The EPA began reviews of Burlington and Williston, Vermont Superfund Site Cleanups.
The sites are part of the National Priorities List (NPL) Superfund sites.
“Ensuring previously completed Superfund site cleanup work remains protective of human health and the environment is a major priority for EPA," Deborah Szaro, EPA New England acting regional administrator said in a press release on Oct. 27.
Vermont state officials were also supportive of the review.
“Cleaning up Superfund sites like the Pine Street Canal and Commerce Street Plume benefits Vermont’s environment and protects the people who live in these communities" Peter Walke, commissioner of the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation, said in an EPA press release. "The five-year review process offers an opportunity to evaluate if the remedy was effective and determine whether any additional information has come to light that requires us to adjust our course to ensure we're protecting public health and the environment."
The sites are legally required to be reviewed every five years to ensure that the remediation efforts taken in the past are still protecting human health and the environment. The Superfund Program was established in 1980 to investigate and clean hazardous waste sites in the nation. The EPA has the responsibility of making sure that the remedies are actually protecting the health of the public as well as the environment and that any redevelopment upholds the same goal in the future.
