Dive Brief:

• Judith Enck, Regional Administrator of the EPA, announced that General Electric and SI Group, Inc. has agreed to perform studies to test the contamination at the Dewey Loeffel Landfill Superfund site in Nassau, New York.
  The landfill contains volatile organic compounds and hazardous materials which are contaminating groundwater, impacting many species of fish and releasing potentially cancerous chemicals into the environment.
  The agreement stipulates that the two companies will fund an investigation and assessment of cleanup options for the contamination, at a cost of around $1.5 million, while a second agreement states that GE will investigate and assess solutions for the long-term cleanup for surrounding bodies of water, costing between $500,000 and $1 million; both companies are responsible to pay the EPA for overseeing the projects.

Dive Insight:

Between 1952 and 1968, 46,000 tons of industrial waste was disposed of at the site. The landfill was added to the Superfund list 2011, which holds those responsible for the contamination accountable. The EPA also announced construction on a new water treatment system will begin in January; it will collect and treat liquid leaking from the landfill.