EPA classifies West Texas site superfund

KERMIT, Texas — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has given a West Texas site a federal Superfund designation marking it as one of the most hazardous waste sites in the country.

On Monday, the EPA said in a statement that a portion of the Santa Rosa Aquifer in Kermit has been added to the Superfund program’s National Priorities List.

The aquifer in the city west of Odessa has a contaminated groundwater plume a mile long and 1.5 miles wide.

Local officials first detected trichloroethene, an industrial solvent, in 1990. Tetrachloroethene, widely used to dryclean fabrics, was detected in 2000. Federal authorities said the source of the contamination is unknown.

Kermit treats the drinking water before releasing it to more than 5,700 customers.

The EPA also announced its intent to add Eagle Industries in the Oklahoma City suburb of Midwest City to the National Priorities List, which identifies sites that threaten the public health and environment.

The Eagle Industries property was an inspection and repair facility for fire extinguisher systems used on aircraft.

The EPA says that a 2003 inspection revealed improper disposal of a chemical, which contaminated the nearby groundwater.

AP/ELAINE THOMPSON A kayaker paddles past a partially submerged small airplane offshore in Puget Sound as a U.S. Coast Guard boat stands by Monday in Seattle. The plane’s occupants escaped without injury.