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EPA MOVES FORWARD ON CLEANUP PROPOSAL FOR LAKE SUCCESS BUSINESS PARK

Release Date: 08/07/1996
Contact Information: Stephanie Carr, EPA Remedial Project Manager; (617) 223-5593 Sarah White, EPA Office of Community Relations; (617) 918-1026

BOSTON-- The Environmental Protection Agency is seeking public comment on a proposal put forth by Sporting Goods Properties, Inc. for the excavation and treatment of an estimated 40,000 cubic yards of contaminated soils at the Lake Success Business Park in Bridgeport, Conn.

"It's absolutely critical that the citizens of Bridgeport have a voice in the cleanup--and ultimately redevelopment--of the Lake Success Business Park. EPA is committed to involving the community fully in the process. We need to put local ingenuity to work on behalf of the environment, the economy and the quality of life in Bridgeport." said John P. DeVillars, administrator for the EPA's New England office. "We need to know what the community thinks about what we consider a very promising innovative technology--soil washing--which is intended to make this cleanup as thorough and efficient as possible. Our goal is to return this former toxic waste site to economic use--helping the local community in its efforts to rebuild Bridgeport."

The cleanup proposal targets 37 areas at the site where hazardous materials have been found. The plan is to excavate and treat the bulk of the soil in a process known as soil washing. This process involves sorting soil particles by size and weight to separate contaminated portions from clean soil. Contaminated portions are then disposed of in a hazardous waste landfill, leaving clean soil available for reuse. If the plan is approved, Sporting Goods Properties, Inc. plans to begin excavating the soil this fall.

The EPA is providing oversight of the Lake Success Business Park cleanup through an Administrative Consent Order under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA). RCRA is a federal law designed to track hazardous substances from their generation to disposal. Sporting Goods Properties, Inc., is required to investigate areas of contamination on the site and to propose strategies for cleanup of those areas.

The EPA has been working in coordination with the State of Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection to ensure that cleanup activities are consistent with State standards and policies.

Sporting Goods Properties, Inc. has completed an initial phase of site investigation and will continue to investigate the site over the next few years. Subsequent cleanup proposals will address a lake on the property where ammunition was disposed of, plus any remaining contaminated areas.

The 435-acre Lake Success Business Park site was previously owned by the Remington Arms Company who used the site to manufacture, test and dispose of small and large caliber ammunition from 1905 to 1989. The property became known as Lake Success Business Park after the trademark of the Remington Arms Company was sold and the property was retained by Sporting Goods Properties, Inc., a subsidiary of the E.I. DuPont de Nemours Company. Sporting Goods Properties, Inc. is currently planning to redevelop the site as a business park.

The EPA is encouraging public input on the cleanup proposal. The public will have the following opportunities to learn more about and provide comment on cleanup activities at the Lake Success Business Park:

• The EPA will hold an informal public meeting followed by an information session on Monday, Aug 19, from 7 to 9 p.m. in the 1st floor Community Room at the Bishop-Curtis Homes at 525 Palisade Avenue in Bridgeport, CT.
• On Sept 17, the EPA will hold a formal public hearing from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Hollander Auditorium on the 4th floor of the Bridgeport Hospital at 267 Grant Street. During the hearing the public is invited to read their comments on the cleanup proposal into the public record. Comments taken at the hearing will be recorded as part of the official record on site activities.
• The EPA will accept written comments from Aug 20 through Sept 28. All comments will be addressed in a document called the Response to Comments which will be placed for review at the Burroughs Library in Bridgeport, the Stratford Public Library and at the EPA Records Center in Boston.

Directions to public meeting:
From I-95. Get off at exit 27A. From route 28/8 connector (northbound). Get off on exit 5 (Boston Ave./ North Ave.), as go straight ahead (exit road forks). At light take a right. Counting that light as number 1 go through 12 lights. At the 12th light turn left onto Palisades Avenue. Continue down Palisades Avenue for .4 miles. The Bishop-Curtis Homes is located in at 525 Palisades Avenue. The meeting is in the first floor of the building. Parking is available in the back of the building.