N.Y.’S LOVE CANAL OFF SUPERFUND LIST:

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) finalized its decision to remove the Love Canal site in Niagara County, New York from the Superfund National Priorities List. All cleanup work at the site has been completed, and follow-up monitoring conducted over the past 15 years and continuing today confirms that the cleanup goals have been reached, the EPA said. “Love Canal taught us that we needed a mechanism to address abandoned hazardous waste sites, especially those that posed a threat to people’s health,” said Jane M. Kenny, EPA’s regional administrator. “Decades later, Love Canal has become a symbol of our success under Superfund. It is once again a thriving community.” The 70-acre Love Canal site encompasses a hazardous waste landfill where chemical waste products were disposed of from 1942-1952. In 1953, the original 16-acre hazardous waste landfill was covered, and a school and more than 200 homes were built nearby. Residents reported odors and residues as early as the 1960s; studies in the 1970s showed that numerous toxic chemicals were migrating from the landfill and contaminating nearby waterways. In 1980, the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCA), also known as Superfund, which addresses abandoned hazardous waste sites, was passed largely due to the problems at Love Canal. Today, 40 acres are covered by a synthetic liner and clay cap and surrounded by a barrier drainage system. More than 200 formerly boarded-up homes nearby have been renovated and sold to new owners, and there are 10 newly-constructed apartment buildings.

Topics Pollution