Hazardous waste cleanup: the preliminaries
This article describes the lengthiness and cost of the preliminary steps in a hazardous waste cleanup. The article describes the S-Area lawsuit, an area near Niagara Falls, New York which was an inactive chemical dump. Contaminated sludge was found at a nearby water treatment plant and was traced back to S-Area. In the past five years, S-Area negotiations have cost the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency two million dollars for advice on how work should proceed for the plant and the landfill. This lawsuit was one of the first in the U.S. against a chemical company for endangering the public through unsound waste disposal practices. Negotiation was selected instead of a trial for several reasons which are outlined. S-Area may serve as a model for other such settlements, as it provides for a flexible plan, open to consideration of alternate technologies that may be developed in the future. It contains a phased approach to both defining and evaluating existing problems, then suggesting remedies. It also requires monitoring for at least 35 years or until no danger remains.
- Research Organization:
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region II, New York City
- OSTI ID:
- 6337460
- Journal Information:
- Civ. Eng. (N.Y.); (United States), Vol. 55:8
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
29 ENERGY PLANNING
POLICY AND ECONOMY
CHEMICAL INDUSTRY
LAWSUITS
CHEMICAL WASTES
CIVIL LIABILITY
MONITORING
WASTE MANAGEMENT
HAZARDOUS MATERIALS
NEW YORK
SANITARY LANDFILLS
COST
ECOLOGICAL CONCENTRATION
INDUSTRIAL WASTES
LAND POLLUTION
PUBLIC HEALTH
SUPERFUND
US EPA
WATER TREATMENT PLANTS
FEDERAL REGION II
INDUSTRY
LAWS
LIABILITIES
MANAGEMENT
MATERIALS
NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
NORTH AMERICA
POLLUTION
POLLUTION LAWS
US ORGANIZATIONS
USA
WASTE DISPOSAL
WASTES
510200* - Environment
Terrestrial- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport- (-1989)
290300 - Energy Planning & Policy- Environment
Health
& Safety