Opinion ID: 213952
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: FAR-MAR-CO Subsite

Text: In 1991, Morrison entered into the first of a series of administrative settlements with the EPA, known as administrative orders on consent (AOC), pursuant to which Morrison agreed to perform designated clean-up activities at the FAR-MAR-CO Subsite. In 1996, Morrison entered into a second AOC, pursuant to which Morrison agreed to operate Well-D to extract and treat ground water at the FAR-MAR-CO Subsite and reimburse the EPA for response costs incurred at the subsite. One stated purpose of the 1996 AOC was to reduce three specific COCs found in ground water at the FAR-MAR-CO Subsite at concentrations hazardous to human health and the environmentTCE, carbon tetrachloride (CT), and ethylene dibromide (EDB). Having been found a liable party by the EPA within the meaning of § 107(a), Morrison agreed to finance and operate Well-D to remove each of those COCs. Well-D has been operating since 1997. Morrison maintains it has never used or released TCE anywhere within the Site and that the FAR-MAR-CO Subsite has never been identified as a source of TCE. In September 2007, the EPA issued a record of decision for the FAR-MAR-CO Subsite requiring the extraction of contaminated ground water at Well-D. On July 29, 2008, the EPA filed a civil action in the district court against Morrison under §§ 106 and 107, seeking an order compelling Morrison to operate Well-D and reimburse the EPA for response costs incurred at the FAR-MAR-CO Subsite. In a consent decree filed October 8, 2008, the EPA and Morrison resolved Morrison's potential liability for contamination at the Site under §§ 106 and 107. The 2008 consent decree continued to rely on Well-D as the primary method of cleaning ground water at the subsite. In addition to contaminants originating at the FAR-MAR-CO Subsite, ground water extracted and treated at Well-D contains TCE and other contaminants originating at the Colorado Avenue and North Landfill Subsites. In agreements dated June 1995 and July 1997, Morrison, the City, and one other party agreed to coordinate efforts and allocate certain costs associated with the investigation and cleanup of releases of hazardous substances from the North Landfill and FAR-MAR-CO Subsites. Under those agreements, the City contributed to the construction and operation of Well-D. Dravo did not join those agreements.