Washington Gas Site Cleanup: Comment Period Open Until 2/14

On December 12, 2011, the District Department of Environment (DDOE) and the National Park Service (NPS) announced the entry of a draft consent decree regarding clean up of the Washington Gas toxic site along the Anacostia River (see map below).

Washington Gas has agreed to remove the top twelve inches of soil on most of the site along with up to 3 feet of contaminated subsurface soils. It also agreed to study groundwater flow and river sediment to determine to what extent, if any, pollution from the site is reaching the Anacostia River itself and to explore feasibility of cleanup options.This agreement is a critical step toward a cleaner, healthier river, but it is in no way perfect. Your comments will let the NPS and DDOE know that you are not totally satisfied with the agreement. The cleanup documents are available at: http://www.justice.gov/enrd/5514.htm
For more info on the cleanup:

 http://www.nps.gov/nace/parkmgmt/washingtongas.htm
 http://ddoe.dc.gov/service/anacostia-river-initiatives

COMMENTS ARE DUE February 14, 2012

HOW

1) Address your comments to the Assistant Attorney General, Environment and Natural Resources Division.
2) Be sure include the following reference (both in the email subject line and at the top of your comments): United States of America and District of Columbia v. Washington Gas Light Company, Civil Action No. 1:11-cv- 02199-RMC (D.D.C.), D.j. Ref. 90-11-2-08557/2.
3) Submit your comments by email to pubcomment-ees.enrd@usdoj.gov or by regular mail to P.O. Box 7611, U.S., Department of Justice, Washington, DC, 20044-7611.

For questions or more information, contact Mike Bolinder, riverkeeper@anacostiariverkeeper.org

Anacostia Riverkeeper and Anacostia Watershed Society have filed a Notice of Intent (NOI) to Sue under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) over contamination at the Washington Gas Light East Station site along the Anacostia River. This is one of six toxic sites on the river, and the NOI, against Washington Gas Light and the District of Columbia, claims toxics at the site present "an imminent and substantial endangerment to the health of individuals."

Attachments:

Consent Decree_Draft

Statement of Work

washington_gas_site.pdf