&EPA
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency New England
Superfund:
Cleaning up New England
4>EPA
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency New England
February 2005
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Introduction
The EfiA's Superfund program was established
in 1980 to locate, investigate and clean up
hazardous waste sites throughout the United
States. In New England, the Superfund
program has carried out or is currently
involved in the cleanup of over 650 such sites
since fhe law went into effect.
Once a potentially hazardous waste site is
reported to EPA, the agency performs an
assessment of the site. During this assessment
period, EPA tries to determine whether the
site presents a hazard to human health and
the environment. Data gathered is used to
score the site according to the Hazard Ranking
System (HRS). The HRS helps evaluate the
dangers posed by hazardous waste sites and
is the principal mechanism EPA uses to place
uncontrolled waste sites on the National
Priorities List (NPL).
The NPL is a published list of hazardous waste
sites that are eligible for extensive, long-term
cleanup actions under the Superfund
program. At any time during the site
assessment process EPA may decide that the
site poses an immediate threat to human
health. In these cases, EPA will conduct a
removal action, also called a short-term
cleanup, to eliminate the risk.
EPA, a state, tribe or potentially responsible
party (PRP) will clean up any site that may
pose a real or potential threat to human health
and the environment. One of EPA's top
priorities is to get the PRPs, those responsible
for the contamination, to clean up the site. If
a PRP cannot be found, is not viable or
refuses to cooperafe, fhen EPA, fhe sfofe or
fhe fribe may clean up the site using
Superfund money. EPA may seek to recover
the cost of cleanup from those parties that do
not cooperate.
This brochure provides information about the
Superfund cleanup process, the successful
clean up of long and short-term response
actions across New England and some
resources to help you get involved in cleanup
efforts near you.
Superfund Facts
EPA has worked aggressively to clean up hazardous waste problems in New
England. In cooperation with state counterparts, final cleanup activities are
completed or underway at 78 percent of New England's 1 1 3 National Priority
List (NPL) sites.
Number of National Priorities List Sites
in each phase of the Superfund Process
60
D
§
01
e
E
50
40
30
20
10
Remedy Selected;
Design Underway*
Construction
Complete**
• may Include sites where early action has occurred *• long-term monitoring, operation, and maintenance ongoing
Soura: SufMrfund • f»cn. Oclo6«« 2004
56 NPL sites have all cleanup construction completed and 31 sites have
cleanup construction underway in New England.
1 0 New England sites have been deleted from the NPL.
In the past 20 years, EPA has supervised the completion of over 500
short-term cleanups in New England.
EPA has helped promote economic development by removing 1,642
sites in New England from the list of waste sites in the Comprehensive
Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Information System.
The Superfund program in New England has spent over $ 1.6 billion to
clean up NPL sites and $234 million to clean up non-NPL sites.
Responsible parties have committed more than $2.3 billion to clean up
waste sites in New England via direct payments to the Superfund Trust
Fund or funding of studies and cleanup work.
Funding To New England States
Cumulative Federal Superfund Dollars
Expended at National Priorities List Sites
in New England (1980-2004)
CT: $209 million
MA: $968 million
ME: $148 million
NH: $207 million
Rl: $95 million
VT: $62 million
NEW ENGLAND TOTALS:
$1,689,000,000
Source: EPA New England, September 2004
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How the Cleanup Process Works
SUPERFUND
From
Discovery to Cleanup
Long-term Cleanup
Brownflelds Program
State Led Cleanup
Identify Those
Reiponslble
for Pollution
_ Short-term actions may
x be taken to eliminate
Immediate public health
or environmental threat*.
Maintain/ ^ ^
Monitor Site
Include Site
on NPL If A"
Appropriate
Study Type &
Extent of
Cortamination -
Evaluate Options
Returning Superfund Sites to Beneficial Reuse
Vacant and underutilized Superfund sites can continue to
blight the surrounding communities even after the cleanup
is complete. That is why EPA has been working closely
with communities, properly owners, developers and other
key partners to return some of our nation's worst
contaminated sites to safe and productive use.
While protecting human health and the environment
remains EPA's primary mission, the agency is committed
to completing the transformation of Superfund sites from
stumbling blocks to building blocks for community
revitalization. All across the country, formerly contaminated
properties are now being used for retail stores, commercial
offices, manufacturing, agriculture, parks and even
residential homes and playing fields.
At Superfund sites nation-wide, more than 244,090 acres
of land are already in reuse or ready for reuse and over
30,000 jobs and $1.3 billion in annual income have
been created. More information about EPA's efforts to
reuse Superfund sites is available online at: www.epa.gov/
superfund/programs/recyde
Raymark Industries, Inc.,
Superfund's site in
Stratford, Conn., before
andaftercleanup
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Long-Term Cleanups
In most cases, sites that require long-term cleanup are on the National Priorities List (NPL). The NPL lists hazardous waste sites
that are eligible for extensive, long-term cleanup actions under the Superfund program. EPA has developed an assessment
system called the Hazard Ranking System (HRS) to evaluate the dangers posed by waste sites to public health or the environment.
Sites that score high enough on the HRS are eligible for the NPL.
Long-Term Cleanup Sites in the Spotlight
Raymark Industries, Inc.
Stratford, Conn.
In 2002, a major portion of the cleanup and redevelopment at the Raymark Superfund site in
Stratford, Conn., which spans 250 acres in 82 locations throughout the town, was completed.
The 34-acre East Main Street property surrounding the former Raymark Industries, Inc., automotive
parts manufacturing facility is now home to the Stratford Crossing Shopping Center, which
contains a Home Depot, Shaw's Supermarket and Wal-Mart and employs over 650 people.
Throughout its operation, Raymark discharged contaminated process waters from the manufacture
of automotive brakes, clutch parts and other friction components into a number of lagoons. As the solids in these process waters settled out, the
lagoons were periodically excavated and the contaminated material was disposed on the site of the facility and at 82 locations throughout the
town of Stratford, impacting a total of 250 acres. The contaminants discharged included asbestos, lead, polychlorinated biphenyls and a variety
of volatile organic solvents.
Besides cleaning up the 34-acres surrounding the former Raymark facility, EPA performed numerous cleanups between 1992 and 1 995 at 4 7
residential and municipal properties that had received Raymark waste material. The excavated material was transported back to former Raymark
facility and capped. Between 2001 and 2004, EPA worked with the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection to install sub-slab
ventilation systems in over 100 residential homes to address potential indoor air impacts resulting from volatilization of contaminated groundwater
originating from the former Raymark facility. EPA envisions future remedy decisions for other portions of the site will incorporate reuse considerations
as envisioned in a plan developed by the town through an EPA grant.
More information on this site is available online at: www.epa.gov/ne/superfund/sites/raymark
Eastland Woolen Mill Company
Corinna, Maine
The closure of Eastland Woolen Mill Company and abandonment of the mill complex in 1996
was a devastating blow to the town of Corinna, Maine. The economy and quality of life of this
town with just over 2,000 residents were directly tied to the fate of the mill, which encompassed
much of Corinna's downtown area. The EPA worked with the town, state, U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers (ACE) and others to coordinate the cleanup and reuse of the former mill site. The
EPA provided a grant to the town for the creation of a comprehensive reuse plan that incorporated
commercial, residential and recreational elements. The resulting cleanup activities included
the demolition of the mill complex and seven other in-town buildings, the relocation of the
main street, the construction of a new bridge and the re-routing of the Sebasticook River. The
EPA, ACE and their consultant, Weston Solutions, Inc., received the 2004 Build America
Award from the Association of General Contractors of America for the cleanup and reuse of the Eastland site.
Eastland operated a wool and blended wool textile facility from 1909 to 1996. Liquid wastes from the mill were discharged to the East Branch
of the Sebasticook River until the local sewage treatment plant was built in 1969. Groundwater contamination was discovered in 1983 when
a state employee noticed the strange odor and taste of the drinking water at a local restaurant. Chlorobenzene, used as part of the mill's
wool dying process, was also found in soil, surface water and river sediment.
After the contamination was discovered, carbon filters were installed on 15 private wells and in 1995 a new water line was constructed to
homes with impacted wells. As part of initial cleanup actions, the Maine Department of Environmental Protection removed 55,000 pounds
of hazardous substances from the mill. Following the placement of the site on the Superfund National Priorities List, EPA excavated and
Tfie new town center of Corinna
after clean-up activities
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Long-Term Cleanups
treated an additional 100,000 tons of
contaminated soil. The final cleanup of the
former mill complex area, which is expected to
be completed between 2005 and 2006, will meet
residential cleanup standards.
More information on this site is available online
at: www.epa.gov/ne/superfund/sites/eastland
Find a Cleanup Site
You con search for cleanup sites in New England by name, street, town or
zfpcode online atwww.epa.gov/ne/superfund. The website also allows you
to lookup sites on the National Priorities List (NPL) and those awaiting NPL
decision and identify short and long-term cleanup projects in your state.
Industri-Plex Site
Woburn, Mass.
Over 100 years of chemical manufacturing and processing at the Industri-Plex Superfund site in
Wobum, Mass., caused extensive soil and groundwater contamination. The 245-acre site got a
new look for the new millennium when a major portion of the contaminated site was cleaned up
and transformed in 2000 into a large commercial and retail district, a state and regional
transportation center and restored wetlands.
From 1853 to 1969, a succession of manufacturers produced chemicals, insecticides, munitions
and glue products made from raw and chrome-tanned animal hides on the site. Since 1 969, a
variety of industrial and commercial establishments have occupied portions of the site and
approximately 60 acres are currently used for warehousing and distribution. More than 100
acres of soil contaminated with lead, arsenic and chromium were present on the site, and
groundwater beneath the site was contaminated with benzene, toluene, arsenic and chromium.
Aiderson Regional Transportation Center,
located on a portion of the Industri-Plex site
The many partnerships formed at this site were key to its successful cleanup and redevelopment. EPA and the state of Massachusetts originally
worked together in 1 980 and 1 981 to remove the immediate threats at the site. Later, two trusts were created to manage cleanup and
redevelopment as part of a 1989 settlement between EPA, the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection, the city of Woburn and
24 current and former landowners. Because of the size of the Industri-Plex property, three principal public transportation and infrastructure
initiatives and two private redevelopment initiatives are either completed or underway at the site. Besides cleaning up this severely blighted
area, the redevelopment of the Industri-Plex site created hundreds of local jobs and increased public revenues.
More information on this site is available online at: www.epa.gov/ne/superfund/sites/industriplex
Pownal Tannery
Pownal, Vt.
In 2004, cleanup construction was completed at the Pownal Tannery Superfund site, a 28-acre
set of parcels along the Hoosic River in North Pownal, Vt. The site was a former hide tanning and
finishing facility owned by the Pownal Tanning Company, Inc. The site cleanup was designed to
allow reuse as envisioned in a plan developed by the town through an EPA grant.
The tannery declared bankruptcy in 1988 and was abandoned for five years until EPA began
work at the site. Three sources of contamination on the site were identified: the former tannery
building complex, a capped sludge landfill and a lagoon system. The contaminants included
solvents, preservative chemicals, polychlorinated biphenyls, inorganic elements and dioxins.
Since EPA began work at the site in 1993, the former landfill has been permanently capped, the
building complex was removed and the contaminated soils and sludge were consolidated in the lagoon area and capped. Because the town
envisioned part of the site being reused for recreation, the cap over the consolidated waste area was designed to support future recreational
fields. This included providing proper grading and building the cap to resist flooding events and prevent exposure to the underlying waste
material. The town also intends to build a new wastewater treatment facility, so wastes were removed from the desired location of the facility to
facilitate its future construction. The Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation will continue to monitor and maintain the site.
More information on this site is available online at: www.epa.gov/ne/superfund/sites/pownal
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Short-Term Cleanups
Hazardous waste sites that do not require a long-term cleanup process are considered short-term cleanups (also referred to as
"removal actions"). Although the cleanup process for these sites may not be as lengthy as for long-term cleanups, these sites may
still affect the health and environment of those who live near the site. There are three categories of short-term cleanups: classic
emergencies, time-critical actions and non-time critical actions.
One specific type of short-term cleanup is the site of an oil spill. Refer to a list of New England oil spill sites online at:
http://www.epa.gov/ne/superfund/findsite/oisspill.htm
To report an oil spill or other environmental emergency such as a chemical
release, call the National Response Center at 1-800-424-8802.
Short-Term Cleanup Sites in the Spotlight
Witchcraft Heights
Salem, Mass.
While the Witchcraft Heights Elementary School underwent a major renovation
between June 2002 and August 2003, workers building a new access road discovered
buried tannery waste. Tests of the surrounding soil revealed high concentrations of
arsenic. Soil at two residential properties across the street from the new access road
was also found to contain arsenic at concentrations exceeding the state's imminent
hazard level.
In June 2002, the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection requested assistance from EPA's Superfund program to
address the potentially contaminated residential properties that surround the school. Between the summers of 2002 and 2003, EPA
completed a major sampling effort, collecting over 1,600 soil samples from 57 residential properties. A total of 21 of the properties
were determined to require remediation.
During the following winter, excavation and removal of contaminated soil was selected as the preferred remedy for this site. State
and local officials were consulted, and it was discussed with nearby residents at a neighborhood meeting. Excavation of contaminated
soil (and heavy truck traffic) and restoration of the site was completed over the summer vacation. By September 2004, restoration
of the site was completed with the exceptions of removing the hay bales and a silt fence placed between the work area and
residential properties. This will be done in the spring of 2005 and will afford an opportunity to address any erosion that may occur
in the winter.
Troy Mills
Troy, N.H.
From 1 967 to 1 978, Troy Mills, Inc., a landfill now in bankruptcy, buried several
thousand 55-gallon drums of solid and liquid wastes generated at its off-site facility
located in the town of Troy, N.H. The drummed wastes occupied two acres of the 10-
acre landfill and consisted primarily of volatile, semi-volatile organic and inorganic
contaminants.
Removal activities took place between May and December 2004, including locating
and excavating 7,678 55-gallon drums, consolidating their content and shipping it
off-site and, to the extent practicable, excavating the surrounding contaminated
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Short-Term Cleanups
soils from the landfill and shipping them off-site. A total of 2,100
tons of sludge from the drum shredding and consolidation operations
have been generated and shipped off-site. A total of 25,000 gallons
of flammable liquids from the drums excavated have been recovered
and shipped off-site. In addition, 21,000 tons of contaminated soil
from around the buried drums have been excavated and shipped
off-site. All wastes were shipped to ticensed treatment and disposal
facilities. A total of 2,1 00 trucks were used to transport wastes and
other material to and from the site.
EPA actively worked with the New Hampshire Department of
Environmental Services, the towns of Troy and Fitzwilliam, N.H., and
residents to complete the removal activities. The final phase of work at
this site is the restoration of the excavated areas to promote a natural
environment and is scheduled to take place in the spring of 2005.
A Connell Street
Tiverton, R.I.
Remnants of mercury-bearing hat waste were discovered during
sampling and excavation activities at the A Connell Street
site, a 0.3-acre privately-owned residential property that includes
a single-family residence and a small sandwich shop. The site
is located within the Bay
Street Suspected Fill
Area, which includes
approximately 100
BMHHpMBi&^ti^EI properties in the vicinity
of coal gasification
waste that is being
investigated and cleaned
up by the New England
Gas Company with
oversight from the
Rhode Island Department
of Environmental
Management (RIDEM).
The A Connell Street site
is being addressed
separately by EPA since
the nature and the origin of the contamination, mercury, is distinct
from that of the Bay Street Suspected Fill Area.
According to RIDEM files, the A Connell Street site was used for the
disposal of waste from a local hat factory approximately 100 years
ago. Surface soils were contaminated with mercury at levels up to
823 parts per million, which is 35 times higher than Rhode Island
residential standards.
Ongoing removal activities include excavation and off-site disposal
of mercury-contaminated surface soils, capping contaminated soil
that may remain at depth or which cannot otherwise be excavated
and backfilling excavated areas. Areas disturbed by site activities
will be restored during the spring of 2005.
Commcj
Involvement
The Superfund program includes an aggressive
citizen involvement component that enables those
who live near a site to get involved in the cleanup
of confam/nof/on by participating in the critical
decisions that may affect their health and the
environment.
Superfund's Community Involvement Coordinators
reach out to community residents, local and state
leaders and environmental and citizen groups to
identify the public's concerns, keep interested
citizens informed and involved and work with EPA's
technical staff to be sure that issues and concerns
are considered and addressed. The EPA New
England Superfund community involvement staff
is available to answer any questions regarding a
Superfund site in your community or an area that
you think may be a site. Contact James Murphy at
617-918-1028.
In addition, the Technical Assistance Grant (TAG)
program provides money for activities that help
your community participate in
decision-making at eligible
Superfund sites. An initial
grant up to $50,000 »s
available to qualified
community groups so they
can contract with independent technical advisors
to interpret and help the community understand
technical information about their site. TAGs are
available at Superfund sites that are on the EPA's
National Priorities List (NPL) or proposed for listing
on the NPL, and for which a response action has
begun. EPA's NPL is a list of the most hazardous
waste sites nationwide. Since the first TAG was
awarded in 1988, more than $20 million has been
awarded directly to community groups.
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Myth: Superfund is running out of money.
FACT: Funding for Superfund, the nation's primary program to clean
up sites contaminated with hazardous wastes, has remained
consistent.
> Annual appropriations by Congress for Superfund have remained
relatively steady at approximately $1.3 billion to $1.5 billion during both
the Clinton and Bush administrations.
t The FY 2005 budget includes approximately $ 1.26 billion for Superfund.
This Superfund budget is essentially the same as the FY 2004 Superfund
enacted budget.
Myth: Because Congress did nof renew fhe Superfund Tax, US. taxpayers
are now paying for all Superfund cleanup activities.
FACT: The majority of Superfund cleanup activities are paid for by
the person or group responsible for the pollution. EPA remains
committed to the "polluter pays" principle.
> Approximately 70 percent of Superfund cleanup activities have historically
been paid for by parties responsible for the contamination (called "PRPs").
EPA is continuing to pursue PRPs and PRP resources.
> The only time cleanup costs are not borne by PRPs is when the parties
cannot be found or are not able to pay.
> Since 1 980, EPA has secured more than $23 billion in cleanup
commitments from PRPs.
Myth: Since the Superfund Tax expired in 1995, no new sites are getting
added to EPA's list for cleanup.
FACT: Sites continue to be added to the National Priorities List (NPL)
for Superfund cleanup.
> 1 1 new sites were added to the NPL in FY 2004.
> Congress continued to allocate full funding to Superfund since the tax
expired, while EPA continues to identify sites for cleanup and to do the
work to clean contaminated sites.
> EPA is identifying ways to redirect funding from other portions of the
Superfund appropriation toward cleanup construction.
> EPA is working to address a current backlog of cleanup construction
projects awaiting funding.
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency New England
February 2005
EPA-901-R-05-002
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