Eagle Picher site added to EPA cleanup priorities list

The Environmental Protection Agency has added the site of a former battery manufacturing facility in Socorro, New Mexico, to the National Priorities List (NPL) for cleanup of contaminated sites.

EPA and the New Mexico Environment Department (NMED) announced today that the Eagle Picher Carefree Battery facility is among seven sites across the nation being placed in the national cleanup program, also known as Superfund. The Superfund program investigates and cleans up the most complex contaminated waste sites in the country.

“Adding this site to the NPL makes federal resources available to help protect the drinking water sources for thousands of New Mexicans,” said EPA Regional Administrator Richard E. Greene.

“Cooperation between EPA and NMED on this program will ensure contaminated sites are cleaned up as soon as possible,” NMED Secretary Ron Curry said.

The Eagle Picher site is being proposed to the NPL because of the presence of trichloroethene and other chlorinated solvents in concentrations above safe drinking water maximum contamination levels. These solvents have been detected in several municipal and private drinking water wells, as well as monitoring wells.

The EPA Superfund program works closely with State agencies to clean and restore uncontrolled contaminated properties. To date, there have been 1,569 sites listed to the NPL. Of these sites, 320 sites have been removed resulting in 1,249 sites currently on the NPL.

The Eagle Picher site was proposed to the Superfund list in March 2007. Other sites added to the national cleanup list include the following: Halaco Engineering Company, Oxnard, California; Eagle Zinc Co. Div. T.L. Diamond, Hillsboro, Illinois; South Minneapolis Residential Soil Contamination, Minneapolis, Minnesota; Standard Chlorine, Kearny, New Jersey; Formosa Mine, Douglas County, Oregon; and Five Points PCE Plume, Woods Cross/Bountiful, Utah.