EPA Adds Berks County, PA Site to Superfund National Priorities List
Publilshed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
PHILADELPHIA (March 5, 2024) – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced today it will add the area surrounding the former Exide Technologies Laureldale facility in Berks County, Pennsylvania to the Superfund National Priorities List (NPL) on March 7. The NPL is the list of hazardous waste sites in the United States eligible for cleanup, financed under the federal Superfund Program.
“Finalizing this site to the National Priorities List is the best and quickest way to bring the necessary attention and resources to these areas,” said EPA Mid-Atlantic Regional Administrator Adam Ortiz. “With each new site added, we continue to invest in the America we all deserve – one with clean soil, air, and water.”
Historic emissions from lead-acid battery manufacturing and recycling, primarily in years prior to the installation of emission control systems at the Exide facility, caused the deposition of lead and other contaminants in the surrounding area including surface soils on commercial and residential properties, water bodies and sediments.
Following Exide Technologies’ 2020 bankruptcy, EPA stepped in to remove hazardous substances remaining on the facility to mitigate immediate threats posed to public health and welfare. In 2022, the Agency expanded its work to include decontamination of additional process equipment, containers, and other highly contaminated areas as well as taking over operations of on-site wastewater and storm water treatment systems to ensure that water released from the facility meets appropriate standards.
Because contamination from the former Exide facility also impacted surrounding residential and commercial properties, the site qualifies for the Superfund NPL so that the contamination can be further assessed and remediated. EPA first announced its proposal to add this site to the NPL in September 2023. Since that time, the agency has received and reviewed public comments, held two public information sessions, and worked with area stakeholders to answer questions on the process.
The final NPL site does not include the Exide facility itself. Future cleanup of remaining contamination at the former Exide facility will be overseen by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PADEP) in coordination with EPA’s Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) program.
For more information on this site visit: www.epa.gov/superfund/exide-laureldale.
For the Federal Register notice and supporting documents for this proposal, visit: New Proposed and New Superfund National Priorities List Sites.
Background on Superfund and the National Priorities List:
Nationwide, thousands of contaminated sites, from landfills to processing plants to manufacturing facilities, exist due to hazardous waste being dumped, left out in the open, or otherwise improperly managed. President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law accelerates EPA’s work to clean up this pollution with a $3.5 billion investment in the Superfund Remedial Program. This historic investment strengthens EPA’s ability to tackle threats to human health and the environment at Superfund National Priorities List sites. The law also reinstates the Superfund chemical excise taxes, making it one of the largest investments in American history to address legacy pollution.
Read the full article at: https://www.epa.gov/newsreleases/epa-adds-berks-county-pa-site-superfund-national-priorities-list
