OSWER/OSRTI Washington, DC 20460



## N ATIONAL 

## P RIORITIES 

## L IST 

## (NPL)

***Proposed Site*** October 2010


### CABO ROJO GROUND WATER

CONTAMINATION Cabo Rojo
, Puerto Rico

 **Site Location :**  The Cabo Rojo Ground W ater Contamination sit e , which consists of a ground water plume with no identified source(s) of

contamination

, is located in the municipality of Cabo Rojo, in southwestern Puerto Rico.

 **Site History:**
Quarterly ground water samples collected by Puerto Rico Aqueduct and Sewer Authority (PRASA) from 2002 to 2006

indicate d th e presence of tetrachloroe thene (PCE) and trichloroethene (TCE) in public supply wells within the Cabo Rojo Urbano System, in particular the Ana Maria well

. Ground water samples collected by EPA in July 2006 and September

2009 confirmed the presence of PCE and TCE in the Ana Maria well

. In an effort to identify the source of contamination

from November 2006 through June 2007, EPA conducted site reconnaissance activities at 68 facilities and collected soil and ground water samples from 13 facilities . Although EPA did not identify t he source of ground water contamination in the public supply wells , c hlorinated solvents were detected at three facilities : D’Elegant Fantastic Dry Cleaners, Extasy Q Prints, and Cabo Rojo Professional Dry Cleaners.

 **Site Contamination/Contaminants:**

Chlo rinated solvents (i.e., PCE , TCE, cis -1,2-dichloroethene , and 1,1 -dichloroethene ) are present in drinking water wells (i.e., Ana Maria and Club de Leones) in Cabo Rojo.

 **Potential Impacts on Surrounding Community/Environment :**  The Cabo Rojo Urbano public water system consists of six wells (Hacienda la Margarita, Cabo Rojo Pozo I, Cabo Rojo Pozo II, Cabo Rojo Pozo III, Club de Leones, and Ana Maria) serv ing approximately 48,453 people. The Ana Maria well

ac ts as an independent system that serves approximately 1,856 persons , while the Club de Leones well is inter connected

with the remaining wells . T he ground water contamination lies within a designated Wellhead Protection Area.

 **Response Activities (to date):**

In 2006

, EPA launched a Site Discovery Initiat ive (SDI) in Cabo Rojo to identify possible sources of contamination . EPA

conducted site reconnaissance activities at 68 facilities withi n the municipality of Cabo Rojo. In 2007, EPA completed Preliminary Assessment/Site Inspection (PA/SI) reports at 15 properties, 13 of which included the collection of soil and ground water samples.

 **Need for NPL Listing:**
Other federal and state cleanup programs were evaluated, but are not viable at this time. EPA received a letter of support for placing this site o n the NPL from the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.

[The description of the site (release) is based on information available at the time the site was evaluated with the HRS. The description may change as additional information is gathered on the sources and extent of contamination.]

For more information about the hazardous substances identified in this narrative summary, including general information regar ding the effects of exposure to these substances on human health, please see the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) ToxFAQs. ATSDR ToxFAQs ca n be found on the Internet

at http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/toxfaq.html or by telephone at 1

- 888

- 42

- ATSDR or 1

- 888

- 42 2- 8737.