EPA Announces Plans to Use Funding from Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to Clear Out the Superfund Backlog at Connecticut Superfund Site
Initial resources will accelerate cleanup for Scovill Industrial Landfill
BOSTON (Dec. 17, 2021) – Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced a $1 billion investment from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to initiate cleanup and clear the backlog of 49 previously unfunded Superfund sites across the nation including Scovill Industrial Landfill in Waterbury, Conn. Until this historic investment, this site was a part of a backlog of hazardous waste sites awaiting funding. Thousands of contaminated sites exist nationally due to hazardous waste being dumped, left out in the open, or otherwise improperly managed. These sites include manufacturing facilities, processing plants, landfills and mining sites.
"This work is just the beginning; with more than 1 in 4 Black and Hispanic Americans living within 3 miles of a Superfund site, EPA is working to serve people that have been left behind," said EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan. "Approximately 60 percent of the sites to receive funding for new cleanup projects are in historically underserved communities. Communities living near many of the most serious uncontrolled or abandoned releases of contamination will finally get the protections they deserve."
"This site has been plagued with legacy contamination that, until now, EPA has not had the funding to cleanup," said EPA New England Acting Regional Administrator Deb Szaro. "Getting this site off of the backlog list and cleaned up is a very important step for Waterbury to envision potential future uses for this area."
The $1 billion investment is the first wave of funding from the $3.5 billion in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to help cleanup polluted Superfund sites in communities across the country. The backlog of previously unfunded sites that will now be receiving funding in New England are located in Connecticut, Maine and Vermont.
The Scovill Industrial Landfill Site, added to the National Priorities List (NPL) in 2000, has been awaiting funding to complete the cleanup at the site since 2017. The site is a 25-acre property located in Waterbury, Connecticut. The southern, 18-acre portion of the site consists of developed residential and commercial properties. The site's northern portion, which is approximately seven acres, is undeveloped and referred to as the "Calabrese parcel."
The Scovill Manufacturing Company used the site from 1919 to the mid-1970s for disposal of ash, cinders, demolition debris and other wastes. In 1988, the Calabrese parcel was in the initial stages of development for a senior housing complex when industrial wastes were encountered. The development project was ordered to stop by the State until the extent and degree of contamination was identified. Contaminants identified and attributed to past site operations include: polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), metals and volatile organic compounds (VOCs).
EPA has selected and designed a comprehensive cleanup remedy for the site, but the work to implement the cleanup still needs to be done. Future work at the site will include construction of a soil cap at the Calabrese parcel; excavation (to the groundwater table) and consolidation of soil under the new cap; and wetlands replication.
"For years, the Scovill Industrial Landfill in Waterbury has posed a risk of contamination to residents nearby. This polluted former industrial site remains a concern, and I am proud that the EPA is using funds from the recently enacted bipartisan infrastructure package to take action in protecting the health of communities who live near these polluted sites. Connecticut residents don't deserve to live near contaminated sites, and I am proud that these funds will deliver our communities the environmental-justice they deserve," said U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal.
"Cleaning up the Scovill Landfill in Waterbury is long overdue, and it's great to see federal dollars from the bipartisan infrastructure bill fund critical projects that have been stuck in a backlog. This will go a long way toward improving the health of the East End," said U.S. Senator Chris Murphy.
"Recovering commercial and residential properties from prior damage boosts our local economy and is a critical component of preserving the environment and combating further damage from climate change," said U.S. Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro. "I am proud that the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law I helped pass includes funding for remediation projects at nearly fifty Superfund sites across the country including the new cleanup construction project at Scovill Industrial Landfill. My constituents in Waterbury and I welcome this federal funding. For sites like Scovill and the others included in this round of funding, this federal investment is the only avenue through which this work can be accomplished and the properties returned to use. I look forward to working with the EPA and local stakeholders to redevelop this site and others throughout the country to the benefit of our public health, safety, and economy."
"I am excited to learn that the Scovill Industrial Landfill in Waterbury will receive federal funding from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act for cleanup construction projects," said U.S. Congresswoman Jahana Hayes. "Having grown up in this city, I have a true appreciation for how these toxic sites effect the health and safety of our communities. This funding through the EPA will help eliminate hazardous industrial waste from the 25-acre landfill. Congress worked hard to deliver this historic package to fund crucial projects like this, and I look forward to seeing the continued impact of this legislation in Connecticut."
"The Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) is pleased that federal funding is now available to USEPA to complete the cleanup of the Scovill Industrial Landfill Superfund site in Waterbury," CTDEEP Commissioner Katie Dykes said. "DEEP has worked closely with USEPA since 2000 to ensure that pollution at this site is addressed in a manner that is protective of public health and the environment. Moving forward with this cleanup will provide closure to the people living and working at the site, and it will also enable property owners at the site to move forward with property improvements or transactions that have been on hold awaiting site cleanup."
"EPA's announcement of infrastructure funding to kickstart the Scovill Landfill cleanup is welcomed news for the residents of Waterbury," said Waterbury Mayor Neil O'Leary, who serves on EPA's Local Government Advisory Committee. "I want to thank Connecticut's Congressional Delegation and our friends at EPA," O'Leary added. "This infusion of money will kick start the superfund cleanup, bring local jobs to our community, and continue our work to cleanup, and redevelop contaminated property across our city."
EPA is committed to carrying out this work in line with President Biden's Justice40 Initiative by advancing environmental justice and incorporating equity considerations into all aspects of the Superfund cleanup process. This will help ensure that historic and ongoing impacts of contamination on overburdened communities are fully considered and addressed.
EPA is finalizing cleanup plans and preparing funding mechanisms to get construction work started as soon as possible. More information about funding for backlogged sites and accelerated cleanup sites will be available in the coming weeks.
In 1980, the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act, known as Superfund, was passed. The novel law gave EPA the authority and funds to hold polluters accountable for cleaning up the most contaminated sites across the country. When no viable responsible party is found or cannot afford the cleanup, funds appropriated by Congress are used. A tax on chemical and petroleum industries provided funds to the Superfund Trust fund for Superfund cleanups up until 1995. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law reinstates the chemical excise taxes and invests an additional $3.5 billion in environmental remediation at Superfund sites, making it one of the largest investments in American history to address the legacy pollution that harms the public health of communities and neighborhoods.
The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law is a once-in-a-generation investment that will create millions of jobs modernizing our infrastructure, turn the climate crisis into an opportunity, and put us on a path to win the economic competition for the 21st century.
For more information and to see a list of the 49 sites to receive funding for new cleanup projects, please visit: https://www.epa.gov/superfund/superfund-sites-new-construction-projects-receive-bipartisan-infrastructure-law-funding
For more information about EPA's Superfund program, please visit: https://www.epa.gov/superfund