WASHINGTON, D.C. – After Congresswoman Kathy Hochul spoke with Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Regional Administrator Judith Enck yesterday, Congresswoman Hochul, along with Senators Charles E. Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand, announced that the EPA will remove barrels from the federal Superfund site in LeRoy by the end of February.
“I’m proud to announce that the EPA will finally help clean up LeRoy and will remove these barrels by the end of this month,” said Congresswoman Hochul. “The health and well-being of my constituents is my top priority and I am glad I was able to help remove these containers. Now we must ensure our local water supply and the soil is clean of any environmental threat.”
“Removing the barrels is absolutely the right thing to do, and I want to thank Administrator Enck and the EPA for getting it done,” said Senator Schumer. “Going forward, it’s going to be absolutely critical that we watch this site like a hawk and keep testing the area to monitor the plume and finish the remediation of this site. The EPA should also release the full December report so that everyone who lives, works, or attends school in the area has the information they need to understand what is being done to clean-up this site.”
“I am pleased to hear that the EPA will remove the barrels from this Superfund site,” said Senator Gillibrand, a member of the Senate Environment & Public Works Committee. “The EPA must now continue testing and monitoring all areas around the site to assure residents there has been no further contamination. Everyone in LeRoy and Genesee County must know that their community is a safe place to live, visit, work, and raise a family.”
The removed drums will be tested to ensure they are sent to the proper disposal location. Quarterly testing is undertaken at the Superfund site and is next scheduled to take place this month, however Congresswoman Hochul, Senator Schumer, and Senator Gillibrand have sent a letter to the EPA calling on them to release December’s report to the public to ensure the contamination has not spread. A copy of the letter can be found here.
On Monday, Congresswoman Hochul sent a letter to EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson calling on the EPA to re-evaluate the Superfund site. A copy of the letter can be found here.