Father Engelbert Michel, board president at St. Vincent's, said he's satisfied the EPA is providing adequate monitoring. But the Superfund program never has been a quick fix for deep contamination. The project would excavate hot spots on the site and in the river, and place containment bulkheads along the bank. It could be a couple more years before the actual work starts, though. After that decision, designing the cleanup could take about two years before work could begin.
Money also looms as a major potential roadblock.
Regional EPA officials have warned that any congressional cutbacks or limitations on Superfund threaten the upfront money for such projects. The EPA then attempts to recover Superfund cleanup costs from owners and other responsible parties. Utilities that had sent old transformers to Metal Bank have already split the cost of one major feasibility study. The owner, meanwhile, has suggested the contamination simply be covered and monitored, rather than removed.