$51.5 million Settlement Approved to Cleanup and Restore Baltimore’s 68th Street Dump Superfund Site
Jan. 5, 2018 — On November 29, 2017, the Federal District Court of Maryland approved a Consent Decree that resolves EPA’s clean-up requirements at the 68th Street Dump Superfund Site.
It also resolves claims for natural damages at the site, which is near Baltimore, Maryland
The consent decree calls for companies responsible for the damages to finance and perform a $51.5 million EPA-approved cleanup. Additionally, the responsible parties settled with the natural resource trustees, including NOAA, to conduct on-site and off-site restoration activities. These settlement funds will be used to restore the public’s injured or lost natural resources. NOAA trust resources at risk include anadromous fish such as American shad, Hickory shad, blueback herring, and alewife; the catadromous American eel; and estuarine habitats.
In the 68th Street Dump case, the Trustees worked closely with EPA to consider restoration projects that could be blended with EPA’s remedial terms. On-site restoration projects to address natural resource damages include: the installation of in-stream trash racks at five locations for a 20-year operational period, invasive species control, wetlands enhancement, stream restoration, and a motor vehicle exclusion.
The responsible companies are also required to pay $630,000 for an off-site 75-acre reforestation project and payment of $240,000 for the Trustees’ past assessment costs, as well as related agency costs.
For more information, contact: Simeon.Hahn@noaa.gov.