EPA Proposes to Delete Corozal Well Superfund Site from National Priorities List
Corozal, P.R. - In a step that illustrates another Superfund success, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing to delete the Corozal Well Superfund site, located in the central mountain town of Corozal, Puerto Rico, from the National Priorities List (NPL)– a list of the nation’s most contaminated sites. EPA’s proposal is in response to meeting all groundwater cleanup goals, and long-term protections successfully in place.
“This proposed deletion shows how EPA’s Superfund program really delivers results,” said EPA Regional Administrator Michael Martucci. “Our work with Puerto Rico has made sure the Corozal community has clean water, and this step forward demonstrates the long-term success of the Superfund cleanup.”
In 2010, Department of Health (PRDOH), sampled and found volatile organic compounds, or VOCs, including tetrachloroethylene, or PCE, in groundwater that supplied a community drinking water system well. In response, PRDOH shut down the contaminated well, and along with EPA, provided residents with alternate sources of drinking water. In 2011, EPA installed a carbon filtration system (Granular Activated Carbon [GAC]) on the supply well to remove contaminants. Afterwards, in 2012, EPA added the Corozal Well Superfund site to the NPL.
Because EPA’s work achieved all cleanup objectives and levels the agency identified, EPA believes no further action is needed under the federal Superfund law. EPA will publish a Notice of Intent to Delete in the Federal Register and will accept public comments for 30 days. The public can comment online, by mail, or in person during public meetings.
Background:
The Corozal Well site consists of a ground water plume with no identified source(s) of contamination, located in Barrio Palos Blancos, Corozal, a rural residential community in interior north-central Puerto Rico. The site straddles the border between the municipalities of Corozal and Naranjito. The groundwater plume affects the Comunidad Santana well, which is the sole source of drinking water for a rural community of more than 200 people. Other community supply wells are located within approximately one mile of the plume.
Sampling at the site, found that the chemical PCE was contaminating a well that supplies supply drinking water to local residents. Exposure to PCE, a solvent commonly used in industrial processes, can have serious effects on people’s health, including liver damage and an increased risk of cancer.
Since 2011 PCE concentration in the raw water extracted from the Santana well have decreased and is currently below Maximum Contaminant Level. (MCL)
Visit the Corozal Well Superfund site profile page for additional background and site documents.
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