www.epa.gov/region2
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MESSAGE FROM THE REGIONAL ADMINISTRATOR
I am pleased to present the EPA Region 2 Progress Report. This report describes the
national goals of EPA that help to preserve and protect our natural environment and the
health of the people who live and work in our communities, and some of the many regional
initiatives that respond to those goals.
The purview of EPA Region 2 consists of New York, New Jersey, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin
Islands and seven Indian Nations. We are not the largest region in the nation in terms of geography,
but we are certainly one of the most densely populated and among the most diverse. More than
31 million people reside in our region.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency was founded 35 years ago. Since that time,
we have taken many important and lasting steps to protect and enhance the quality of the air,
land and water around us. Today our air is cleaner, our land is better preserved and our water
is safer to drink. We've come a long way in a relatively short period.
Despite the progress made, however, there is more to be done. In our region, we still have
areas where there is undrinkable water, polluted air and tainted land. Together with our federal,
state and local partners, we are working hard every day to improve the environment, people's
health and the quality of their lives.
Environmental stewardship is everyone's responsibility. I invite you to review this report
and find out about the work we are doing and how you might participate in the process of
protecting our environment.
Kathleen C. Callahan
Acting Regional Administrator
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Region 2
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200.1 EPA REGION 2 PROGRESS REPORT
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EPA Region 2 is comprised of New York, New Jersey, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and seven Indian Nations.
New York
Capital Albany
Population 18,976,457
Population Distribution
Urban. 16,601,126
Rural 2,375,331
Population Density
401 9 people per square mile
Land Area 47,214 sq. miles
Miles of Ocean Coast 127
Land Cover (non-federal land)
Developed (urban & built-up) 3,183 6 (1,000 acres)
Undeveloped (rural) 26,702 3 (1,000 acres)
Developed land 11 %
Cropland 18%
Pastureland 9%
Rangeland 0%
Forest Land: 59%
Other Land 3%
New Jersey
Capital Trenton
Population 8,414,360
Population Distribution
Urban 7,939,087
Rural 475,263
Population Density
1,134 4 people per square mile
Land Area 7,417 sq miles
Miles of Ocean Coast 130
Land Cover (non-federal land)
Developed (urban & built-up) 1,778 2 (1,000 acres)
Undeveloped (rural) 2,765 6 (1,000 acres)
Developed land 39%
Cropland 13°o
Pastureland 2°o
Rangeland. 0%
Forest Land: 37%
Other Land 8%
Puerto Rico
Capital. San Juan
Population 3,808,610
Population Distribution:
Urban 3,594,948
Rural 213,662
Population Density
1,101 1 people per square mile
Land Area 3,459sq miles
Miles of Ocean Coast 311.3
Caribbean Land Cover (non-federal land)
Developed (urban & built-up) 506 8 (1,000 acres)
Undeveloped (rural) 1661 7 (1,000 acres)
Developed land 23%
Cropland 17%
Pastureland. 20%
Rangeland 7%
Forest Land 30%
Other Land. 3%
U.S. Virgin Islands
Capital Charlotte Amalie
Population 108,612
St Croix 53,234
St John 4,197
St Thomas 51,181
Population Distribution
Urban 100,497
Rural 8.115
Population Density
804 5 people per square mile
Land Area 135sq miles
St Croix 83 sq miles
St John. 20 sq miles
St Thomas 31 sq miles
Mites of Ocean Coast 117
The region's 31.3 million residents are primarily concentrated in its urban areas. Close to 85% live in New York State
(containing the largest and most densely populated city in the country) and New Jersey (the most densely populated
state), mainly in the New York-New Jersey metropolitan area. In Puerto Rico, approximately one-third of the more than
3.5 million residents live in and around San Juan.
At the same time there are unique and largely intact ecosystems in our region such as the Pine Barrens, the Adirondacks
Park (the largest publicly protected area in the mainland US), the Caribbean National Forest and the Virgin Islands
National Park.
The seven federally-recognized Indian Nations, with whom we have a government-to-government relationship, are
located within the boundaries of New York State. The estimated Tribal Nation population is approximately 25,000
with land holdings of approximately 106,000 acres. (These land holdings may increase dependent upon the outcome
of several pending land claims.)
These ecosystems present diverse environmental management challenges.
EPA Region 2 works hard to assure clean air, pure water and better-protected land. Our efforts help ensure healthy
communities and ecosystems, compliance with environmental regulations and environmental stewardship. These goals
are more thoroughly discussed in the following pages, where we provide a snapshot of our current state as well as our
strategies, tools and programs for meeting the nation's environmental agenda. As we look to the future, we expect to
build more cross-program bridges to address environmental challenges, and to continue our active coordination with
our states, territories, Indian Nations and communities in seeking solutions to environmental problems.
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2004 EPA REGION 2 PROGRESS REPORT
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R QUALITY
T
he quality of the air we breathe is affected by emissions from motor vehicles, manufacturing and
electric generating plants, refineries, and other stationary and mobile sources. Thanks to regulations
that have required the development and use of new pollution controls on most of these sources, the
quality of our air has improved dramatically over the last few decades. Nevertheless, some areas of our
region - particularly the most densely populated areas - still have unacceptable levels of air pollution.
Air pollution can cause breathing difficulties such as asthma, long-term damage to the respiratory,
cardio-vascular and reproductive systems, cancer and even premature death. It can also damage crops,
buildings, forests, lakes and streams.
Summertime Ozone
Ground level ozone, commonly called smog, is
the most extensive and persistent air pollution
problem in our region. Ozone, a harmful gas,
is the product of a series of chemical reactions
involving other pollutants - principally nitrogen
oxides and organic chemicals - that take place
in the presence of the summer sun. Ozone can
be transported many hundreds of miles from
the original emissions source.
Though levels have decreased over time, each
summer we experience violations of both the
one-hour and eight-hour national air quality
standards for ozone over much of New York and
New Jersey. As seen in the chart, the frequency
of unhealthful peak concentrations of ozone in
New Jersey and New York has decreased sharply
since 1993. These reductions are attributable to
the implementation of national control
requirements, and to additional local emission
control programs implemented by these two
states and those upwind of Region 2. EPA works
with both state governments and other public and
private partners to control the many contributing
sources of nitrogen oxide and organic chemicals.
NUMBER OF DAYS
OZONE STANDARD EXCEEDED
10
9
1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002
• New Jersey New York S Puerto Rico El U.S. Virgin Islands
• PR and VI had no ozone eiteedantei
Because power plants are major emitters of
nitrogen oxide, EPA and the states have focused
special attention on these sources, initiating and
enforcing a number of measures that help control
their emissions. Summertime air conditioning,
in particular, puts a heavy demand on power
generation and exacerbates smog conditions.
In addition, there are measures that require a
reduction in the amounts of volatile organic
compounds in various consumer and commercial
products such as household cleaners, air fresheners,
hair sprays, degreasing agents and insecticides.
Paints, primers, stains and adhesives are also
required to contain less of these ozone-forming
materials.
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Fine Participates
Paniculate matter, often referred to as soot,
is the term used to describe air pollution that is
comprised of solid particles and liquid droplets
found in the air we breathe. Particles smaller
than 2.5 micrometers in diameter - less than
a thirtieth of the diameter of a human hair -
are considered "fine" particles, and have been
shown to have a particularly damaging effect
on humans because they can lodge deeply
in the lung.
In 2004, EPA identified several areas in New York
and New Jersey as not meeting the Agency's new
health-based standard for fine paniculate matter.
As a result, emission control plans will have to be
designed for these areas.
There is much work already underway to
control diesel emissions, a major source of
fine particulates in the atmosphere. EPA has
recently issued new national rules that will
dramatically reduce future emissions from diesel
engines used in motor vehicles and in non-road
equipment such as construction cranes, bulldoz-
ers and stationary generators. The Agency has
also sponsored a number of voluntary emission
reduction initiatives in cooperation with truck
fleets, long-haul truckers, school bus fleets and
sanitation departments, in a regional effort to
reduce fine particle emissions.
NeiAi ] Middlesex
Sussex
PENNSYLVANIA
Monroe
Warren
Kings \Queens
NeiAi Ycrfc
Berks /V Bucks
/
Montgomery
New York / Northern New Jersey / Long Islano
CT-NJ-NY PM? c Nonattainment area
Philadelphia / Wilmington / Atlantic City
PA-DE-NJ PM2 5 Nonattainment area
NEW JERSEY
Newi V. Salem
Castle
Reading, PA
PM2 5 Nonattainment area
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V
as.
CLEAN A / f? H I G H L I G H J
Diesel engines are major producers of fine particle emissions, and many of these
engines can be found in the school buses that transport our children to school.
Children are more likely than their parents to be affected by air pollution because,
in proportion to their body weight, they breathe more air. In Region 2 alone there
are approximately nine million children, many of whom are school age.
EPA and its state and local partners have implemented the National Clean School
Bus Program, a multi-faceted approach to reducing diesel emissions from school
buses. By educating school and transportation officials about the importance of
reducing emissions, and by aiding in funding pollution control retrofits, this program
promises to make a school bus ride a safer trip.
In 2004, EPA awarded nearly $700,000 to a dozen New York and New Jersey school
districts to retrofit more than 400 school buses with pollution control technology
and to encourage the implementation of idling reduction procedures. As a result
of these efforts, over 67,000 schoolchildren will be riding cleaner buses.
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WATER QUALITY
T
wo pieces of legislation in the early 1970's - the Clean Water Act and the Safe Drinking Water
Act - have contributed mightily to the quality of the water we drink, fish and swim in today. Prior
to enactment of these landmark laws, as much as two-thirds of the surface water in the United States
was considered polluted. Today, that number has been reduced.
Water resources are central to the region's aesthetics, economics and health. There are some 60,000
miles of rivers and streams in Region 2, including waterways of major importance such as the Hudson
and Passaic Rivers, the ports of San Juan and the New York/New Jersey Harbor, Lake Ontario, Niagara
Falls and the St. Lawrence Seaway. New York, New Jersey, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands have
a combined 685 miles of ocean coastline, as well. Clean and safe water is essential to the health and
livelihood of the region's 31 million residents.
Improving the Delaware Estuary
Estuaries are the places where freshwater from
streams and rivers flows into the ocean, mixing
with saltwater. A wide variety of birds, fish,
vegetation and other wildlife inhabit and/or
depend on estuaries. The protection of our
estuaries and their ecosystems is vital to the health
of our region's most important waterways. There
are 28 EPA-sponsored national estuary programs
in the country organized for that purpose.
In Region 2, the Delaware Estuary has been
designated "impaired" because elevated
levels of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs)
have been found in fish tissues. As a result,
one of the estuary's prime designated uses -
fishing -is in jeopardy.
In order to address this impairment, regulatory
tools known as "total maximum daily loads"
(TMDLs) are being developed using a staged
approach. TMDLs are calculations of the
maximum amount of a pollutant that a water
body can receive daily and still meet water
quality standards. The calculation includes
all sources of PCBs to the estuary including
nonpoint sources like overland runoff and
runoff from contaminated sites, as well as
regulated point sources like storm water,
municipal wastewater treatment plants
and industrial facilities. In addition, an
Implementation Advisory Committee has
been established to create an action plan
for reducing PCBs. EPA has approved the
Stage 1 TMDLforthe Delaware Estuary.
Additional data gathered during Stage 1
will enable a more refined analysis to be
used as the basis of the next stage.
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Lead in Drinking Water
Sixty-two percent of the region gets its drinking
water from surface water sources such as lakes,
reservoirs, rivers and rain catchments, with the
remaining population served by groundwater.
Approximately 3,800 community water systems
provide drinking water to most Region 2
inhabitants.
Lead in drinking water can be a threat to a
child's health, but fortunately it is one of the
most preventable. To ensure that children are
not exposed to lead from older pipes and solder,
EPA works closely with school systems, where
children spend a good portion of their day.
In Region 2, the Agency has targeted school
systems with the highest rates of childhood
lead poisoning - New York City, Syracuse
and Rochester in New York State,
and Newark and Paterson in New Jersey.
In Syracuse, 1,300 sinks and fountains were
tested in 52 schools. High lead levels were
found in 120 of these outlets and they were
immediately shut off and only put back into
service when filters were installed or older
pipes replaced. Thousands of Syracuse
schoolchildren are now drinking cleaner,
safer water from school fountains and sinks.
Similar actions and results took place in
other high risk cities.
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CLEAN WAFER HIGHLIGHT
During the summer months, when millions of residents and tourists are attracted to our
beaches, EPA monitors the water quality of the New York/New Jersey Harbor and the New
Jersey and Long Island coastal ocean waters. From late May through early September, the
EPA helicopter surveys inshore waters looking for "slicks" of floatable debris that could wash
up on the beaches. This activity is part of an inter-agency "Floatables Action Plan" that has
significantly reduced the amount of floating debris escaping the harbor and, therefore,
reduced beach closures.
The helicopter is also used for sampling during the summer months at more than 120
ocean stations along the New Jersey and New York shores and back bays. Data collected
is compared to water quality standards in coordination with other federal and state
agencies to provide the beach-going public with water quality trends.
CLEAN DRINKING WATER HIGHLIGHT
A grant of $579,000 was awarded in 2004 to the Seneca Nation of Indians to improve
its drinking water infrastructure. A variety of improvements will be made to the pump house
and distribution systems of the Jimersontown and Steamburg Water Systems on Allegheny
Territory. Together, the systems serve approximately 1,000 people. Both are owned and
operated by the Seneca Nation and both systems have a groundwater supply.
The Seneca Nation also received $198,000 to replace a ground level water storage tank
at the Steamburg Water System. Funding was provided through an Interagency Agreement
with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Indian Health Service.
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SERVE & RESTORE LAND
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PRESERVE AND RESTORE LAND
Preserving and restoring land is one of EPA's most important goals. After all, unchecked waste,
hazardous or otherwise, can taint ground and surface water, as well as the air. Region 2 efforts in
preserving and restoring land are focused primarily on reducing waste generation, promoting recycling,
preventing spills and releases of toxic materials, and cleaning up contaminated land and facilities.
We are working on a portfolio of projects addressing a number of specific waste products including
lead, electronics, hospital wastes, mercury, and construction and demolition debris.
PRESERVING LAND
Recycling Initiatives
Harvesting and reusing construction and
demolition debris is an important recycling
activity. Region 2 awarded a solid waste
demonstration grant of $28,500 to the Industrial
and Technology Assistance Corporation for the
preparation of a "Building Reuse Calculator"
and materials aimed at informing architects,
developers, contractors, demolition businesses,
governments and manufacturers about the real
cost and potential savings when using these
materials in construction projects.
We were also one of the first institutions in
the nation to recognize the importance of
dealing with the growing problem of cell
phone disposal. Region 2 awarded an initial
$25,000 grant to INFORM, Inc., an independent
non-profit research organization, to assess and
describe the magnitude of the problem. One
result of that initial effort was the finding that
there are as many as 100 million phones retired
every year and many millions more obsolete
and/or unused in drawers, closets and glove
compartments. EPA gave INFORM a second grant
of $48,000 to publicize the findings of its research
and to conduct a roundtable meeting for stake-
holders. Emphasizing our own concern, we con-
ducted an in-house cell phone collection drive
that netted 55 pounds of unused phones and
associated equipment that were subsequently
shipped to a non-profit organization to be
refurbished or recycled.
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PROGRESS REPORT
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RESTORING LAND
Emergency Response
The Comprehensive Environmental Response,
Compensation and Liability Act (Superfund)
gives EPA and its partners the legal authority to
clean up uncontrolled or abandoned hazardous
waste sites, with the ultimate goal of returning
the land to productive use. In 2004, Love Canal,
one of the most well-known Superfund sites
in the nation, was finally removed from the
National Priorities List (NPL) with its cleanup
complete. Considerable progress was made on
other Region 2 sites, as well. Among them, final
locations for sediment processing and transfer
facilities were determined for the Hudson
River cleanup, and sampling of the Passaic
River was begun to define flow, salinity and
temperature change with the tides. The Atlantic
Fleet Weapons Training Area on Vieques in
Puerto Rico was also recently added to the NPL.
The Lawrence Aviation Industries, Inc. site on
Long Island, is an example of a Superfund site
that required an immediate removal action,
in addition to a longer-term cleanup plan.
Lawrence is an active manufacturing facility that
produces titanium sheeting for the aeronautics
industry. Trichloroethylene, a potentially human
carcinogenic solvent used in its manufacturing
process, was found to have leaked into the soil
and area groundwater. The 160-acre site, with
200,000 square feet of building space also had
more than 1,000 deteriorating metal drums,
some leaking liquids, stacked four feet high
in various locations throughout the property.
Many of the drums were labeled "70%
hydrofluoric acid," a strong and dangerous
acid. There were 12 open vats of acids,
hundreds of different
laboratory chemicals,
open tanks of fuming
acids and other hazardous
substances. The dangers
to the community and
the surrounding area
were evident.
EPA initiated an emergency
action to stabilize the site,
separating incompatible
chemicals and securing
them in sound containers.
With the immediate risk
alleviated, negotiations
are underway to remove
the remaining chemical
containers prior to initiating
the longer-term remedial
actions.
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PRESERVE AND RESTORE LAND
HIGHLIGHT
Region 2 has been an active participant in the National Program for Environmental
Priorities (NPEP). Through NPEP, public and private organizations form voluntary
partnerships with EPA to reduce the use or release of any of 31 priority toxic chemicals.
These chemicals are harmful to human health and the environment. In Region 2,
83% of the priority chemical releases reported were from lead and lead compounds.
Naphthalene represented 11% of the toxins released.
In 2004, the region enrolled a number of companies in the program, including Old
Bridge Chemicals and Madison Industries of New Jersey. Combined, these companies
have committed to reduce more than 1.8 million pounds of lead compounds reported
to the Toxic Release Inventory (TRI), a publicly-available EPA database that contains
information on toxic chemical releases by industry groups and federal facilities.
In Puerto Rico, several companies joined NPEP, including Smart Modular Technologies
of Aguada and Solectron of Aquadilla. Combined, they plan to eliminate 4,370 pounds
of lead from their soldering processes. Each is a supplier to the electronics industry.
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K IE A L T H Y CO M M U N I T I 15 S
fi. IE C C 8 Y S T I: M S
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HEALTHY CC I I T I E EC
insuring the protection of people's health and the environment is the mission of EPA.
Managing environmental risks is the key component of this goal and the means through which
EPA can undertake its mission.
Working with partner institutions, community leaders and individuals, we direct our energies to
those most vulnerable - our children and elderly. And, in doing so, we bring to bear all of our
scientific capabilities to better understanding the threats to their health and in finding safe ways
in which to eliminate them.
Rochester Initiative
The Rochester Community Environmental
Project, conducted in Rochester, New York, is an
initiative that incorporates a mix of regulatory
and voluntary programs to improve public health
and the environment. In a sense, it is a citywide
approach to bringing institutions and facilities
into compliance, educating professionals and
the public as to good environmental practice
and establishing the foundation of a sustainable
environment.
In rapid fire fashion, EPA conducted more than
200 inspections at 166 regulated facilities; crafted
a healthcare workshop to assist hospital officials
in identifying and managing hazardous waste;
persuaded 14 area hospitals to voluntarily
identify, self-disclose and correct violations at
their facilities; partnered with 12 facilities to
eliminate or reduce industrial waste; formed
a collaborative partnership with community
groups, academe, businesses, governments,
health and environmental groups and school
districts to identify and prioritize environmental
issues; sampled and analyzed drinking water
taps at all 42 elementary schools in the
Rochester City School District resulting in
closing and remediating 80 taps; and removed
"legacy" chemicals from school laboratories
and storage facilities.
What were the immediate results of that
action? Over 700 gallons of chemicals were
removed from the schools and disposed of
at a hazardous waste facility; 53 facilities in
violation have been brought into compliance;
one company is partnering with EPA to
significantly reduce its lead emissions; and,
non-compliant facilities are being brought
into compliance providing greater health
and environmental protection.
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Illegal Pesticide Sweeps
In 2004, EPA used its enforcement authority
to protect the people of Puerto Rico from illegal
pesticides. The Agency inspected more than
90 large and mid-sized stores, farmer's markets
and flea markets throughout the island for
illegal pesticides. The sweep produced more
than 650 packets of the illegal pesticide "Tres
Pasitos," or "three small steps" -the distance a
pest can walk before succumbing to the deadly
poison. More than 3,000 boxes of "Chinese
Chalk," another unlicensed pesticide were
confiscated as well. This poison is so-named
because it resembles play chalk that a child
would use on the sidewalk or chalkboard.
Similar sweeps were conducted in New York
City. EPA inspected 48 large and mid-sized
stores throughout the city and found 44
different types of illegal pesticides at 27
locations. Inspectors also located three
distribution centers with large quantities
of illegal products in Queens. EPA teamed
up with Chinese-American neighborhood
groups in an awareness campaign that reached
out to the Chinese-American press to inform
this segment of the population about the
dangers of illegal pesticides.
INSECTICIDE
CHALK
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SB,
In early 2004, Region 2 reached an administrative settlement agreement with the Puerto
Rico Department of Education (PRDOE), which imposed a $5.6 million penalty against
the PRDOE for violations of the Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act (AHERA).
The settlement required PRDOE to invest the penalty amount in a three-year program
to remediate asbestos hazards in its 1,500 schools.
The PRDOE case underscores the Region 2 commitment to children's health. EPA
has uncovered a number of widespread AHERA violations in several school districts
on the mainland including Newark, New Jersey and Yonkers, New York, through its
"smart inspection" approach. Using this approach, a sampling of schools within the
larger Local Educational Agencies, private schools and charter schools are inspected
and settlements are pursued to ensure that all schools within the respective systems
are brought into compliance.
EPA BEG ION 2 PROGRESS DEI
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COMPLIANCE
ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP
R
egion 2 maintains a strong enforcement and compliance program, one that identifies and
reduces noncompliance; assists the regulated community in understanding environmental laws
and regulations; responds to complaints from the public; strives to secure a level economic playing
field for law-abiding companies; deters future violations; and promotes environmental stewardship
to achieve its goal. A sustainable environment - one that is in constant balance with economic and
quality of life standards, without compromising environmental care and concern - is the ultimate
goal of compliance and stewardship.
COMPLIANCE
Health Care and University Initiative
There are approximately 500 hospitals in Region
2, all of which perform an invaluable service to
the public. They also, however, cause a major
environmental and public health concern.
Hospitals contribute to the presence of mercury,
dioxin, and other persistent bioaccumulative
toxics (PBTs) in the environment. They also
generate considerable hazardous wastes such
as chemotherapy and antineoplastic chemicals,
solvents, formaldehyde, photographic chemicals,
radionuclides and waste anesthetic gases.
Medical facilities also exacerbate air pollution
problems including smog, climate change, the
depletion of the ozone layer and air toxics.
Colleges and universities can have a similar
impact on their environment. In many cases,
we have found that these institutions are not
aware of their responsibilities under various
environmental laws. In some cases, this lack of
awareness put their staff and students at risk.
Many of these facilities are the size of a small
town or village with multiple services including
power plants, housing, storage tanks, incinera-
tors, laboratories and cleaning facilities.
During the past year, 63 healthcare facilities
and 26 colleges and universities voluntarily
disclosed and corrected approximately 3,000
violations. In the healthcare sector, more than
120,000 staff and approximately 1,000,000
annual patients benefited from these corrective
actions. For colleges and universities, more
than 60,000 students are now better protected
from environmental hazards and more than
120,000 pounds per year of hazardous waste
and approximately 1.5 million gallons of oil
are being managed properly due to self-disclosure
and corrected management measures.
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STEWARDSHIP
Performance Track
EPA has achieved success through a voluntary
national program entitled Performance Track
that recognizes and rewards businesses that
demonstrate good environmental performance
above and beyond requirements. To date,
more than 350 companies nationwide have
received this level of recognition.
In Region 2, there are 45 Performance Track
companies, including Johnson & Johnson,
BASF, Pfizer, IBM Thomas J. Watson Research
Center, Lockheed Martin and Baxter Caribe.
More than just a one-time initiative, Performance
Track membership is only open to companies
that make an ongoing, annual commitment
to sound environmental practice.
Across the nation, Performance Track
companies have reduced emissions of
greenhouse gases by more than 40,000
tons, the equivalent of planting more than
11,000 acres of trees. They have reduced solid
waste by about 176,000 tons, and have saved
enough energy to power more than 30,000
homes for a year. Regionally, Performance
Track members reduced their use of energy
by more than 2.7 metric British Thermal Units,
reduced water use by more than 300 million
gallons and lowered the generation of
hazardous wastes by more than nine
million pounds.
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CO/MPt/ANCf
STEIVARDSH/P
ENVIRONMENTAL
H / G H [ / G H 7
In the aggregate, a total of 2,860 facility or site inspections were completed
during 2004. The resultant enforcement actions and associated environmentally
beneficial projects produced the reduction and treatment of over 757 million
pounds of pollutants; the cleanup of 12,700 cubic yards of contaminated soil;
and, the cleanup of nearly three million yards of contaminated water. In addition,
three million people have begun to receive cleaner drinking water as a result of
Region 2 enforcement actions.
Visitors to and residents of the U.S. Virgin Islands are the beneficiaries of an
enforcement action that has resulted in tangible and significant upgrades to
wastewater infrastructure. The improvements have been many, including the
construction of a new wastewater treatment plant in New Cruz Bay and total
refurbishment of the George Simmonds, the Anguilla and the Charlotte
Amalie plants.
Other related efforts include the upgrade of all major and minor wastewater
pump stations in the territory's sewage system; construction of the Mangrove
Lagoon Regional Wastewater Treatment Plant, which was put into operation in
late 2002; and, the complete assessment of the collection and transport segments
of the sewage system in St. Croix.
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TO PROTECT HUMAN HEALTH AND
THE ENVIRONMENT
The mission of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is to protect human health and
the environment. As part of that mission, we have an obligation to keep the public apprised
of the work we do and to educate the public as to the best environmental practices. Much
of the information contained in this Progress Report can be found on the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency's Web site - www.epa.gov- or on the EPA Region 2 Web site -
www.epa.gov/reg/on2.
Here are some other valuable and informative Web pages:
New Jersey: www.epa.gov/region2/state/njlink.htm
New York: www.epa.gov/region2/state/nylink.htm
Puerto Rico: www.epa.gov/region2/cepd/prlink.htm
U.S. Virgin Islands: www.epa.gov/region2/cepd/vilink.htm
Tribal Nations: www.epa.gov/region2/nations
For More Information Contact:
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Region 2
Public Affairs Division
290 Broadway
New York, NY 10007
(212)637-3660
Produced by the Public Affairs Division, EPA Region 2
Design: Roxanne Panero
2004 EPA REGION 2 PROGRESS REPORT
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