Vega Baja Solid Waste Disposal

Overview

The Vega Baja Solid Waste Disposal site covers 72 acres in Rio Abajo Ward, Vega Baja, Puerto Rico. The municipality dumped more than 1.1 million cubic yards of commercial, industrial, and domestic waste there between 1948 and 1979. The facility was unlined, uncapped, and included open burning. Starting in the late 1970s, residents built homes on portions of the old dump. EPA placed the site on its National Priorities List (NPL) in July 1999.

EPA found lead, arsenic, and pesticides in soil and four contaminants in groundwater: chloroform, chromium, manganese, and lead. Lead in soil is the main driver of cleanup, concentrated in a 55-acre residential area called Brisas del Rosario, which contains 213 homes. EPA studied groundwater and concluded it poses no human health threat, selecting no further action for groundwater. Human exposure to contamination and groundwater migration are both considered under control.

Cleanup has moved through several phases. In 2001, EPA removed high-lead soil from three residential lots. In 2004, unstable trash mound material was consolidated, covered with a barrier, and topped with clean soil. EPA selected a broader soil remedy in September 2010, covering 16 residential yards, a drainage ditch, and three trash mounds. That work included excavation, engineered caps, solidification and stabilization, onsite containment, offsite disposal, drainage controls, institutional controls, and revegetation. Physical construction of cleanup is complete across the entire site. The most recent five-year review was finished in August 2025. Additional remedial design work on soil is estimated to begin between June and August 2027. The site has not yet been deleted from the NPL and has not yet achieved sitewide readiness for anticipated reuse.

In January 2024, EPA issued updated soil lead guidance that lowered recommended screening levels for lead-contaminated residential soil. As a result, EPA is conducting further assessment activities at properties within Brisas del Rosario and at adjacent properties to the east and southeast. Community involvement and property inspections were expected to begin in October 2024, with soil sampling set to begin in early 2025. EPA will determine whether additional investigation or cleanup is needed based on those results.

Community members can review site documents at three locations by appointment: the U.S. EPA Records Center in New York (212-637-4308, Monday through Friday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.), the Municipality of Vega Baja Mayor's Office (787-855-2500, Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.), and the Caribbean Environmental Protection Division in Guaynabo (787-977-5865). There is no community advisory group for this site. Questions can be directed to the EPA's Community Involvement Coordinator or the Remedial Project Manager.