EPA v. Aluminum Company of America (Alcoa Inc.)

Case summary

Pursuant to CERCLA Section 106(a), on September 28, 1989, EPA issued an Administrative Order which required the company to, among other things, investigate the releases of PCBs at the Site, evaluate remedial alternatives to address that contamination, and design and implement the remedy selected by EPA. By letter to EPA dated September 5, 2013, the Respondent confirmed its intent to design, implement, operate and maintain EPA's selected remedy as required by the Administrative Order. On April 4, 2013, EPA issued a record of decision in which it selected a final cleanup plan for the Grasse River (a/k/a Alcoa Aggregation) Superfund site in Massena, New York. The cleanup will address Grasse River sediments that were contaminated with polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCBs, as a result of past industrial operations at the Alcoa West facility in Massena. The selected remedy requires the removal of approximately 109,000 cubic yards of contaminated sediments from near shore areas in a 7.2 mile stretch of the river. The near shore areas will be covered with clean backfill after they are dredged, and the dredged sediment will be disposed of in a fully permitted landfill on the Alcoa West property. In the river’s main channel, approximately 59 acres of contaminated sediment will be covered with an armored cap and another approximately 225 acres of contaminated sediment will be capped with clean sand and topsoil mix to isolate the contamination from the surrounding environment. Habitat that is impacted by the cleanup will be restored. The plan also requires monitoring of fish, water and habitat, along with long-term monitoring of the capped areas to ensure that the caps remain intact.

Defendants (1)

• Aluminum Company of AmericaNamed in settlement

Facilities (1)

• ALCOA MASSENA OPERATIONS - WEST PLANT

  45 CO RTE 42, MASSENA, NY, 13662

  Registry ID: 110071100163

Statutes cited

• CERCLA 106A — Imminent & Substantial Endangerment Order

Enforcement conclusions (2)

• Aluminum Company of America (Alcoa Inc.)entered 2013-09-05

  Primary law: CERCLA

• Aluminum Company of Americaentered 1989-09-28

  Primary law: CERCLA

Timeline (3 milestones)

• 2013-09-05Enforcement Action Closed
• 2013-09-05Final Order Issued
• 2013-09-11Enforcement Action Data Entered