News Releases from Region 02

EPA Finalizes Cleanup Plan for Cayuga County Groundwater Contamination Superfund Site in Cayuga County, New York

CAYUGA, N.Y. - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has finalized a cleanup plan for a discrete area of the Cayuga County Groundwater Contamination Site in Cayuga County, New York, which includes the Union Springs area. The Record of Decision calls for continued monitoring of groundwater wells to ensure the effectiveness and expected natural decrease of groundwater contaminants in this discrete area.

“EPA’s decision complements important progress in our long-term efforts to clean up this site in the Union Springs community,” said EPA Regional Administrator Pete Lopez. “EPA’s collaboration with Cayuga will move forward as the agency continues to monitor the groundwater to ensure that the selected remedy is successful.”

EPA’s Record of Decision for this discrete area of the site calls for a process of monitored natural attenuation, or a naturally occurring reduction of levels of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) found at the site. The decision was reached based on data and trends collected since the initiation of EPA sampling in 2002. The referenced area in the Record of Decision, otherwise known as Area 3, is one of three designated by EPA at the site.

For cleanup planning purposes, Area 1 consists of the impacted area immediately south of the facility and extends approximately 700 to 900 feet south of West Genesee Street. Area 2 consists of the impacted area immediately south-southwest of Area 1 and extends southwest to the Town of Aurelius. Area 3 consists of the impacted area immediately southwest of Area 2. In March 2013, EPA finalized the cleanup plan for groundwater in Area 1 and Area 2 of the site. The selected remedy for these two areas includes bioremediation for Area 1 and monitored natural attenuation for Area 2 to promote breakdown of VOCs. At that time, EPA decided to defer selection of a groundwater remedy for Area 3 because of concerns raised during the 2012 public comment period on EPA’s cleanup proposal for Area 3. EPA subsequently conducted a supplemental investigation in Area 3, which further supported EPA’s initial recommended action of monitored natural attenuation for this area.

EPA held a public meeting in August 2019 to explain its cleanup proposal, discuss the other cleanup options that were considered, and to solicit public comments. To read the EPA’s selected cleanup plan, outlined in a Record of Decision, and to view EPA’s responses to public comments in the Responsiveness Summary, please visit: www.epa.gov/superfund/cayuga-county-groundwater

For information about Superfund and the NPL: https://19january2021snapshot.epa.gov/superfund

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