Landowner James Campbell Co. has agreed to restrict future use of a 13-acre parcel in Kunia that is subject to environmental cleanup, under an agreement announced by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency yesterday.

Under the consent decree, Campbell may not use the former Del Monte pineapple processing site for homes, hospitals, daycare centers, schools for those 21 years old and younger, or for other uses by "vulnerable individuals" to prevent exposure to contaminated soil and groundwater.

The site is known as the Kunia Village Source Area but is not related to Kunia Village.

"There's really no impact for residents of Kunia Village or anywhere else," said EPA spokesman Dean Higuchi.

"It's where Del Monte had its offices and warehouses," said Theresia McMurdo, a spokeswoman for the Campbell Co. "Right now there's nothing on it."

The agreement also prohibits construction that damages or interferes with the cleanup of the groundwater and soils at the site. Campbell also can't apply for a water-use permit from a new or existing well in the area without the EPA's approval.

Campbell has also agreed to include the environmental conditions in any land-sale agreement, thus making the restrictions apply to future owners of the property, the EPA said.

"Our agreement with Campbell prevents exposure to the public from site contaminants and prohibits activities that may interfere with the cleanup," said Keith Takata, director of the EPA Pacific Southwest Region's Superfund Division. "This is a necessary step when the company responsible for the cleanup is not the landowner."

Jeff Mikulina, director of the Sierra Club's Hawai'i Chapter, wants to ensure that any contaminants are cleaned up.

"Too often they work out an agreement where they pour a thick layer of concrete," Mikulina said. "Here's your chance to do something so the stuff doesn't sink down into the groundwater. It's a hassle and a pain in the neck and it's expensive. But we don't want future generations to suffer."

The EPA placed the Del Monte site on the national Superfund list in December 1994 after soil and groundwater were found to be tainted by chemicals used to treat nematodes, a type of worm that infested pineapple fields.

The EPA reached an agreement on a separate consent decree with Del Monte Fresh Produce in 2005 to clean up soil and groundwater contamination.

The Campbell settlement will be available for a 30-day public comment period. The public may send comments postmarked by July 11 to the U.S. Department of Justice, Assistant Attorney General, Environment and Natural Resources Division, P.O. Box 7611, Ben Franklin Station, Washington, D.C., 20044-7611. Comments should refer to United States v. James Campbell Company LLC, DOJ Ref. DJ#90-11-3-08277/1.

Reach Dan Nakaso at dnakaso@honoluluadvertiser.com.