EPA proposes adding Freeman grain facility to Superfund cleanup list

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency wants to add a grain handling facility in Freeman, Washington to the national Superfund cleanup list. The EPA found carbon tetrachloride and chloroform in soil at the Grain Handling Facility, and in groundwater in nearby wells, according to an EPA news release. One of the contaminated wells is the sole water supply for the Freeman School District, serving approximately 900 people during the school year. Freeman is located in southern Spokane County. The Washington State Department of Ecology, the Washington State Department of Health, the Spokane Regional Health District and the Freeman School District requested EPA involvement in addressing the contamination at Freeman. The federal Superfund program investigates and cleans up complex hazardous waste sites that are uncontrolled or abandoned. The EPA will take public comments for 60 days on the proposed listing. More information on the site and the comment process can be found on the EPA’s website.