John Ferro

Poughkeepsie Journal

President Trump's plans to slash the Environmental Protection Agency's budget has not had an effect on two local Superfund cleanups.

Yet.

The agency is moving forward with construction of a line to pipe clean water to residents of the Hopewell Precision Superfund site in the Town of East Fishkill, EPA spokesman Elias Rodriguez said Thursday.

And study of contamination within a portion of the Wappinger Creek is advancing.

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The Trump administration's budget proposal for the coming fiscal year calls for cutting the EPA's budget by 31 percent.

However, federal budgets are crafted by Congress and considerable changes are likely.

"The EPA is not commenting on the budget at this early point in the process," Rodriguez said.

In September, the EPA authorized $12 million toward the Hopewell Precision project, which has been estimated at more than $27.5 million.

Rodriguez said the agency is preparing to seek proposals from contractors. He estimated bids could be awarded this summer.

Approximately 325 properties have groundwater that was contaminated with trichloroethylene (TCE) and trichloroethane (TCA) when workers at Hopewell Precision Inc., a privately-owned fabricator of sheet-metal products, dumped waste solvents on the ground decades ago.

Residents first became aware of the problem in 2003. It was named a Superfund site in 2005. The EPA has paid for air and water filters in homes with unhealthy levels of the chemicals, as well as regular testing.

Hopewell Precision was the only Superfund site in Dutchess County without a permanent fix until September, when the EPA named a portion of the Wappinger Creek to its high-priority list of the country's most hazardous waste sites.

The contamination is downstream of a Wappingers Falls industrial park that was the site of textile dyeing, manufactured gas plant operations, metal plating, ammunition production, chemical manufacturing and other businesses between 1832 and 1985.

The investigation into how to remedy the problem is underway, Rodriguez said.

John Ferro: 845-437-4816, jferro@poughkeepsiejournal.com, Twitter: @PoJoEnviro