EPA Unveils System to Treat Contaminated Ground Water from Lawrence Aviation Superfund Site in Suffolk County, N.Y. (NY)
(New York, N.Y.) The U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency today unveiled a treatment system that will
remove contaminants from ground water near the Lawrence Aviation,
Inc., Superfund site in Port Jefferson, N.Y. The treatment system,
the second EPA has installed to clean up contaminated ground water
from the Lawrence Aviation site, is housed in a building at the
corner of Caroline Ave. and Brook Rd. in Port Jefferson, about one
mile away from the Lawrence Aviation property. The ground water
near the Lawrence Aviation site is contaminated with volatile
organic compounds, potentially harmful chemicals that were used and
disposed of at the site. EPA added the Lawrence Aviation, Inc.,
site to the Superfund National Priorities list in
2000.
“The activation of this ground water
treatment system is a major step toward cleaning up the legacy of
pollution that resulted from the Lawrence Aviation Inc., Superfund
site,” said EPA Regional Administrator Judith A. Enck.
“EPA not only built the treatment system in an
environmentally-sustainable manner, we also worked closely with
local officials to ensure they had a say in its
construction.”
The treatment system pumps contaminated ground
water from nearby wells and initially filters out sediments and
debris. The water is then sent through a device that blows air into
the water to remove some of the volatile organic compounds. The air
and water then flow into carbon filters, where contaminants are
collected and absorbed. Clean water is then released into the Old
Mill Pond and Creek.
EPA broke ground on the treatment system
facility in October 2010 and worked closely with local officials on
the facility’s design. A local architectural firm assisted
with the design of the facility and EPA purchased some of the
materials for the facility from local suppliers. EPA also used
environmentally-friendly materials when building the facility,
including soy-based foam insulation, cork flooring and pervious
pavement. The system will be operating for about 20 years in order
to bring levels of volatile organic compounds to an acceptable
level for protecting human health and the environment.
Founded in 1959, Lawrence Aviation, Inc., was a
manufacturer of titanium sheeting for the aeronautics industry.
Past disposal practices and the presence of leaking drums at the
site resulted in numerous violations cited by both the Suffolk
County Department of Health Services and the New York State
Department of Environmental Conservation. In 1980 and 1981, the
Department of Health Services required Lawrence Aviation, Inc. to
remove a number of drums of waste materials from the site. The
drums contained the chemicals trichloroethylene and
tetrachloroethylene, as well as acids, waste sludge containing
acid, salt wastes and hydraulic oils. They conducted a second
removal in 1997.
Between September 2004 and April 2005, EPA
conducted a cleanup action at the industrial portion of the site.
This activity included the disposal of hundreds of drums of
hazardous materials, the emptying and disposal of the contents of
chemical storage vats, and the stabilization of other waste
materials.
The cost of the treatment system is
approximately $ 2 million and has been paid for by the Superfund.
EPA is seeking to recover some of its costs from Lawrence Aviation
Industries Inc. and its owner.
For more information on the Lawrence Aviation,
Inc., Superfund site, go to
https://www.epa.gov/aboutepa/epa-region-2.
Follow EPA Region 2 on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/eparegion2 and visit our Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/eparegion2.
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