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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