United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Solid Waste and
Emergency Response
(5502G)
EPA520-F-94-012
Summer 1994
x>EPA Superfund At Work
Hazardous Waste Cleanup Efforts Nationwide
Re-Solve Inc.
Site Profile
Site Description:
Former chemical reclamation facility
Site Size: 6 acres
Primary Contaminants:
PCBs, VOCs, and heavy metals
Ecological Concerns:
habitat in the Gopieut River, Cornell
Pond, and adjacent wetlands
Acute toxiclty, skin and eye
irritation, respiratory distress,
central nervous system disorders,
increased risk of cancer
300 people within one mite
Year Listed on the NPL: 1983
Region: 1
State: Massachusetts
Congressional District: 10
The Marbled Salamander is classified as "Threatened" in the state because
of acute sensitivity to pollutants in water and loss of habitat, including wooded
areas along the Copicut River. Continued on page 5.
Success in Brief
Enforcement Tools Allocate
Liability, Speed Cleanup
Re-Solve, Inc. was one of the first hazardous waste sites in the nation
to be investigated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
following enactment of the Superfund law in 1980. Throughout 24 years
of chemical reclamation and improper waste disposal, pollutants had
degraded the ground water, surrounding wetlands, and a state-protected
river. EPA identified the major waste contributors and negotiated a "mixed
funding" agreement with 56 parties to pay cleanup costs totaling more than
$30 million. In addition, 167 de minimis generators agreed to "cash ouf',
settling their liability through volumetric allocation. Elements of the com-
prehensive remediation included:
Removal of 15,000 cubic yards of hazardous chemical sludge from
four abandoned lagoons;
Treatment of contaminated soil and wetland sediments using
a Low Thermal Desorption technology; and
A ground water pump and treat system to restore water quality levels
for municipal users and threatened wildlife species beyond the waste
management area.
The settlements reached with the waste contributors reimbursed $15.5
million, including interest, to EPA and the Commonwealth of Massachu-
setts for past cleanup costs. EPA has an ongoing suit against five non-
settlors to recover an additional $3.7 million in cleanup costs.
The Site Today
EPA is overseeing efforts to
excavate and treat soil and sedi-
ments; the wetlands will be back-
filled with off-site soil and restored
with natural vegetation by July 1994.
By September, treated soil on site
will be backfilled, graded, and
covered with 18 inches of crushed
stone.
Design work is under way for the
ground water pump and treat
system; responsible parties have
agreed to construct the treatment
plant in 19% and begin restoration of
adjacent river areas.
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Superfund At Work Re-Solve, Inc. Site, North Dartmouth, MA Summer 1994-
Re-Solve, Inc. Site
North Dartmouth, MA
The six-acre Re-Solve, Inc. site
is located in North Dartmouth,
Massachusetts, eight miles west
of the City of Fall River. From
1956 to 1980, Re-Solve, Inc.
operated as a chemical reclama-
tion facility that handled sol-
vents, waste oils, organic and
inorganic liquids and solids,
acids, alkalies, and polychlori-
nated biphenyls (PCBs). The
company separated impurities
from these hazardous materials
and sold recycled chemicals.
During processing, distilla-
tion residue, liquid sludge
waste, and impure solvents
A Site Snapshot
were dumped into four unlined
lagoons that seeped directly into
the ground water. To control dust,
workers spread waste oil through-
out the site and landfarmed other
oil waste in one portion of the site.
As a result, the site soil was
thoroughly saturated with PCBs
and volatile organic compounds
(VOCs) including trichloroethyl-
ene, vinyl chloride, methylene
chloride, and toluene, and to a
lesser degree, the heavy metal
lead.
The site is surrounded by
wetlands and forest and includes
the Cornell Pond and the Copicut
River, all of which have been
polluted to various degrees.
Located less than 500 feet from the
site, the river is a designated state
Wildlife Protection Area and was
once a popular fishing spot.
Some wetland and river species,
such as eels, have bioaccumulated
various toxins and are no longer
safe to eat.
Many of the waste chemicals
at the site can cause acute toxic
reactions, skin and eye irritation,
respiratory problems, increased
risk of cancer, and central nervous
system disorders. About 300
people live within a one-mile
radius of the site, which sits over
an aquifer used for municipal
water. No site-related health
problems were reported by past
employees to local authorities
and fences and posted warning
signs have reduced exposure to
the general public.
Re-Solve Site
Timeline
Army Corps removes lagoon wastes 4
Off-site studies begin
Site listed on NPL
State sues for removal of drums, buildings
State investigates explosion at site
Owner closes facility
Congress enacts Superfund
Re-Solve obtains license to handle hazardous wastes
Chemical reclamation and improper disposal
1
1956
1974
1980 1981
1983 1984
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Superfund At Work Re-Solve, Inc. Site, North Dartmouth, MA Summer 1994-
Waste Chemicals Saturate Soil and Ground Water
In 1956, Re-Solve, Inc. opened a
solvents recovery facility in North
Dartmouth. Area manufacturers
sent waste chemicals there for
removal of impurities and poten-
tial reclamation. In 1974, the
Massachusetts Division of Water
Pollution Control issued the
company a license to collect and
dispose of hazardous wastes. But
Resolve's improper handling and
storage practices over the 24-year
period resulted in extensive
environmental damage.
Facility Closes
Rather than Comply
In 1980, a fatal explosion at the
site drew the attention of North
Dartmouth officials. Residents
had begun to complain about
offensive odors to the local Board
of Health which asked the Massa-
chusetts Department of Environ-
mental Quality Engineering
(DEQE) to investigate. DEQE
discovered that the facility failed to
comply with state or federal haz-
ardous waste management regula-
tions and ordered the company to
take corrective action.
In December 1980, the Massa-
chusetts Division of Hazardous
Waste agreed to accept the
company's offer to surrender its
disposal license on condition that
all hazardous waste be removed.
Instead, the company closed the
facility, leaving behind about 150
drums. The state Attorney General
then sued Re-Solve Inc. in 1981 to
remove the drums, debris, and
buildings. The company grudg-
ingly complied, covered the site
with sand, but abandoned the four
lagoons.
New Law Builds State-Federal
Partnerships
Re-Solve was one of thousands
of abandoned industrial sites that
caused Congress to enact the
Comprehensive Environmental
Response, Compensation, and
Liability Act in the fall of 1980.
This law established the
Superfund program to clean up
the myriad of problems associated
with improper hazardous waste
disposal. The states nominated
their worst sites and Re-Solve was
added to the EPA's National
Priorities List (NFL) in 1983.
Initial Removal Stabilizes Site
Later that year, EPA completed
EPA identifies waste contributors
Removal actions completed
EPA settles with 224 parties
EPA files suit against 19 non-settlors
Thermal extraction tests completed
\ Soil and water treatment begin
Thermal extraction, backfilling,
grading completed
L>
^
Ground water, area
wetlands, and river
restoration (planned)
1987
1989
1991
1992
1993
1994
1996
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Superfund At Work Re-Solve, Inc. Site, North Dartmouth, MA
Summer 1994-
a study of the site's contamination
and enlisted the help of the U.S.
Army Corps of Engineers to
remove highly contaminated soil
and lagoon sediments. In 1984
and 1985, the Corps removed
15,000 cubic yards of waste materi-
als to permitted disposal facilities
in New York and Ohio. But
significant quantities of low-level
contamination still remained on
site.
A second study completed in
early 1987 confirmed suspicions
that pollutants had migrated into
surrounding wetlands and the
Copicut River. Samples of area
wildlife revealed that river eels
had bioaccumulated the PCBs,
thus many other species were at
risk. Based on all the information,
EPA held public meetings and
received comments from area
residents on remedies selected
to control the sources of
contamination.
Soil Cleanup Technique Tested
In September 1987, EPA signed
a Record of Decision to address the
remaining lower levels of contami-
nants in soil and ground water.
The first phase was to excavate
and treat soil using Chemical
Dechlorination. The second phase
would extract and treat ground
water to "maximum contaminant
levels" under federal drinking
water standards.
Following the signing of the
mixed funding consent decree in
1989, the first phase was divided
into two innovative steps. First,
soil would be excavated and
treated by a Low Thermal Desorp-
tion process that heats the soil and
vaporizes the PCBs and VOCs.
Vapors are collected and con-
densed into concentrated liquid
form. Second, dechlorination
would be used to reduce the
toxicity of the liquid so it could be
safely landfilled. EPA agreed to
pay for 30% of the costs up to $6.9
million.
In May 1992, both technologies
were piloted. The Dechlorination
process required significant
amounts of chemical reagent to be
added to the concentrated liquid
to reduce its toxicity. In addition,
the volume of liquid was in-
creased by six times and its toxic-
ity still required incineration. As a
result, EPA prepared an "Explana-
tion of Significant Differences" in
June 1993, removing the Dechlori-
nation step. Only the Desorption
process is being used, and concen-
trated liquid waste and other
system residuals are shipped to a
commercial incinerator.
Operation of the soil treatment
technology began in June 1993,
accompanied by a system to
depress the ground water table
sufficient to excavate contami-
nated soil. Extracted ground
water is undergoing treatment
with an air stripper and activated
carbon, and discharged to the
Copicut River; treated soil is used
as backfill and covered with
gravel. About 3,000 cubic yards of
PCB-contaminated sediments
discovered in the wetlands are
undergoing either the same treat-
ment or backfilling, depending on
PCB concentration. By July 1994,
the thermal extraction process will
be complete; backfilling and
grading will be completed by
September. Cleanup of off-site
areas where contaminants have
migrated in ground water will
follow.
Low Thermal Desorption Treatment
Clean Offgas
Further Treatment -^
or Disposal ^
Oversized Rejects
Treated Soil Backfilled on Site
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Superfund At Work Re-Solve, Inc. Site, North Dartmouth, MA Summer 1994'
Threatened Wetland and River Species
The Barrens Buck Moth is a beautiful member of
the Giant Silk Moth family with jet black wings
spanning two inches. Caterpillars pass through six
larval stages and develop formidable spines tipped
with poison. The species inhabits pitch pine and
scrub oak barrens in sandy soil, including the
wetland areas to the north and east of the Re-Solve
Superfund site.
Photo: Chris Leahy
The Spotted Turtle lives in
meadows, bogs, swamps,
small ponds, and other
wetlands and prefers to eat
under water. Shy and evasive,
this reptile is classified as a
species of "Special Concern"
in Massachusetts because
the population has been
severely reduced by polluted
surface water.
All photos courtesy of Massachusetts Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Program.
One of the treasures of a cool, moist forest, The Marbled Salamander, shown on page 1, has bold silver markings
on a stocky frame that averages only about four inches in length. A lithe and exquisite life form, woodland
salamanders play a crucial role in the food chain, but many species are rapidly disappearing.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Region 5, Library (PL-12J)
77 Wcat jQohoon Boulevard, 12th Floor
Chicago, IL 60604-3590
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1 Superfund At Work Re-Solve, Inc..
.,in Dartmouth, MA
Summer 1994-
Innovative Settlement Tools
Allocate Liability
By early 1987, enforcement
investigators had identified more
than 250 parties potentially re-
sponsible for Re-Solve's hazard-
ous wastes. EPA notified the
companies of an allocation scheme
to apportion liability, based on
volume. In May 1989, EPA and
Massachusetts officials entered
into agreements with 224 genera-
tor parties in which EPA recovered
$8.1 million in previous costs and
the state regained $500,000.
Of the 224 settling parties, 56
agreed to perform the site cleanup
work. A group of 167 deposited
$7.8 million into a Trust Fund for
the effort and settled with EPA as
minor (deminimis) parties who
had contributed very small
amounts of waste. To expedite the
work, EPA agreed to fund up to
$6.9 million under a "mixed-
funding" agreement.
Mixed funding is a settlement
strategy in which EPA settles with
fewer than all of the responsible
parties for a substantial portion of
the cleanup. EPA contributes the
remainder of the resources and
recovers costs from financially
viable parties who did not sign the
mixed funding agreement.
hi September 1989, EPA signed
two other administrative settle-
ments in which one group paid
$3.8 million in past costs and one
company paid approximately $1.7
million. In March 1990, EPA then
filed suit against 19 others who
had not participated in previous
settlements; 14 parties had paid
$1.9 million in a series of settle-
ments as of February 1994.
Success at
Re-Solve, Inc.
EPA's early remedial
actions stabilized the site
through removal of the most
contaminated materials. State
officials and the EPA Reme-
dial Project Manager then
negotiated a series of innova-
tive agreements including
"mixed funding" and "cash
out" for small quantity gen-
erators.
Signing on to a variety of
administrative settlements,
waste contributors agreed to
pay for and conduct a com-
prehensive remediation of
soil, sediments, area ground
water, and surrounding
wildlife areas. Treatment of
area ground water will com-
mence in 1996.
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