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Agency Washington, DC 20460 September 2010 EPA O ce of Solid Waste and Emergency Response Support Document for the Revised National Priorities List Final Rule – Newtown Creek Support Document for the Revised National Priorities List Final Rule Newtown Creek S eptember 2010 Site Assessment and Remedy Decisions Branch Office of Superfund Remediation and Technology Innovation Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Washington, DC 20460 Newtown Creek NPL Listing Support Document September 2010 Table of Contents Executive Summary ................................................................................................................................... iii Introduction ................................................................................................................................................ iv Background of the NPL ........................................................................................................................... iv Development of the NPL .......................................................................................................................... v Hazard Ranking System ........................................................................................................................... v Other Mechanisms for Listing ................................................................................................................. vi Organization of this Document............................................................................................................... vii Glossary .................................................................................................................................................. vii 1. List of Commenters and Correspondence .................................................................................... 1 2. Site Description ............................................................................................................................... 6 3. Summary of Comments .................................................................................................................. 6 3.1 Support for Listing and Other Non-Opposing Comments .......................................................... 10 3.1.1 General Support and Support with Requests ......................................................................................... 10 3.1.2 Other Non-Opposing Concerns and Considerations .............................................................................. 11 3.2 Delay Listing ............................................................................................................................... 12 3.3 Purpose of Listing ....................................................................................................................... 12 3.4 Extent of Site ............................................................................................................................... 14 3.5 Liability ....................................................................................................................................... 15 3.6 Economic Impacts of Listing ...................................................................................................... 17 3.7 Remedial Investigation/Feasibility Study ................................................................................... 19 3.8 Other Non-listing Activities ........................................................................................................ 21 3.9 Additional Pathways Not Scored ................................................................................................ 24 3.10 Releases Below Regulatory Limit ............................................................................................... 25 3.11 Challenge to HRS ....................................................................................................................... 26 3.12 Public Health Assessment/Human Health Risk Assessment ...................................................... 28 3.13 Contaminated Sediment Source .................................................................................................. 28 3.14 Eligibility of Hazardous Waste ................................................................................................... 31 3.15 Hazardous Waste Quantity.......................................................................................................... 32 3.15.1 Unallocated Source ............................................................................................................................ 34 3.15.2 Source Type ....................................................................................................................................... 35 3.15.3 Hazardous Waste/Hazardous Substances .......................................................................................... 36 3.16 Likelihood of Release ................................................................................................................. 38 i Newtown Creek NPL Listing Support Document September 2010 3.16.1 Sediment Bed Eligibility ................................................................................................................... 39 3.16.2 Use of Background Samples in Establishing an Observed Release .................................................. 40 3.16.3 Use of Qualified Data ........................................................................................................................ 42 3.16.4 Results Below CRQLs ....................................................................................................................... 46 3.16.5 Sample Similarity .............................................................................................................................. 47 3.16.6 Clarity of HRS Observed Release Tables .......................................................................................... 54 3.16.7 Attribution ......................................................................................................................................... 55 3.16.8 Contamination in Mouth of Creek ..................................................................................................... 56 3.17 Waste Characteristics .................................................................................................................. 59 3.17.1 Toxicity/Bioaccumulation ................................................................................................................. 59 3.17.2 Bioavailability ................................................................................................................................... 64 3.18 Targets......................................................................................................................................... 65 3.18.1 Human Food Chain Fishery ............................................................................................................... 65 3.18.2 Fishery in Mouth of Newtown Creek ................................................................................................ 66 3.18.3 Scoring of Migratory Fish ................................................................................................................. 68 3.18.4 Resources .......................................................................................................................................... 69 3.18.5 Sensitive Environment ...................................................................................................................... 69 3.18.6 Potential Environmental Targets ....................................................................................................... 71 3.19 HRS Site Rescoring .................................................................................................................... 73 4. Conclusion ..................................................................................................................................... 74 Attachment 1 Alternate Evaluation Tables ii Newtown Creek NPL Listing Support Document September 2010 Executive Summary Section 105(a)(8)(B) of CERCLA, as amended by SARA, requires that the EPA prepare a list of national priorities among the known releases or threatened releases of hazardous substances, pollutants, or contaminants throughout the United States. An original National Priorities List (NPL) was promulgated on September 8, 1983 (48 FR 40658). CERCLA requires that EPA update the list at least annually. This document provides responses to public comments received on the Newtown Creek site, proposed on September 23, 2009 (74 FR 48511). This site is being added to the NPL based on an evaluation under EPA’s Hazard Ranking System (HRS) in a final rule published in the Federal Register in September 2010. iii Newtown Creek NPL Listing Support Document September 2010 Introduction This document explains the rationale for adding the Newtown Creek site in Brooklyn/Queens, New York, to the National Priorities List (NPL) of uncontrolled hazardous waste sites and provides responses to public comments received on this site listing proposal. The EPA proposed this site to the NPL on September 23, 2009 (74 FR 48511). This site is being added to the NPL based on an evaluation under the Hazard Ranking System (HRS) in a final rule published in the Federal Register