EPA Updates Cleanup Plan For Tutu Wellfield Site On St. Thomas

ST. THOMAS, USVI — Tutu Wellfield Superfund site on St. Thomas is still a contaminated property, but that may soon change. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced on June 14 several modifications to its 2018 cleanup plan.

The 1.5 square-mile property, located near Anna’s Retreat, was previously home to industrial and commercial activities that contaminated the soil and groundwater with chlorinated volatile organic compounds. The EPA’s proposed action will expand the groundwater cleanup system that is currently operating at the site. It will also update costs associated with the cleanup.

“This proposal will amplify the capability of the existing groundwater pump and treat system to better capture and address the sources of contamination in the groundwater, which will better protect the community’s health,” said Acting Regional Administrator Walter Mugdan. He added that the new pump and treatment systems are being added in response to recent samples taken from residential well samples.

The EPA’s proposed cleanup plan in this action would add additional wells to extract groundwater from more of the areas that have been determined to be sources of contamination and thus make the system more effective. The cleanup proposal also includes reinjection of treated, clean groundwater to create an underground barrier downgradient of the source area. In addition, the proposal calls for long-term monitoring of the groundwater and restrictions on its use in the vicinity of the site.

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