Papelera Puertorriqueña, Inc. is a working manufacturing facility in Utuado, Puerto Rico that makes paper and plastic bags and cardboard boxes. EPA added it to the Superfund National Priorities List (NPL) in September 2009 after inspections found hazardous substances leaking from the facility into surrounding soil, drainage ditches, and the Viví River. The site is in the remedial design phase, meaning engineers are working out the details of the cleanup plan. Physical construction of the cleanup has not yet started.
The main contaminant of concern is tetrachloroethene, a chemical found in both soil and groundwater across the entire site. EPA determined it poses an unacceptable risk to human health and the environment. Groundwater contamination is still migrating and has not stabilized. Human exposure, however, is currently under control, meaning EPA has found no active pathways by which people are being exposed to contamination at unsafe levels.
EPA selected a cleanup remedy in September 2017. The plan relies on air sparging and soil vapor extraction to treat contaminated soil and groundwater. Air sparging pushes air into groundwater to help remove dissolved chemicals. Soil vapor extraction pulls contaminated vapors out of the ground. The site also uses institutional controls, which are legal restrictions on land use, and ongoing monitoring of indoor air, soil, groundwater, surface water, and soil gas. A removal action, a shorter-term cleanup step, took place from July to August 2008. Remedial design work began in May 2018 and is ongoing. The site suffered significant damage from Hurricane Fiona in 2022, and the facility owner is stabilizing the structure. EPA plans additional field work as part of remedial design investigation.
The facility continues to operate during this process. As of December 2024, five businesses on the property employed 130 people and generated about $13.4 million in annual sales.
Community members can review site records by appointment at EPA's City View Plaza II office in Guaynabo, Puerto Rico, Monday through Friday from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm. The Puerto Rico Environmental Quality Board also holds records at its San Juan office, available by appointment Monday through Friday from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm. There is no Community Advisory Group for this site. The EPA has issued a Record of Decision that outlines the cleanup plan, and the public can learn more at EPA.gov/Superfund.
