NEW YORK – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has extended the public comment period for its proposed cleanup plan to address lead-contaminated soil and groundwater at the Battery Recycling Company Superfund Site in Arecibo, Puerto Rico to October 16, 2023. EPA held a public meeting at Casa Ulanga, Calle Gonzalo Marin #7 on August 29, 2023, to explain the proposed plan to the public.
The cleanup outlined in the proposed plan will address remaining contaminated soil and groundwater on and off the property that is the source of the site contamination. Under the proposed plan, EPA would remove contaminated soil for treatment and containment. Treated soil would be stored in a secure and restricted area at the source property, the former operations of The Battery Recycling Company, Inc. (BRC). EPA would also monitor the groundwater and limit the public’s access to groundwater through existing Puerto Rico laws and regulations as well as notifications to local governments and ensure future land use does not conflict with long-term cleanup goals.
The main property at the site was operated as a secondary lead smelter and battery recycling operation until 2014. Prior to the secondary lead smelting operation, the site was used for the manufacture of organic chemicals to produce fumaric acid and phthalic acid. These activities left behind high levels of lead and other contaminants in the soil and groundwater. The lead in soil presented an immediate risk to human health. In 2011, EPA entered into an order with then-operator, BRC, to clean areas of lead contamination at the source property under EPA oversight. However, when the company failed to finish the work, EPA took over the cleanup and removed lead contamination from employee’s homes, vehicles, and nearby pastures. EPA also decontaminated the source property to limit the further spread of lead. EPA added the site to the Superfund National Priorities List in 2017 and commenced a cleanup investigation of the site. EPA finished its early cleanup activities in 2022. The cleanup investigation along with an analysis of cleanup alternatives, led to the proposed cleanup plan announced today.
Written comments on the proposed plan may be mailed or emailed to Zolymar Luna Díaz, Remedial Project Manager, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 2, Caribbean Environmental Protection Division #48 Rd, PR-165 Km 1.2 Citi View Plaza II, Suite 7000 Guaynabo, P.R. 00968-8069, Email: Luna.Zolymar@epa.gov.
For additional background and to see the proposed cleanup plan, visit the Battery Recycling Company Superfund site profile page.
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