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EPA Proposes To Take Genesee County Site Off The Superfund List (Batavia Landfill)

Release Date: 11/9/2005
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For Release: Wednesday, November 9, 2005

(#05133) NEW YORK -- The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has completed cleanup work at the Batavia Landfill Superfund site in the Town of Batavia, New York, and is proposing to delete the site from the National Priorities List (NPL) of hazardous waste sites. The 35-acre site, placed on the NPL in September 1983, will remain eligible for cleanup if any additional work is needed in the future.

"The Batavia Landfill site is a great example of our Superfund successes in New York, said EPA Regional Administrator Alan Steinberg. "We've taken care of the contamination and protected people's health, and the responsible parties paid for the cleanup."

From the 1960s until 1980, many companies disposed of industrial wastes at the Batavia Landfill. Companies disposed of many wastes, including heavy metal sludges, oils, and organic solvents, at the site. The Galloway Swamp, a protected wetland, borders the site on the north and east. In 1980, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation declared the property an open dump due to violations of state regulations, and the site was closed.

Responsible parties performed various studies and conducted a number of cleanup actions at the Batavia Landfill with EPA oversight. In 1991, private parties removed 632 drums from the site, some containing chemical wastes. They also provided city water to residents living adjacent to the site in 1995, by extending a municipal waterline.

EPA selected a cleanup plan for the entire site in June 1995. The plan called for excavating and placing contaminated material under a cap, excavating and removing buried drums, and taking them offsite for treatment and disposal. In September 2000, private parties agreed to implement EPA's cleanup plan for the site. The private parties completed the required construction work, and have begun the long-term monitoring and maintenance activities. EPA oversaw all activities performed by these parties, and the Agency will continue to monitor future work at the site.

The public comment period on EPA's intent to delete the Batavia Landfill Superfund site from the NPL started on September 30, 2005 and ends on November 18, 2005. Copies of site-related documents are available for public review at the Superfund Records Center located at 290 Broadway, Room 1828, New York, NY 10007-1866, at the Batavia Town Hall located at 3833 Main Street Road, Batavia, New York 14020, or at the Richmond Public Library located at 19 Ross Street, Batavia, New York. Written comments must be postmarked no later than November 18, 2005 and should be addressed to Michael Walters, Remedial Project Manager, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 2, 290 Broadway, 20th Floor, New York, New York 10007- 1866. Michael Walters can also be contacted by telephone at (212) 637-4279; by fax at (212) 637-4284; or via e-mail at [email protected]. Information about the site can be found at: https://www.epa.gov/region02/superfund/npl/0201766c.pdf.