Discuss the details of a particular Superfund site near your home Essay

Discuss the details of a particular Superfund site near your home - Essay Example The site profile according to epa.gov lists it as having been cleaned up completely, though it continues to operate as an industrial electroplating facility. Airco Plating Company has operated at this location since the 1950’s. According to epa.gov, â€Å"The site occupies approximately two acres in a predominately industrial/commercial area. A trailer park is also located about 300 feet south of the site. The Miami Canal, the only surface water body in the site’s vicinity, is located approximately 2/3 of a mile southwest of the site. Several other Superfund sites are located within a few miles of the APC site† (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 2011). This site was slated for cleanup in 1990 and was listed as complete in 1999; the company still operates on the premises at this time. There are reviews being completed again this year as well as in 2006 to determine if the cleanup was fully successful. Given the close proximity of the industrial park to Miami Canal a major local waterway and residential homes as well as other active commercial areas the need for cleanup was seen as extremely important. According to epa.gov, â€Å"The soil and ground water are contaminated with metals and volatile organic compounds (VOCs). The specific contaminants include cadmium, chromium, perchloroethene, cis-1,2 dichloroethene, and vinyl chloride† (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 2011). These VOCs posed a long term hazard to the location, they are all chemical byproducts and used in the electroplating process. The cleanup approach included both soil and groundwater decontamination process’s. The creation of this particular superfund site was not intentional and has been rectified as the last check in 2006 has confirmed. Some of the methods being used according to epa.gov are, â€Å"Extraction of VOCs detected above the water table at certain levels using a soil vapor extrac tion (SVE) treatment system† (U.S.