News Releases from Region 01
EPA Completes Reviews of Four Superfund Site Cleanups in New Hampshire During 2019
CONCORD, N.H. – EPA has completed comprehensive reviews of site cleanups at four National Priorities List Sites (Superfund Sites) in N.H. by performing required Five-Year Reviews of each site to evaluate the continued protectiveness of previous site remediation. The Superfund program, a federal program established by Congress in 1980, investigates and cleans up the most complex, uncontrolled or abandoned hazardous waste sites in the country and endeavors to facilitate activities to return them to productive use.
"EPA performs Five-Year Review evaluations at Superfund Sites to ensure that our implemented site remedies continue to protect public health and the environment," said EPA New England Regional Administrator Dennis Deziel.
Bob Scott, Commissioner for the N.H. Department of Environmental Services said, "The Five-Year Review is a critical component of the CERCLA process to evaluate the protectiveness of a remedy. Important questions are answered such as: Are the exposure assumptions, toxicity data, cleanup levels, and remedial action objectives used at the time of remedy selection still valid. This is especially important when dealing with emerging contaminants such as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS)."
The Superfund Sites where EPA has completed Five Year Reviews in 2019 are below. The links will direct users to each Superfund Site page, where you can find the Five-Year Review report in the "Site Documents and Data" section.
Completed Five-Year Reviews during FY19 of private facilities in New Hampshire
- Ottati & Goss/Kingston Steel Drum, Kingston, N.H. www.epa.gov/superfund/og
- Sylvester, Nashua, N.H. www.epa.gov/superfund/sylvester
- Tinkham Garage, Londonderry, N.H. www.epa.gov/superfund/tinkham
Completed Five-Year Reviews during FY19 of federal facilities in New Hampshire
- Pease Air Force Base, Portsmouth & Newington, N.H. www.epa.gov/superfund/pease
Background
Throughout the Superfund process of designing and constructing a cleanup remedy for a hazardous waste site, EPA's first goal is to make sure the remedy will be protective of public health and the environment. At many sites, EPA continues to ensure protectiveness by requiring reviews of completed cleanups every five years. It is important for EPA to regularly check on these sites to ensure the remedy is working properly. Five-year review evaluations identify potential issues and, if called for, recommend action(s) necessary to address them.
EPA is actively involved in Superfund studies and cleanups at 22 sites across N.H. There are many phases of the Superfund cleanup process including considering future use and redevelopment at sites and conducting post cleanup monitoring of sites. EPA must ensure the remedy is protective of public health and the environment and any redevelopment will uphold the protectiveness of the remedy into the future.
More information on EPA topics pertaining to New Hampshire: https://19january2021snapshot.epa.gov/nh