EPA Extends Comment Period for Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO) Plan
The U.S. EPA has extended the public comment period for its proposed plan, which evaluates the impacts of the current and expected future volume of combined sewer overflow (CSO) discharges to the Newtown Creek Superfund Site Study Area in New York City.
The deadline has been extended to Jan. 27, 2020.
Newtown Creek was added to the Superfund National Priorities List of the country’s highest priority hazardous waste sites, reported the EPAs press release.
The city of New York is under order by the state of New York to implement a CSO Long-Term Control Plan (LTCP) for Newtown Creek as well. The LTCP was approved by the state in June 2018 and includes a number of strategies to reduce future CSO discharges to the creek, according to the press release.
It is anticipated the LTCP will reduce the volume of CSO discharges to Newtown Creek by approximately 61%.
The EPA determined that the water pollution volume controls prescribed by the LTCP that the city and state will implement, in accordance with Clean Water Act requirements, are sufficient. This essentially means it will meet the needs of an eventual Superfund cleanup for the Study Area of the Newtown Creek Superfund Site, reported the press release.
The agency is currently conducting in-depth investigations of the extent of the contamination at the entire Newtown Creek Superfund Site. Monitoring of the four largest CSOs will occur to confirm the assumptions made in the proposed plan, according to the EPA.
Whether or not additional control actions will be needed, such as the placement of sediment traps and/or oil sorbent pads at the end of CSO discharge pipes, will be determined in the future.