JANUARY 2021
Making Decisions
and
Making a Difference in Superfund
Administrator's Emphasis
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MAKING DECISIONS AND MAKING A DIFFERENCE IN SUPERFUND
ADMINISTRATOR'S EMPHASIS LIST 2017-2021
Following a key recommendation of the Superfund Task Force, EPA released the initial Administrator's
Emphasis List in December 2017. It identified 21 sites from across the United States targeted for
immediate and intense attention. The Superfund site remedial process is a multi-step process that can
be delayed, sometimes for years, for any number of reasons. In developing this list, EPA considered
sites that could benefit from the Administrator's direct engagement and that had identifiable actions to
protect human health and the environment that were yet to be completed. These sites required timely
resolution of specific issues to expedite cleanup and redevelopment efforts. The Administrator's
Emphasis List identified site-specific milestones covering a broad spectrum of issues at sites across the
United States. Milestones covered National Priorities List listing, remedy selection, investigations and
settlement agreements. The list was designed to be dynamic and to spur action at sites where
opportunities exist to act quickly and comprehensively. The resolution of an issue at a particular site can
often provide information and insight into how to resolve similar issues at other sites and thus, provide
lessons learned that can be applied broadly to the Superfund program.
Significant progress has been made at each of the sites because of this special emphasis. Information on
the Administrator's Emphasis List can be found at https://www.epa.gov/superfund/superfund-sites-
targeted-immediate-intense-action.
Since the creation of the Administrator's Emphasis List in 2017, EPA has achieved critical milestones at
28 sites that have moved site cleanups forward.
This document provides a summary of the sites included on the Administrator's Emphasis List since its
inception. It identifies each site's milestones and the progress that has been made to date. As
contemplated by the Superfund Task Force Administrator's Emphasis List has been recognized by
communities, responsible parties and the Regions as a very effective tool in facilitating decisions and
other actions at sites to accelerate cleanups that protect human health and the environment and
provide opportunities to be returned to communities for their next use.
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REGION 1
Centredale Manor. Rhode Island
Installing the cap liner on the source area at the Centredale Manor site.
Following years of litigation, the United States, Rhode Island, and Emhart Industries, Inc. and Black and
Decker Inc. (collectively "Emhart") reached a mediated settlement agreement in July 2018. Emhart
agreed to perform the 2012 Record of Decision pursuant to a Consent Decree, which was entered by the
District Court for the District of Rhode Island on April 8, 2019. Emhart will clean up the site in phases,
from upstream to downstream, and will construct a permanent cap in the source area and excavate and
remove contaminated floodplain soil and sediment from the river. The entire project is expected to take
5-6 years and will be performed under EPA and Rhode Island Department of Environmental
Management oversight.
Emhart began the remedial design in 2018 and has been conducting remedial work. The potentially
responsible parties' contractor has completed most of the Source Area (Operable Unit 1) Resource
Conservation and Recovery Act C caps and installed MatCon on the paved areas and is doing final
grading and installing landscaping areas and finishing up sidewalks. Design for the Allendale Pond
(Operable Unit 2) has been approved and EPA continues to work with the parties to implement the
cleanup.
January 2021
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Olin Chemical, Massachusetts
For over 10 years the responsible
parties, under EPA oversight, had
worked on a Remedial Investigation
and Feasibility Study delaying
implementation of final cleanup.
Placing the site on the Administrator's
Emphasis List signaled to the parties
that it was time to finalize the Remedial
Investigation/Feasibility Study, propose
a cleanup plan to remediate soil,
surface water, and areas of highest
groundwater contamination and issue
for public comment, and move the
cleanup forward. With the study now
completed, EPA released a Proposed
Plan for the $48 million cleanup in
August 2020 and expects to select the remedy in 2021, after considering public comment. Selecting the
remedy will begin the process to negotiate and secure an agreement with Olin to design and implement
the cleanup.
Mohawk Tannery. New Hampshire
The Mohawk Tannery site was both in need of a permanent cleanup and ripe for redevelopment, it was
added to the initial Administrator's Emphasis List in 2017. This was done to spur an expedited cleanup
and unleash the site's redevelopment potential. As a result, EPA engaged in discussions with multiple
parties, including the State of New Hampshire, the City of Nashua, and an interested developer, to see if
an agreement could be reached to allow the site to
be cleaned up more rapidly and redeveloped for
residential use. Further, it would save taxpayer
money by EPA sharing cleanup costs with the
developer. A Non-Time Critical Action
Memorandum to address the contamination at the
site was issued in 2019 and negotiations began with
the developer on a Bonafide Prospective Purchaser
Agreement. In December 2020 the BFPP Agreement
was signed, paving the way for work to begin on
rapidly addressing contamination at the site and
returning this area back to productive use.
Former Mohawk Tannery Building Area
January 2021
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REGION 2
American Cvanamid, New Jersey
The 2012 site-wide remedy did not include two on-site
impoundments, due to the unique and highly complex nature of
their contaminants and their proximity to the Raritan River.
This site was placed on the Administrator's Emphasis List to
expedite the release of the Proposed Plan for Operable Unit 8
to address these two impoundments that contain acid tar waste
and select a remedy for the final areas of the Site. The remedy
signed in September 2018 includes excavation and destruction
of material contained within the two impoundments,
solidification/stabilization of any residual materials found to
have been impacted by the acid tar waste, and the placement
of a protective cover over the entire area addressed. The
remedial design of the 2018 remedy is currently being
performed by the potentially responsible parties with EPA oversight, under an Administrator Order on
Consent. A demonstration project in support of the remedial design began in July 2020 and the remedial
design is expected to be completed in 2021. The potentially responsible party has entered into
negotiations with EPA for an agreement to implement the remedy.
Arsenic Mine, New York
On June 3, 2019, EPA proposed the site to the National Priorities List after the Agency for Toxic
Substances and Disease Registry issued a public health advisory recommending that EPA take immediate
short- and long-term measures to dissociate residents, especially children, from exposure to arsenic in
shallow soil at the site. The site was added to the
Administrator's Emphasis List in July 2019 to prioritize reviewing
public comments received on the National Priorities List listing
proposal and make a final listing determination. The site was
added to the National Priorities List in November 2019. A
Focused Feasibility Study and a Proposed Plan identifying the
alternatives considered for the dissociation of residents were
released for public comment in April 2020. On June 29, 2020,
EPA selected an early action that includes offering to purchase
certain contaminated properties and permanently relocating
affected residents who accept EPA's offer. Following
permanent relocation, the vacated structures will be
demolished. The remedy also includes institutional controls
(e.g., easements) to limit current and future use of the
properties. Until the residents from each affected residence are
permanently relocated, or until a final remedy is completed, periodic inspections and maintenance of
Demonstration project at the American Cyanamid
Arsenic Mine Entrance
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the existing protective measures, as necessary, will be performed at each occupied residence to ensure
the effectiveness of these measures in eliminating exposure pathways in the areas where these
measures were installed. The Inter Agency Agreement with the Army Corps of Engineers for the
acquisition of properties, relocation of residents, and demolition of the vacated structures was executed
in late September 2020.
Berry's Creek (Ventron/Velsicol), New Jersey
Berry's Creek Study Area, part of the Ventron/Velsicol Superfund site was included on the original
Administrator's Emphasis List. Specifically, the site was added to expedite the release of the cleanup
Berry's Creek Study Area
plan after eight years of investigations and studies - an important step in addressing serious
contamination at the site. The areas covered by the cleanup address a major portion of the
contamination within Berry's Creek, which act as a source of contamination to the other areas of the
site, as well as to wildlife. Berry's Creek is a tributary to the Hackensack River. The remedy was finalized
in September 2018. The remedial design is on-going and is expected to take 2-3 years to complete.
Advancing work at the heavily contaminated Berry's Creek Study Area is a large step towards addressing
the broader contamination throughout the Meadowlands and Hackensack River. The cleanup will be
studied for its effectiveness, and a final cleanup decision will be selected in the future.
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Diamond Alkali Co. (aka Upper Lower Passaic River), New Jersey
The site was placed on the
Administrator's Emphasis List with the
goal of finalizing the Remedial
Investigation for the 17-mile Lower
Passaic River Study Area. EPA approved
the Remedial Investigation in June
2019, advancing the process towards a
cleanup and it was removed from the
list. Since then, the potentially
responsible parties have been finalizing
a Feasibility Study to evaluate potential
early/interim cleanup actions for the
upper nine miles of the 17-mile Lower
Passaic River Study Area. As a result of
this work, EPA expects to issue for publ
comment the Proposed Plan for an
early/interim action in February 2021.
EPA included this site on the
Administrator's Emphasis List to
expedite the release of a proposed
cleanup plan to address the
contaminated waterways and creeks,
the remaining portion of the site to be
addressed. The Record of Decision was
signed in August 2019 and an
agreement with the potentially
responsible parties to perform the
remedial design became effective in
May 2020. Implementing this cleanup
continues the progress to address
universal oil Products site contamination at this site, which
impacts the broader New Jersey Meadowlands. The design is expected to take approximately 2 years to
complete.
ic
The Passaic River Study Area
January 2021
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REGION 3
L,A. Clarke & Son, Virginia
The L.A. Clarke & Son site initially was added to the Administrator's Emphasis List to spur the resolution
of several disputes with the potentially responsible parties so that cleanup wok could continue.
Although the disputes were resolved the site remained on the Administrator's list to further ensure that
critical actions supporting the cleanup would be completed in a timely manner. These actions included
completing and issuing an Engineering
Evaluation/Cost Analysis for public
comment for a Non-Time Critical Removal
Action to address creosote source
material, and to finalize revising the
Human Health and Final Screening Level
Ecological Risk Assessment to support a
final groundwater remedy. The
Engineering Evaluation/Cost Analysis was
issued in February 2020 and the
implementation plan for the Non-Time
Critical Removal Action was approved by
EPA. A draft preliminary design to
implement the removal action is under review by EPA. The design is expected to be completed in
Spring/Summer 2021. The draft Human Health Risk Assessment has been partially reviewed and
approved by EPA and the remaining portion of the assessment has been submitted and is currently
under review.
January 2021
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Delaware Sand and Gravel, Delaware
The 27-acre Delaware Sand and Gravel Landfill Superfund Site accepted municipal and industrial waste
from 1968 to 1976, The waste contaminated soil and groundwater with hazardous substances. In 2017,
34 years after being placed on the National Priorities List, EPA issued a second amendment to the
Record of Decision to address the source material and groundwater contamination. The site was placed
on the Administrator's Emphasis List to expedite a settlement agreement for implementation of the
second Record of Decision Amendment. Placing the site on the Administrator's Emphasis List effectively
secured a timely settlement with the
Left: Vegetated landfill cap at the Delaware Sand and Gravel site.
Right: Praying mantis egg cases thriving on the vegetated landfill.
potentially responsible parties
to initiate pre-design
work and installation of
two groundwater
interceptor wells to
protect water supply
wells. An administrative
order on consent for
remedial design was
executed on May 22,
2018. EPA is currently
negotiating with the
parties an agreement for
the implementation of the
Record of Decision Amendment
No. 2, expected to be achieved in
2021.
Sauer Dump. Maryland
EPA has been working with the potentially
responsible parties for the last 7 years to complete
a Remedial Investigation and Feasibility Study to
support selecting a remedy. EPA recently added
this site to the Administrator's Emphasis List to
support obtaining from the potentially responsible
parties high quality key submittals for the
completion of the Remedial Investigation and
Feasibility Study in a timely manner, a significant
step towards site cleanup.
Hot spot covered with heavy duty tarps during the Sauer Dump site
inspection in November 2020.
January 2021
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REGION 4
Petroleum Products Corporation, Florida
Petroleum Products Corporation Site Map
Since listing the Petroleum Products site on the National
Priorities List in 1987, several investigations and response
actions have been performed to address subsurface waste
oil, soil and groundwater contamination. Remedial work
conducted over the past 26 years removed over 43,000
gallons of free product but has been unable to address a
substantial amount of the source of contamination that sits
above and threatens a federally designated sole source
aquifer. Projected to be one of the largest commercial relocations
under Superfund and given its estimated cost of over $57 million,
the Petroleum Products Corporation site was included on the
Administrator's Emphasis List to expedite the development and
selection of a comprehensive permanent remedy, thereby
facilitating redevelopment of the property. The EPA released the
Proposed Plan for public comment in January 2021.
Source material at the Petroleum Products site.
January 2021
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Mississippi Phosphates Corporation, Mississippi
Areal view of Mississippi Phosphates Corporation site.
Prior to listing the Mississippi Phosphates Corporation site on the Administrator's Emphasis List, EPA
conducted wastewater operations at the Site that managed and treated wastewater at a rate of
approximately 2,000,000 gallons per day—at a cost of approximately $1 million per month. The Site was
placed on the Administrator's Emphasis List to expedite permanent closure of the East Gypsum Stack
and allow field work to eliminate on site storage of contaminated water and reduce the volume of water
requiring treatment. The Site was removed from the Administrator's Emphasis List in August 2018 after
the EPA Administrator signed the Non-Time Critical Removal Action Memo. Since then, EPA has
completed significant work to close the East Gypsum Stack. Closure of the East Gypsum Stack is being
conducted in five phases (Phase 1A, IB, 1C, Phase 2 and Phase 3). Work on the West Slope (Phase 1A)
and the South Slope (IB) has been completed. Design work on the Northeast Slope (Phase 1C), Pond 6
(Phase 2) and the North Ponds (Phase 3) has been completed.
EPA is currently conducting an accelerated assessment of available options for future treatment of
leachate at the site and developing a long-term strategy for the site.
January 2021
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B.F. Goodrich, Kentucky
The site is an
operating facility,
which added a
level of
complexity to the
evaluation of the
remedial
approaches. After
almost a decade
of site *'¦ •
characterization
and technical ,
evaluation of
cleanup
. ,, Aerial view of the B.F. Goodrich site.
approaches, the
Site was placed on the Administrator's Emphasis List to complete the technical analysis and select a site
cleanup. The Administrator's involvement expedited discussions with the involved parties regarding the
remedial approach. These discussions resulted in an interim approach for the offshore source material
that prioritizes treatment and minimizes disruption to the facility operations. This ultimately led to
revising and reissuing the cleanup plan for public comment in June 2018. On September 5, 2018, the EPA
Administrator signed a cleanup decision for the Site. Building on the collaborative approach taken to
meet the milestone, EPA reached an agreement with the potentially responsible parties in April 2019 to
begin designing the remedy while the negotiations continue for the implementation of the more than
$100 million cleanup. After signing the BF Goodrich Record of Decision in September 2018 and entering
into an Administrative Settlement Agreement with the potentially responsible parties in April 2019, the
first remedial design element was completed in September 2020. The Consent Decree for the remedial
action has been negotiated and should be entered by the Court in January 2021. Following the
expedited process that separates remedial design from the remedial action, construction of the
remedial action is expected to begin at least two years earlier than the traditional process.
January 2021
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REGION 5
DePue/New Jersey Zinc/Mobil Chemical, Illinois
Since the site's 1997 listing on the National Priorities List, cleanup actions had been conducted by the
potentially responsible parties under the State of Illinois oversight. However, two years of negotiations
between the State of Illinois and the potentially responsible parties reached an impasse and in response
to the state's request in EPA assumed the lead of the site. EPA initially added the DePue (New Jersey
Zinc) site to the Administrator's Emphasis
List to focus attention on reaching
agreement with the responsible party to
implement the remedy for the off-site
residential soils Operable Unit 4. Although
the work began in 2020 under a Unilateral
Administrative Order, EPA retained the site
on the Administrator's Emphasis List as EPA
established additional milestones that are
critical to moving the cleanup forward.
These milestones include completing
negotiations the Operable Unit 4 residential
yard cleanup work and remaining remedial Restoring a remediated property at the DePue site,
investigation and feasibility study work at
other site areas. Negotiations between EPA and the responsible parties for the Operable Unit 4 work
continue and are expected to be completed in 2021. An Administrative Settlement and Order on
Consent with the potentially responsible parties for the remedial investigation and feasibility study work
was effective in November 2020. Residential soil cleanup has been paused for the winter and EPA
anticipates the start of the 2021 season in mid-to-iate April.
January 2021
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U.S. Smelter and Lead Refinery, Inc.. Indiana
The site was placed on the Administrator's
Emphasis List to expedite amending the
cleanup decision for Zone 1 to reflect a
change in Zone 1 conditions, including future
land use, and to ensure completion of soil
remediation in Zones 2 and 3. On March 24,
2020, the EPA Administrator amended the
2012 remedy for the former West Calumet
Excavating lead contaminated soil at the USS Lead site.
Housing Complex in Zone 1. The amendment reflects EPA's
awareness of local efforts to redevelop Zone 1 for
commercial use, although the current designation remains
residential. Additionally, EPA has completed soil cleanup at
a significant number of residential properties in Zone 2 and
3 and as a result, EPA removed 671 properties at the site
from the National Priorities List. EPA tentatively plans to
begin deletion proceedings for the remaining Zone 2 and 3
properties in 2022. Operable Unit 2 (the USS Lead facility
property and groundwater beneath the entire Site), remain
on the National Priorities List.
EPA and USS Lead signed an ASAOC in September 2017 to perform the Remedial Investigation and
Feasibility Study for Operable Unit 2, which is expected to be completed in 2022.
January 2021
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Allied Paper. Inc./Portage Creek/Kalamazoo River. Michigan
After decades of working to cleanup this mega-site, EPA used the Administrator's Emphasis List to bring
needed attention to the site, specifically to the negotiation activities. The focused attention concluded
1.5 years of negotiations that culminated in an agreement that addresses many cleanup elements of the
site, and for the first time,
requires the NCR
Corporation to perform and
finance cleanup work at the
site. The agreement with
NCR Corporation, worth
more than $244 million,
provides funding to cleanup
three areas of Operable Unit
5, pays for past and future
EPA and State of Michigan
costs and natural resource
damages and claims. The
Operable Unit 5 cleanup
includes the removal of the
Trowbridge dam, the largest
dam within this portion of the
Kalamazoo River Sampling
river. Removing this dam
allows access to remove contaminated sediments to prevent further contamination downgradient, as
the dam continues to deteriorate. Additionally, this effort aligns with the State of Michigan's effort to
re-establish natural flow conditions of the river. On April 1, Peter Wright, the Assistant Administrator for
the Office of Land and Emergency Management, signed the Action Memorandum for a time-critical
removal action in the Trowbridge Impoundment (Area 4) of the Kalamazoo River. NCR is working with
EPA on various design elements for the Area 4 TCRA including completion of flood plain sampling and
the collection of geotechnical data to support construction of a water control structure at the
Trowbridge dam.
January 2021
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St. Regis Paper Company, Minnesota on the Leech Lake Band of Oiibwe Reservation
This site was added to the Administrator's
Emphasis List in 2017 to complete the remedy
selection process that had stalled for over 6
years. The list brought much needed senior
official's attention to the long-standing issues
preventing a cleanup decision. This elevated
focus resulted in the Agency selecting a $21.4
million cleanup plan that removes dioxin-
contaminated soil on 66 residential properties
while meeting the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe
Tribe's cleanup standard for dioxin in soil.
Activities to implement this long-awaited
action can now move forward.
Field sampling at the St. Regis site.
January 2021
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REGION 6
San Jacinto Waste Pits, Texas
The site consists of two waste impoundments (northern and southern) built in the mid-1960s that were
used for the disposal of pulp waste containing dioxins. EPA signed a Record of Decision in 2017 that
approved a $115 million cleanup plan for the site that includes removal of waste from the
impoundments and off-site disposal. EPA added the site to the Administrator's Emphasis List to expedite
The San Jacinto Waste Pits Site
negotiations with the potentially responsible parties to perform remedial design and construct the
remedy. As a result of EPA's senior leadership attention, EPA entered into an Administrative Settlement
Agreement and Order on Consent with the potentially responsible parties to conduct the remedial
design of the remedy. EPA, the state and the potentially responsible parties are actively working on the
separate remedial designs for the impoundments. The preliminary design for the northern
impoundment has been submitted and reviewed. A pre-final design for the northern impoundment is
expected in April 2021. The final design for the southern impoundment was submitted in December
2020 and is under review.
January 2021
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Tar Creek. Oklahoma
The site has five operable units that address contaminated sediment, soil (including residential
properties), surface water, groundwater, chat piles, and mine, mill and smelter waste. Since being
placed on the National
Priorities List 36 years
ago, numerous actions
have been implemented
at the site; however, due
its complexity and size,
the cleanup will require
many years to complete.
To focus EPA's efforts, the
site was added to the
Administrator's Emphasis
List. The milestone was to
develop a strategic plan to guide the
progress of the site cleanup with near-
and long-term actions. The Strategic
Plan, a culmination of a year-long
cooperative effort with the State of
Oklahoma and the Quapaw Nation, was
released for public comment in March
2019. The Plan communicates the long-
term vision and road map for managing
site risks, cleanup, and economic opportunities. The Administrator's Emphasis List was instrumental in
bringing parties together to develop a timely long-term strategy. Since release of EPA's Strategic Plan to
Improve Cleanup Progress at Tar Creek in September 2019, EPA has continued cleanup coordination
with the Quapaw Nation and the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality to remove and
consolidate lead mining waste. Site remediation continues and over $15 million of funding was provided
to the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality and Quapaw Nation in Fiscal Year 2020 to
continue remedial activities.
Property post remediation.
January 2021
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San Mateo. New Mexico
Because of the focus provided by placing this site on the Administrator's Emphasis List, 1.5 years of
inter-agency discussions and potentially responsible party negotiations were concluded and an
agreement was finalized that lead to the beginning of active remedial field investigations necessary to
move the site cleanup forward. The agreement requires the potentially responsible parties to
investigate groundwater contamination in one of the three major areas of the site, the Central Study
Area. The agreement also commits the potentially responsible parties to pay response costs EPA incurs
in the future, starting with a payment of $700,000, and secure financial assurance for the $15 million
estimated cost of the cleanup work.
Finalizing the settlement was an important
component of the overall
mining district cleanup
strategy initiated in 2010.
The first set of remedial
investigation and feasibility
study scoping documents,
including the Work Plan
and Sampling and Analysis
Plan have been submitted
and are under review.
Sonic drilling used to conduct sampling during the groundwater investigation.
January 2021
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REGION 7
Pes Moines TCE, Iowa
After being listed on the National Priorities List in 1987,
Dico/Titan Tire, the potentially responsible parties
implemented actions to address soil and groundwater
contamination at Des Moines TCE Site. However, many years
of litigation stalled the completion of the cleanup and
prevented opportunities for site redevelopment. As a result of
being added to the Administrator's Emphasis List, EPA,
Dico/Titan, and the city of Des Moines negotiated and signed a
Consent Decree resolving decades of litigation. As part of this
settlement, Dico/Titan will pay $11.5M to the U.S. and transfer
the Dico property to the city of Des Moines. As a condition of
receiving the property at no cost, the city is required to
perform certain work at the Site, commensurate with the
value of the Dico property, to enable redevelopment and
remedy protectiveness. The Consent Decree was lodged on
September 22, 2020 and a motion to enter was filed on
October 23rd with additional information requested by the court submitted in December 2020. Recently,
EPA and the city of Des Moines met with a potential developer, an encouraging sign for the future of the
site.
Additionally, EPA signed two removal action memos to address the contaminated South Pond and
demolish the contaminated on-site buildings. Both removal actions are expected to begin upon transfer
of the property to the city.
Carter Carburetor, Missouri
EPA added this site to the Administrator's Emphasis List to complete the cleanup and advance the site's
return to the community for productive use. EPA conducted oversight of the completion of all cleanup
actions and approved the final removal action report in 2020. Working with stakeholders, EPA
addressed concerns over future operation and maintenance of the protective cap at the site and
negotiated a Prospective Purchaser Agreement with Herbert Hoover Boys and Girls Club. Completion of
site cleanup actions and signing the Prospective Purchaser Agreement with the Boys and Girls Club
achieved this site's Administrator's Emphasis List milestones and now this site has been returned to the
community for productive reuse.
January 2021
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On September 16, 2020, at an on-site ceremony, EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler signed the
Prospective Purchaser Agreement to allow the Herbert Hoover Boys and Girls Club to acquire a large
majority of the site. The Club intends to establish an urban golf center in partnership with Gateway PGA
Reach, a non-profit dedicated to positively impacting the lives of youth and diverse populations by
enabling access to the game of golf. Not only has a dangerous blight on the community been removed,
but a vibrant community amenity is under development that will enrich and serve the youth in the
community and is expected to spur additional redevelopment in the area, providing jobs to this
Environmental Justice community, and increasing its tax base.
Carter Carburetor Site Before Cleanup
Carter Carburetor Site After Cleanup
West Lake Landfill, Missouri
After selecting a remedy in 2008 for the West
Lake Landfill Superfund Site Operable Unit 1 to
address the areas of the site that contain
radiological material, the Agency spent nine
more years conducting additional
investigations and analysis to further
characterize the radiological material. In 2017,
EPA committed to the West Lake community
that it would conclude the additional analysis
and reach a decision on any change to the
remedy for Operable Unit 1 by the end of
September 2018. To ensure EPA met its
commitment to the community, the West Lake
Landfill Site was added to the Administrator's
Emphasis List in December 2017. On
September 27, 2018, Administrator Andrew
Wheeler signed an amendment to the 2008
radioactive material, construction of an
Boring installation at the West Lake Landfill site.
remedy, that includes partial excavation and removal of
January 2021
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engineered cover system, and institutional controls In April 2019, EPA entered into an amended
remedial design Administrative Settlement Agreement and Order on Consent with the potentially
responsible parties at the site to perform the remedial design, which is well underway.
Madison County. Missouri
Site cleanup progress at the Madison County
Anschutz Mine site was hindered by several
years of unproductive negotiations with the
historic potentially responsible parties and
former site owner, in 2018, however, a
company committed to cleaning up and
restoring the site to productive reuse
approached EPA to negotiate a removal action
for the site. Initiation of the Superfund Task
Force and placement of the site on the
Administrator's Emphasis List in 2018 helped
spur a speedy conclusion to negotiations
resulting in a removal action that is currently
underway to address large-scale historical, Anschutz Mine
surficial mine waste contamination. Since the
site was removed from the Administrator's Emphasis List, the site's lessee, Missouri Cobalt, has
completed construction of its tailings reprocessing facility on the site and started recovering metals from
on-site waste mine tailings. It is also finalizing plans to construct a hydrometallurgical refining plant on
the site to further purify recovered metals.
Cleanup of contamination, consolidation and capping work, is moving forward under a removal action
Administrative Settlement Agreement and Order on Consent entered into by and between the EPA and
Missouri Mining Investments, LLC in 2019.
January 2021
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Riverfront. Missouri
The long-term cleanup actions for all six Operable Units at the Riverfront site have been implemented,
however, vapor intrusion levels in one residence at Operable Unit 4 continue to be above acceptable
levels. The Region has attempted to
mitigate the high levels, but it appears
that there is a source directly below
the house. The Region has temporarily
relocated the resident. EPA added this
site to the Administrator's Emphasis
List in January 2021 to ensure the
timely resolution of the vapor intrusion
issue. EPA temporarily relocated the
resident in order to complete
additional sampling of the property.
With the additional sampling
completed, EPA will develop and select
an approach to address the vapor
intrusion exposure to be protective of
human health. This will require EPA to Riverfront Operable Unit 4 removal assessment work,
complete a Focused Feasibility Study
and amend the existing Record of Decision for Operable Unit 4. The resident will remain in the
temporary residence while EPA completes the remedy amendment process.
Armour Road, Missouri
Armor Road Site Before Cleanup
Armour Road Site After Cleanup
The Armour Road Site in North Kansas City, Missouri involves a former herbicide blending facility that
was heavily contaminated with arsenic and other hazardous substances. This site was referred to EPA by
the state, and the Region confirmed the presence of extremely high levels of arsenic in the surface soils
at this abandoned facility. The Region then conducted an emergency removal action to prevent
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exposures. While the site went through the scoring and listing process, the Region worked with the
potentially responsible party group for the performance of a non-time-critical removal action to address
the contaminated buildings and soils. Following the completion of this work, a site-wide Remedial
Investigation/Feasibility Study was conducted, which is now coming to completion. While the site
buildings and soils have been addressed, the groundwater plume, which is in the same alluvial aquifer
that the city draws its drinking water from, has not. The EPA added the Armour Road site to the
Administrator Emphasis List to ensure timely selection of the final remedy, to address groundwater
contamination and, to bring the site to completion. The Feasibility Study is currently under development
and the site milestone, the selection of a groundwater remedy through the issuance of a Proposed Plan
is expected to be achieved in late 2021.
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REGION 8
Bonita Peak Mining District. Colorado
Kittimac Source Area in the Bonita Peak Mining District.
This site was initially added to the Administrator's Emphasis List to expedite selecting a cleanup plan
with short and long-term goals. As a result, an interim remedy was selected in May 2019, achieving the
initial milestone. However, EPA retained the site on the Administrator's Emphasis List to speed up the
process to develop a Site Strategy and a Site Management Plan to support continued progress at the
site. These two plans will guide the cleanup approach for the Bonita Peak Mining District site
incorporating adaptive management principles in the ongoing cleanup and providing a decision-making
framework for future actions.
EPA finalized and released to the public a Site Strategy in February 2020, a month ahead of schedule.
EPA continues to work with the community and other stakeholders to finalize the initial version of the
Site Management Plan. This engagement process, which has involved numerous meetings and
discussions with several community groups has extended the timeline for completion of the initial Site
Management Plan. EPA completed the initial Site Management Plan in November 2020. Achieving this
milestone would have led to removing the site off the Administrator's Emphasis List. However,
demonstrating the effectiveness of the Administrator's Emphasis List, the community opposed removing
the site and instead wanted a new milestone. To satisfy community group's concerns, EPA is retaining
the site on the Administrator's Emphasis List and has developed a new milestone allowing one year to
implement the initial Site Management Plan and make revisions, if necessary.
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Anaconda Co. Smelter, Montana
The Anaconda Co. Smelter site
was added to the
Administrator's Emphasis List to
complete negotiations with the
responsible parties to
implement early actions to
address human health
exposures and site-wide
cleanup work and resolve
claims first asserted by EPA in
litigation commenced in 1989 in
the Montana federal district
court. EPA prioritized this site in
recognition of the magnitude
and complexity of the site
issues and to ensure timely
Anaconda Smelter Site resolution. As a result of
intense negotiations and imposed timelines, a signed partial Consent Decree was lodged with the court
on October 23, 2020. The public comment period ran through the end of November 2020. A Motion to
Enter the partial Consent Decree was filed on December 22, 2020 with the United States District Court in
Butte, Montana.
As EPA and Atlantic Richfield negotiated the partial Consent Decree, Atlantic Richfield and Anaconda-
Deer Lodge County were involved in parallel negotiations that resulted in an April 2020 agreement
which provides funding to the County to implement attic dust cleanup, operate their institutional
controls program and assist with redevelopment.
Additionally, the EPA Administrator signed the Amendment to the Anaconda Regional Water, Waste,
and Soils Record of Decision on June 12, 2020 to support the partial Consent Decree. The Region also
signed an Explanation of Significant Differences for the Community Soils and Old Works/East Anaconda
Development Area Records of Decision in June 2020.
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Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area, Montana
The Administrator's engagement helped move the parties, who had been at an impasse for over a
decade, towards a Consent Decree to conduct significant additional work. Specific challenges related to
storm water management due to the site's physical characteristics and meeting state and federal water
quality standards. Placing the site on the Administrator's Emphasis List signaled to all parties that the
time had come to make decisions, issue a plan for public comment and commit to performing the
Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Site
cleanup. EPA accelerated the negotiations by setting timelines to reach an agreement in principle. After
issuing a Proposed Plan, extended public comment period, and dozens of public meetings and
opportunities for public input, the EPA Administrator signed the Amendment to the Butte Priority Soils
Operable Unit Record of Decision in February 2020. The Consent Decree to perform the work was
finalized and became effective on November 16, 2020.
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REGION 9
Orange County North Basin, California
The site was added to the Administrator's Emphasis List to
finalize a decision on the future National Priorities List
disposition of the site. EPA proposed the site to the National
Priorities List in January 2018 and after protracted
negotiations with the potentially responsible parties, EPA
finalized the site on the National Priorities List in September
2020. In parallel with the listing process, the Orange County
Water District is conducting an interim Remedial
Investigation/Feasibility Study pursuant to an agreement with
EPA to address the highest levels of groundwater
contamination. The Remedial investigation/Feasibility Study is
anticipated to be finalized in 2021.
Groundwater Monitoring Well
Abandoned Uranium Mines Contamination on Navajo Nation
Residential and grazing areas near the Quivira mine, where EPA by 2018 removed contaminated soil and temporarily covered and stabilized
a waste pile, with work by Arrow Indian Contractors, a Navajo-owned company. EPA also repaired roads, culverts, and a bridge as needed to
enable cleanup.
EPA is using placement of this area on the Administrator's Emphasis List to focus attention to finalize
and then execute the Federal Actions to Address Impacts of Uranium Contamination on the Navajo
Nation Ten-Year Plan ("Ten-Year Plan"). The new plan builds on the previous iterations, makes
adjustments based on lessons learned and identifies those next steps necessary to address the human
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and environmental risks associated with uranium contamination. The 10-Year Plan was submitted to
OMB for its review in late September 2020.
Anaconda Copper Mine. Nevada
Since 2001 EPA considered
proposing the site for placement
on the National Priorities List,
with the state requesting in 2004
that EPA take the regulatory lead
at the site and the Agency
proposing listing on the National
Priorities List in September 2016;
however, the State of Nevada
objected since the state was
working on the site under a
voluntary agreement with
Atlantic Richfield Company. On
February 5, 2018 EPA
Administrator Scott Pruitt and
Nevada Governor Brian Sandovai
signed a National Priorities List Deferral Agreement to defer the site to the State of Nevada. Under this
deferral, cleanup at the mine must achieve the same level of human health and environmental
protection as a site on the National Priorities List and must meet all applicable federal and state
requirements. EPA will review whether remedies proposed, selected, and implemented by the state and
Atlantic Richfield are protective under Superfund. EPA remains the lead for performing the remedial
investigation and feasibility study work on Tribal Lands, the Yerington Paiute Tribe's reservation and the
Walker River Paiute Tribe's reservation.
Anaconda Copper Mine
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Casmalia. California
Aerial photo (1984) shows historic Casmalia site layout. Three capped landfills arid on-site runoff control facility pond.
The Site was previously added to the Administrator's Emphasis List to finalize the development and
selection of the comprehensive site remedy needed to address in a long-term manner the risks posed by
this large inactive hazardous waste management facility and spur action on redevelopment efforts. After
decades of implementing early response actions to stabilize the site and address imminent and
substantial endangerment to human health and the environment, the comprehensive final remedy
addresses the entire site and provides protection in the long-term. EPA has recently approved several
design-related deliverables prepared by the potentially responsible parties, including a final remedial
design work plan , a predesign investigation work plan for capping a central portion of the site, a
sampling and analysis plan , a basis-of-design document for upcoming capping work, and a 100%
remedial design package for grading and hot spot removal
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REGION 10
Portland Harbor. Oregon
Remnant piles at the Portland Harbor site.
Portland Harbor Site
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EPA placed the Portland Harbor Superfund site, located in Portland,
Oregon, on the National Priorities List in 2000. After 17 years of
conducting studies and evaluations, EPA issued the final cleanup
plan for the site, a 10-mile stretch of the Lower Willamette River.
The cleanup will reduce health risks to people, fish, and wildlife, and
set the stage for commercial and industrial redevelopment and
revitalization of the river and waterfront that runs through the
economic heart of Portland. EPA added the site to the
Administrator's Emphasis List to expedite negotiations and to
finalize agreements with potentially responsible parties to perform
the remedial design and implement the 2017 remedy. Subsequently,
EPA entered into an Administrative Settlement Agreement and
Order on Consent with the potentially responsible parties to conduct
the pre-remedial design work which has been completed. To date,
EPA has completed several agreements with multiple parties and collecting subsurface sediment samples on
issued two orders to conduct the remedial design of the remedy at the Lower Willamette River.
75% of the areas requiring active remediation, and design has been
started under those agreements and orders. EPA plans to finalize agreements and initiate remedial
design work for the remaining areas in 2021.
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Quendall Terminals. Washington
Quendal! Terminals spent a decade on the National Priorities List facing stalled cleanup because of its
unique characteristics - significant creosote/coal tar in the subsurface of the largest undeveloped
property on the Lake Washington
. S.
shoreline; and ownership of the
Site/property by the potentially
responsible party group who likely
lacks the financial capability of
remediating and re-developing the
property without the participation of
other potential responsible parties
and/or a third party developer. EPA
faced challenges in developing and
evaluating remedial alternatives that
satisfied the threshold cleanup criteria
while facilitating or enhancing the
possibility for future Site
redevelopment opportunities. The EPA
used the Administrator's Emphasis List
to bring needed attention to the Site,
specifically to support conducting a
pilot study for an innovative
technology (smoldering combustion)
Historic photo of the operating Quendall Terminals facility. , , , _ ,,
to complement the use of other
available more conventional cleanup
approaches. The pilot study provided valuable
information for EPA to complete its
development and evaluation of remedial
alternatives, identify its preferred alternative
for the site's two operable units and issue a
Record of Decision selecting the remedial
actions for each operable unit.
The focused attention also rapidly concluded a
process that allows EPA to engage with the
potentially responsible parties and potential prospective purchasers on an agreement to implement the
selected remedy. The cleanup, which addresses contaminated soil, sediment, and ground water
contamination includes in-situ treatment, soil capping, and removal of contaminated sediment, as well
as institutional controls for long-term protectiveness.
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SPECIFIC PROJECTS
Sites Proposed to the National Priorities List but Never Finalized
EPA added a specific project to the Administrator's Emphasis List that involves reviewing sites that have
been proposed but not yet added to the National Priorities List. EPA will review and evaluate the current
status of such sites and determine if it is still necessary to continue the National Priorities List listing
process for those sites or if EPA can withdraw the proposal. This project aims to provide clarity,
transparency and certainty regarding the site status on the National Priorities List. EPA is currently
finalizing the review and will provide recommendations in 2021.
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WWW.EPA.GOV/SUPERFUND/ADMINISTRATORS-EMPHASIS-LIST
EPA PUBLICATION NUMBER: 540B21001
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