U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recently announced about $1 billion for Superfund site cleanup from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
One of the 22 cleanup projects is for the Dorado Groundwater Contamination site in Puerto Rico, according to a Feb. 10 news release.
"The Dorado community deserves clean and safe drinking water, and this investment from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law will help meet that promise and carry on with our cleanup plan," EPA Region 2 Administrator Lisa F. Garcia said in the news release. "This is an example of the EPA and the government of Puerto Rico working in partnership with the Dorado community to ensure clean drinking water for its residents."
The funds will be used to clean up groundwater contaminated with volatile organic compounds, including trichloroethylene and tetrachloroethene, the release reported. The EPA will also increase funding for pre-construction activities and community involvement to ensure environmental justice.
Contamination at the Dorado Groundwater Contamination site, about 15 miles west of San Juan, was first detected in the 1980s and today affects two active water supply systems in Puerto Rico, the Maguayo and Dorado Urbano, according to the news release.
Both systems are operated by Puerto Rico Aqueduct and Sewer Authority and between them serve 67,000 people, the release reported. Some wells in the area are closed and water wells that are still open meet drinking water standards, according to the news release. The area's wells are regularly sampled and those found with elevated levels of contamination are addressed accordingly.
Cleanup of the Dorado and other Superfund sites, in addition to 100 other ongoing cleanups, is part of the second wave of Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding, according to the news release.
The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law allocated about $3.5 billion Superfund cleanup, with the first wave of funding announced in December 2021, the release reported. The first wave allowed EPA to start 81 new cleanup projects last year, which brought many of those sites closer to cleanup completion. The first wave also enabled EPA to increase funding for pre-construction activities, while also ensuring community involvement in the cleanup process.
EPA is committed to advancing environmental justice and incorporating equity considerations into all aspects of the Superfund cleanup process, according to the news release.
Of the 22 sites to receive funding in the second wave, 60% are in communities with potential environmental justice concerns. The EPA is following the Biden administration's Justice40 Initiative, which orders that historic and ongoing contamination impacts on affected communities be fully addressed.
