Goodrich to Clean Up Contamination at Rialto Superfund Site (USA)

The United States has settled with the Goodrich Corporation requiring the company to investigate and clean up contaminated groundwater and soil at the B.F. Goodrich Superfund Site in Rialto, Calif.

These settlements, along with previous settlements, will result in a comprehensive cleanup of the site which may total as much as $100 million. In addition, EPA will be proposing to rename the site the Locust Avenue Superfund Site.

“After nine years of ongoing litigation, EPA is thrilled to announce the final work settlement for this Superfund Site,” said Jared Blumenfeld, EPA’s Regional Administrator for the Pacific Southwest. “Now, communities can be assured that groundwater contamination at this site will be addressed.”

Goodrich, under an administrative consent order, must, at its own expense, install additional groundwater monitoring wells and complete testing and engineering analyses. Well installation and testing is expected to begin this summer and continue into 2014. Data from this analysis is needed to assist EPA with the development of the cleanup plan which is expected to be available for public comment in 2015.

Once that cleanup plan is selected, Goodrich, under a judicial consent decree, must design, build, and operate, under EPA’s oversight, any cleanup facilities selected by the agency in its cleanup plan to address groundwater and soil contamination in central and south Rialto.

Goodrich will pay at least the first $21,500,000 of the cost of this cleanup work. The company is also responsible, with contributions from the Department of Defense and certain settlement proceeds from other responsible parties, for ensuring the completion of the cleanup work which could last for the next 30 years or more, no matter what its cost. Although EPA has not yet determined the full scope of the cleanup plan, remedies for similar groundwater contamination sites in Southern California have cost more than $40 million.

[mappress]

Press Release, March 27, 2013