On this page:

• Cleanup Status
• Site Description
• Contaminants at this Facility
• Site Responsibility

Cleanup Status

Recent investigations at GE have focused on characterizing the nature and extent of TCE and its degradation products in groundwater, examining concentration trends over time, and collecting natural attenuation data to evaluate the effectiveness of natural attenuation in reducing VOC concentrations. The facility completed the Corrective Measures Study. The EPA will issue a decision during FY2016.

Site Description

E is an approximately 4-acre facility involved in the manufacture of power fuses, auxiliary relays, and switch gear accessories. The site is located near the north coast of Vieques at the intersection of Rd 200 and Rd 201 in the Barrio Martino section of the town of Isabel Segunda. GE started manufacturing at the site in 1969. The property is owned by the Puerto Rico Industrial Development Corporation (PRIDCO) and leased by General Electric.

In October 1980, the facility submitted a RCRA Part A Hazardous Waste permit application to EPA. The facility was subsequently given interim status approval as a TSD facility. All of the hazardous waste management units have been investigated, closure activities completed, and recommended to EPA for clean closure. In a letter dated March 21, 2005, EPA accepted the Closure Certification submitted by Caribe GE on March 4, 2005. The closure certification was provided for the following units:

• Inactive subsurface leach field system (leach field),
• Sediment tank (associated with the leach field),
• Septic tank system, and
• Bright dip area.

As noted by EPA in its letter of March 2005, “the Closure Certification was submitted in accordance with the amended Closure Plan which was approved on March 16, 1994; the approved Closure Report dated October 22, 2004; and in compliance with the requirements stipulated in 40 CFR § 265.115 and 265(h).” GE has since the March 2005 Closure Certification approval, continued to perform groundwater monitoring focused on TCE in groundwater near monitoring well C-4.

Contaminants at this Facility

The constituents of concern in groundwater at the site are primarily trichloroethene (TCE) and its degradation products to a lesser degree, including 1,1-dichloroethene (DCE), 1,1-dichloroethane (DCA), and cis-1,2-dichloroethene (CIS). Vinyl chloride (VC) has also been detected sporadically in trace concentrations. Results from groundwater sampling from 1990 to present and a recent soil gas survey in 2007 indicate that a high concentration source area is not present at the site.

Site Responsibility at this Facility

GE has never held an operating permit. The facility is performing the groundwater investigation and cleanup under a voluntary agreement.

The cleanup at this site is being addressed by General Electric as required by the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) under a voluntary program. The U. S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Puerto Rico Environmental Quality Board (EQB) provide regulatory, cleanup decision-making and oversight.