 1960’s, and increased in the 1970’s as the water level rose, bringing contaminated ground water to the surface” (EPA, 2012). The Superfund should also have limited regulations which monitor the amount of hazardous wastes that is allowed in the site. In some regards, the Superfund should show proper representation of the hazardous wastes increasingly residing. Without this type of representation (or exceeding the limits within) the cleanup process should be put to a halt and find

The Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act, better known as Superfund, was established as a reaction to the environmental crises nationwide such as The Love Canal Disaster and the Valley of Drums in Kentucky. The act states that its purpose is “to provide for liability, compensation, cleanup, and emergency response for hazardous substances released into the environment and the cleanup of inactive hazardous waste disposal sites”3. At its core, Superfund proposed to: cleanup hazardous waste sites, hold the companies that produced the waste responsible for the funding of the cleanup, and

The Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta is suffering due to the absence of consideration from local sewer treatment plants. The Sacramento Regional Wastewater Treatment plant is one of the dozen companies who are responsible for polluting the river delta. Luckily, the pollution by discourteous companies is coming to a halt. A significant public works project is in play, which will enable a much healthier ecosystem for organisms.

The topic was based on " Toxic Passaic River to Get $1.38 Billion Cleanup Over 10 Years". Two weeks ago, Mach 4 2016 in Newark tons of garbage was seen along the Passaic River shore. A Environmental Protection Agency has broadcast a solution to this problem , which will dispose 3.5 million cubic yards of toxic sediment from the waterway. My overarching question : How can we protect the environment and at the same time improve people's standard of living? My guiding questions:Why are humans so careless of their environment?What are the sources and effects of water pollutants?

Through CERCLA, the EPA established a National Priorities List (NPL) of the most contaminated sites nationwide. The list contains both federal and non-federal sites that post the greatest risk to humans and the environment. Proposed, established and deleted sites categorize the NPL; a Hazardous Ranking System (HSR) screening is conducted to determine the site’s status. The NPL is updated periodically. The NPL sites are funded either by the responsible parties, the Trust Fund or other divisions of the federal government (Barden, 2012).

The state of New Jersey has over 20,000 contaminated sites that year after year are not touched do to government inertia and drawn out court battles with polluters. One of the most dangerous polluters to New Jersey soil is Radon which can enter the home through cracks in the foundation. Radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the United States, resulting in the deaths of 15,000 to 20,000 people a year. The NJDEP can test your home for radon and any exposure can be mitigated. The job US fish and wildlife service is to prevent losses of fish and wildlife, or degradation of their habitats, from pollutant exposure; and evaluate and restore contaminated areas throughout New Jersey. What we do to the earth can have a damming effect if ignored on all forms of life from old ground containers to toxic rain seeping into our vegetation. The Federal Superfund program was launched more than 30 years ago to accelerate the cleanup of our worst toxic

In the year 2006 the United States Federal governments Environmental Protection agency decided to include Alternate Energy Resources Incs Augusta, Georgia location on its list of its Superfund Program National Priorities list. The company Alternate Energy Resource ran a facility where it stored and treated commercial hazardous waste from 1975 to 2000. According to the EPA, AER’s waste treatment processes included: blending high-BTU hazardous waste to be used as fuel in off-site industrial boilers and furnaces; recycling hazardous waste solvents by distillation; and treating used oils, hazardous and non-hazardous wastewater, and non-hazardous coolants. AER filed for bankruptcy on December 13, 2000. It seemed that the site was contaminating

The USEPA Toxic Inventory Sites list applies to industries that produce, store, process or import toxic chemicals above the established threshold. This list has been reviewed and indicated that the property was not on the list. A search was conducted on properties located within a mile radius and found one property located approximately ¾ of a mile from the site. NY Corp # 425873345 has been found on the list with discharge of Ammonia, in the approximate amount of 1000 pounds in 2005. This corporation represents a medium environmental risk to the site.

Superfund sites are the federal government’s program aimed at making a cleanup of all the nation’s waste sites. These reasons are because of increased accumulation of hazardous wastes in the sites, where they are being dumped. Being the aim of the federal government to create a sustainable environment for not only the current