EPA begins reviews of Burlington and Williston Superfund site cleanups

Vermont Business Magazine The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will conduct a comprehensive review of previously completed site cleanup work at both the Pine Street Canal Site in Burlington and Commerce Street Plume Site in Williston this year. The sites, listed as National Priorities List (NPL) Superfund sites, will undergo a legally required Five-Year Review to ensure that previous remediation efforts at the sites continue to be protective of human health and the environment.

“Ensuring previously completed Superfund site cleanup work remains protective of human health and the environment is a major priority for EPA,” said EPA New England Acting Regional Administrator Deborah Szaro. “By completing reviews of the cleanups every five years, EPA fulfills its duty to remain vigilant of these sites so that these communities continue to be protected.”

“Cleaning up Superfund sites like Pine Street Canal and Commerce Street Plume benefits Vermont’s environment and protects people living in these communities,” said Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation Commissioner Peter Walke. “The Five-Year Review process offers an opportunity to evaluate if the remedy was effective and determine whether any additional information has come to light that requires us to adjust our course to ensure we’re protecting public health and the environment.

Background

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 works to facilitate activities to return them to productive use. EPA is actively involved in Superfund studies and cleanups at 14 sites in Vermont. The Superfund cleanup process involves many phases, including consideration of the future use and redevelopment at the sites and post cleanup monitoring of sites. EPA must make sure remedies protect the public health and the environment and that any redevelopment will uphold that goal in the future.

More information:

Pine Street Canal, Burlington, Vermont
www.epa.gov/superfund/pinestreet

Commerce Street Plume, Williston, Vermont
www.epa.gov/superfund/commercestreet

Once the Five-Year Reviews are complete, the findings will be posted to the websites in final reports.

Superfund and other cleanup sites in New England: https://www.epa.gov/cleanups/cleaning-new-england

Vermont Superfund Sites

Source: 10.27.2021. Boston. EPA Region 1: https://www.epa.gov/aboutepa/epa-region-1-new-england