EPA Answers Questions Regarding Hoosick Falls Superfund Status

LUCAS WILLARD / WAMC

The Environmental Protection Agency’s Walter Mugdan spoke to Hoosick Falls residents for two hours last week, answering questions and explaining the Federal Superfund program as the agency considers the village for Superfund status.

Mugdan, Director of the EPA Region 2’s Emergency and Remedial Response Division, stated how the factory linked to the area’s PFOA contamination is being considered for the Superfund National Priorities List of the country’s most hazardous waste sites.

PFOA is used to make Teflon, which was used at the village’s Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics factory and is considered the source of the contamination.

If placed on the Superfund list, Hoosick Falls would be a part of 1,700 high-priority cleanups.

In January, New York State gave Superfund status to Saint-Gobain’s McCaffrey Street factory. According to Assistant Division Director for the State Department of Environmental Conservation’s Division of Environmental Remediation, Michael Ryan, the state would have additional options to take action against Saint-Gobain if the federal government also granted Superfund status.

“So right now we’re working cooperatively with the potentially responsible parties towards the investigation and cleanup. Should there be any hesitation on their part, if the site is listed on the NPL, EPA will be there with their resources, their legal resources to help back us up,” said Ryan.

A year since the contamination was widely announced to the public and more than two years since elevated PFOA levels were first detected, village Mayor David Borge said many unanswered questions were answered by Walter Mugdan last week.

A 60-day comment period on the proposal to add Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics to the Superfund National Priorities List closes November 8th.

Read more here.