Willow Park May Be Added to Superfund Sites

Photo courtesy of EPA

Al Armendariz is the regional administrator for the EPA.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced today that it wants to add Willow Park, Texas (a small town east of Fort Worth), to its National Priorities List (NPL) of Superfund sites. Those sites are specially-designated areas of hazardous waste pollution that receive priority funding and cleanup assistance from the federal government.

What happened in Willow Park? Here’s the EPA release:

“In 2006, routine sampling of a well in the city of Willow Park’s water system showed concentrations of trichloroethene (TCE) to be above health-based safety levels. Subsequent tests showed that public water supply and five private wells all had elevated TCE levels. These water sources are all within a one-mile radius of the site, which extends for a half-mile along Russell Road. The city of Willow Park shut down the wells and installed a carbon filter to provide safe drinking water for affected residents. The source of the contamination has not been identified.”

“Today we’re taking an important step toward restoring contaminated property and protecting people’s health and our environment,” EPA Regional Administrator Al Armendariz said in the release. “Cleaning up hazardous waste in our communities and returning properties to environmental and economic vitality are EPA priorities.”

The EPA says they will have a public comment period on the decision for 60 days.