All News Releases By Date

Preparations Underway For Start Of Groundwater And Soil Cleanup At Superfund Site in Sag Harbor, Long Island

Release Date: 04/16/1998
Contact Information:

(#98032) New York, N.Y. -- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will begin cleanup work at two residential properties adjacent to the Rowe Industries Superfund site in Sag Harbor, Long Island. The Agency was recently granted access to these properties, which contain contaminated soils that are a continuing source for future groundwater contamination in the area.

Under a Consent Decree with EPA, contractors for Nabisco, Inc. and Sag Harbor Industries, Inc., which have been identified as potentially responsible parties, recently began preparations at the two residences to construct a soil and groundwater cleanup system and install innovative treatment wells.

"We are pleased that we can now move forward to remove the contamination at the site that could further pollute local drinking water supplies," said Jeanne M. Fox, Regional Administrator. "EPA is taking steps to minimize any inconvenience to the residents who granted access to their properties for the cleanup work."

Initial cleanup activities will include the excavation of four feet of contaminated soils from the back of the residential properties, which will be replaced with clean soil. The excavated soil will be treated in a contained unit behind the Sag Harbor Industries building and then disposed of off-site.

The cleanup plan also includes the installation of air sparging wells that will volatilize solvents in the saturated soils, located below the groundwater table at the site. In addition, soil vapor extraction wells will be installed to capture the solvents volatilized by the air sparging system and to draw solvents from unsaturated soils, located above the groundwater table.

In the coming days, sampling will be performed to determine the depth of the contaminated groundwater and the placement of the air sparging treatment wells needed in this area. Monitoring wells will also be installed to test the groundwater and soil vapors and to ensure the entire system is working properly.

The work on the residential properties will be conducted within a fenced area during daylight hours and will be completed, weather permitting, by May 31, 1998. Although samples from the private drinking water wells (taken as recently as January 1998) of these two residences have continued to show no contamination, Nabisco has voluntarily agreed to pay to connect the two homes to the Suffolk County Water Authority public drinking water system.

For more information contact:
Mary Helen Cervantes-Gross, Press Office
EPA Region 2
290 Broadway
NY, NY 10007-1866
Voice: 212-637-3673 FAX: 212-637-4445 E-Mail: [email protected]