A former fertilizer company in Guánica, Puerto Rico, is among five sites the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency added to its Superfund National Priorities List.
The Ochoa Fertilizer Company formerly manufactured ammonia, ammonium sulfate and sulfuric acid, according to a Sept. 8 EPA news release. Past operations resulted in contaminated soil leading to a potential risk of exposure of mercury, lead, polychlorinated biphenyls and other contaminants for residents.
“Today's news that EPA is adding the Ochoa Fertilizer Co. site to the National Priorities List is another example of EPA’s longstanding commitment to the people of Puerto Rico,” EPA Regional Administrator Lisa Garcia said in the news release. “With the federal tools and resources now at our disposal, EPA is putting words into action in order to protect human health and safeguard the Guánica Bay, one of Puerto Rico's most precious natural resources.”
The Ochoa Fertilizer Co. facility had a western lot and an eastern lot, the release reported. Between 1968 and 1970, the business ceased operations on the eastern site, but fertilizer manufacturing continues on the western lot.
The NPL guides the prioritizing of EPA Superfund cleanup funding and enforcement, a news release said. In addition to the five new sites added, EPA will also propose two sites to the NPL, where releases of contamination pose significant human health and environmental risk.
