The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is removing a former Texas metal plating shop from the National Priorities List of Superfund sites.
River City Metal Finishing site in San Antonio, Texas, operated from 1994 until approximately 2002, according to a Feb. 22 news release. Cleanup work such as removing waste containers, disposing of hazardous materials and demolishing the building.
“This is an action that has been decades in the making for the residents of Bexar County,” Regional Administrator Dr. Earthea Nance said in the release. “By working alongside impacted communities and the [Texas Commission on Environmental Quality], we improved public health and the environment while paving the way for the land to be reused. We are pleased with this outcome, and I want to thank all parties involved in making this monumental achievement possible.”
The National Priorities List contains the nation's most contaminated Superfund sites that present serious threats to the environment and human life, the release reported.
The River City Metal Finishing site was referred to the EPA by TCEQ in 2007 when hexavalent chromium was found in local groundwater, according to the release. EPA conducted remedial activities from about March 2019 to July 2020. EPA's Record of Decision in 2021 selected "no action" after no hazardous substances, pollutants or contaminants were found to remain at the site above levels that preclude unlimited use and unrestricted exposure.
"The site does not pose unacceptable risks to human health and the environment for future residential, commercial and industrial land use," the news release said. "EPA encourages site reuse throughout the cleanup process."
Deleting sites from the list can raise property values, revitalize communities and promote economic growth "by signaling to potential developers and financial institutions that cleanup is complete," the news release said.
