vvEPA United States Environmental Protection Agency New England [•Iiisi Remediation and Restoration Annual Report A status report on the New England Waste Cleanup and Revitalization Programs. ------- U.S. EPA New England ma United States — Environmental Protection Table of Contents %# Agency New England VERMONT TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction 1 Overview 2 Land Revitalization 6 National Priorities List 8 Sites of Special Interest 1 4 Watch List 1 5 Emergency Planning & Response Program 1 6 Brownfields 1 9 RCRA Corrective Action 24 Underground Storage Tank 25 Map 26 (cover photo) Wetland area on the Troy Mills Superfund Site in Troy , NH ------- U.S. EPA New England ll A United States Environmental Protection Introduction Agency New England WELCOME TO EPA NEW ENGLAND The New England office of the U.S. Environmental Ptotection Agency is dedicated to protecting all New England- ers from environmental health threats while also preserving and protecting our unique environmental resources. This annual report details the 2006 programmatic accomplishments of EPA New England’s Office of Site Remediation and Restoration. The Office of Site Remecliation and Restoration focuses on the restoration and revitalization of contaminated properties through the Superfund, Brownfields, RCRA Corrective Action and Underground Storage Tanks programs. Each of these programs shares the common goal of protecting human health while restoring contaminated properties to economic and environmental vitality. In addition, the Office of Site Remediation and Restoration is prepared to handle a broad spectrum of environmental emergencies, ranging from those posed by chemical or oil spills to those presented by potential acts of terrorism or natural disasters. EPA’s Land Revitalization Initiative seeks to enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of our cleanup programs by promoting an interchange of ideas and finding opportunities for working collaboratively. A fundamental tenet of the Land Revitalization Initiative is that cleanup and reuse are mutually supportive goals and that consideration of the anticipated property reuse should be an integral part of EPA’s cleanup decisions. Because land use is generally determined at the local level, EPA New England has been working in partnership with municipal governments, community members, property owners, responsible parties and other key stakeholders to implement cleanups that are allowing formerly unproduc- tive properties to be safely returned to sustainable and beneficial uses. In the Superfund program for example, more than half of the NPL sites in New England where remedy construction is complete are in reuse. This annual report highlights some of our success in land revitalization throughout New England. The Superfund program directs the clean up of National Riorities List (NPL) sites as well as the clean up of smaller often less complex, sites that pose a significant risk to people or the environment. Our New England Superfund program remains vital and boasts strong successes. In cooperation with our state counterparts, EPA New England has completed cleanup or has cleanup activities underway at 80 percent of New England’s 115 NPL sites. In 2006, EPA New England deleted the Army Materials Technology Laboratoiy site in Watertown, Massachusetts from the NPL after it was determined that all appropriate cleanup and response activities had been completed. This deletion brings to 12 the total number of sites in New England that have been formally removed from the NPL. EPA New England continues to evaluate sites for possible inclusion on the NR. In 2006, the Olin Chemical site in Wilmington, Massachusetts was added to the NPL. Our Superlund removal program expended nearly $11 million dollars to complete 13 removal actions across New England in 2006. Through an aggressive regional program to recoup federal expenses at Superfund sites or to have responsible parties pay for cleanup, we have restored $2.2 billion to the Superfund Trust Fund since inception of the program. For detailed information about EPA New England’s efforts in the Superfund program, including detailed descriptions on each NPL site in New England, please visit www.epa.gov/ne/superfund. EPA New England’s ability to respond to catastrophic incidents that may be caused by natural disasters or acts of terrorism remains a regional priority. As of the end of 2006, 255 EPA New England personnel have completed Incident Command System training, including 124 staff members that have completed advanced level training. Our staff participated in extensive training and numerous exercises with our local, state and federal response partners throughout 2006. During the first half of 2006, EPA New England continued to provide critical support to the Gulf region by deploying a significant number of staff and contractor resources to assist in the massive EPA response effort in the aftermath of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Drawing on that experience, we worked closely with our New England state counterparts throughout 2006 developing debris management plans and overall hurricane response prepared- ness. EPA New England conducted several emergency response actions during 2006, highlighted by our response to the massive explosion and fire at a paint manufacturing facility in Danvers, Massachusetts. Within hours of the explosion, EPA New England personnel were conducting extensive air monitoring and sampling to ensure the safety of first responders and the nearby community. Once the fire was extinguished, EPA New England quickly worked on stabilizing the site by securing hundreds of drums and containers, removing chemicals from three underground storage tanks and shipping all contaminated materials from the site. Throughout the operation, we conducted air sampling to ensure returning residents were not being exposed to contamination. For further information on EPA New England’s oil and chemical emergency response programs, visit wvvw.epa.gov/ne/superfund/er/erindex.htm. The success EPA New England’s Brownfields program has resulted in many underused or unused real estate parcels being redeveloped and once again contributing to the local economy in taxes and jobs. Since the inception of the Browntields program, EPA New England has distributed more than $132 million to hundreds of communities, states, agencies, and non-profit organizations across the region. In 2006, EPA New England’s Brownfields program awarded 58 grants across the region worth a total of $18.5 million. This included two new Job Training grants, one to The WorkPlace, Inc. for Stamford, Connecticut and one to JFY NetWorks, Inc. in Boston, Massachusetts. In November 2006, the Brownfields 2006 conference was held in Boston. Brownfields 2006 brought over 5,000 people to Boston to highlight opportunities and progress in the Brownfields arena. For more information on EPA New England’s Brownfields activities, we encourage you to visit our Brownfiekls website to read case studies of redevelopment projects across the region, www.epa.gov/ne/Brownfields. We look forward to another year of working with our Congressional delegation, states, tribes, the public and others to promote a cleaner healthier and more productive New England environment. Please visit EPA’s Internet web pages at www.epa.govfregionl to find a wealth of useful, updated information about the work that EPA New England performs. Thank you for your strong support of these important programs. Regional Administrator R [ M [ DIATION AND RESTORATION ANNUAL REPORT 2006 1 ------- Brownfields VERMONT Following is a quick summary of EPA New England’s Office of Site Remediation and Restoration (OSRR) programs highlighted in this report. Superlund Program OSRR’s remedial branches oversee long-term cleanups at sites that are typically on EPA’s National Priorities List (NPL). Short-term cleanups can correct many hazardous waste problems and eliminate most threats to human health and the environment. Some sites, however, require lengthier and more complex cleanups These may include large-scale soil remediation, restoring groundwater and taking measures to protect wetlands, estuaries, and other ecological resources. These sites are often the result of years of pollution and may take several years, even decades, to clean. Emergency Planning and Response Program OSRR’s Emergency Planning and Response Program prepares for, and responds to oil and chemical spills to the environment, and supports and supplements local, state, and private parties’ efforts to address emergencies EPA also oversees short-term cleanups across New England. Short-term cleanups, called “removal actions,” reduce immediate threats to public health and the environment at sites that are typically less complex to clean up than sites on the NPL. Short-term cleanups may take anywhere from a few days to a few years to complete, depending on the type and extent of contamination. An emergency removal occurs when hazardous or toxic chemicals are released into the environment causing po- tential health or environmental risks. EPA may need to respond within hours of the event Brownfields Program Originally begun as an EPA initiative in January 1995, the US EPA National Brownfields Program has since evolved into a collaborative effort involving many federal, state and local partners In January 2002, the Small Business Liability Relief arid Brownfields Revitalization Act (“the Brownfields law”) was signed This law expanded potential federal assistance for Brownfields revitalization, in- cluding Assessment Grants, Revolving Loan Fund Grants, Cleanup Grants, Job Training Grants and Targeted Brownuields Assessments. The law also includes provisions to establish and enhance state and tribal response programs, which will continue to play a critical role in the successful cleanup and revitalization of brownhelds RCRA Corrective Action Program The Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) provides EPA and authorized states the au- thority to regulate facilities that treat, store, or dispose of hazardous waste (RCRA facilities). Although RCRA is designed to prevent releases of hazardous waste at RCRA facilities, accidents or other activities have occasionally caused such releases into soil, groundwater. surface water and air. The RCRA Corrective Action Program, administered by EPA or authorized states, compels RCRA facilities to investigate and cleanup hazardous waste releases. RCRA Corrective Action differs from Superfund in that RCRA facilities generally have viable operators and on-going operations, although some of the sites may be abandoned. Underground Storage Tank (UST)/Leaking Underground Storage Tank Program (LUST) The Energy Policy Act of 2005 established for the first time a link between the UST Regulatory Program and the LUST Trust Fund Cleanup Program. Prior to 2005 the compliance and prevention UST program and the LUST cleanup program were in separate statutes and appropriations. The Energy Act of 2005 allows LUST funding to support prevention activities. The new Energy Act requires EPA and the states to meet several programmatic milestones and achievements by specific dates These include all federal regulated facilities that have not received an on-site inspection since De- cember 1998 be inspected by August 2007 and every three years thereafter. The states must also adopt secondary containment standards, report on compliance status of government owned USTs, incorporate a delivery prohibition, develop an annual reporting system available to the public and adopt a requirement for operator training 2/REMEDIATION AND RESTORATION ANNUAl REPORT 2006 ------- U.S. EPA New England Overview ‘ EPA United States Environmental Protection Agency New England SUPERFUND Discovery Cleanup Long-term Cleanup Brcwnfields Prograr State Lad Cleanup 1 Sho 14erm actions may unmediate public health ) be taken to eliminate efw3ronrnentai p I Study Type & I Extent of Contamhi.tion- [ ateO I Include r Propose Cleenup_Plan f. • —U— REMEDIATION AND RESTORATION ANNUAL REPORT 2006 3 ------- Brownflelds Study Remedy Selected; Underway* Design Underway* * Construction Construction Underway Complete** * may include sites where early action has occurred long-term monitoring, operation,and maintenance ongoing Source: Superfund c-facts. December 2006 VERMONT Number of National Priorities List Sites in each phase of the Superfund Process 60 — 50 — 40 — 30 — 20 — c i) 5J -c, C c LU clj z 0 ci) 0 E z 10 0 Remedial Assessment not Begun* 4 REMEDIATION AND RESTORATION ANNUAL REPORT 2006 ------- U.S. EPA New England I Overview Environmental Protection Agency New England SUPERFUND SITE CLEANUP STATUS SUMMARY R.medial Study kemedy Construction Construction Deleted Assessment Underway Selected; Design Underway Complete from NFL not Begun Underway CONNECTICUT Brood Brook Mill” Precision Plating Durham Meadow Scovill Landfill MASSACHUSETtS Haverhill Landfill Naval Weapons Olin Chemical Shpack Landfill Hoth & Patterson MAINE NEW HAMPSHIRE RHODE ISLAND Centredale Manor N London Sub Old Southington Roymark SRS Linemoster Sw Beacon heights Gollups Quarry Keflogg-Deenng Laurel Pork Yaworski Lagoon Borkhomsted Cheshire GWater Nutmeg Volley Rd Revere Textile Atlas Tack Baird & McGuire Army Matls Tech Natick Army Lab Fort Devens Cannon Eng Charles George LF Devens-Sudbury An Plymouth Harbor n Hanscom AFB Groveland Wells Salem Acres lrrdustnples Hocomonco Pond Iron Horse Park Norwood PCBs S Weymouth NAS PSC Resources New Bedford Re-Solve, Inc Nyanzo Rose Disposal Pit Otis ANG Base Sullivan’s Ledge Silresim WR Grace/Acton Wells G&H GE-Housatonic ” Callahan Mine West Sito/Hows Car Portsmouth NSY Brunswick NAS Eastland Woolen Eastern Surplus Lonng AFB McKin Co O’Connor Co Soco Municipal LF Union Chemical Winthrop Landfill Pinette’s Salvage Soco Tannery Mohawk Tannery” Chlor-Alkali Beede Waste Oil Dover Landfill Fletcher’s Point Ottoti & Goss Auburn Rood LF Cookley Landfill Kearsorge Metallurg Keefe Enviro Mottalo Pig Form N H Plating Pease AFB Savoge Muni South Muni Well Sylvester Tibbetts Road Tinkham Garage Town Garage/ Radio Beac Troy Mills Landfill Sornersworth IF Rose Hill Landfill Central Landfill Davis GSR Landlill Davis liquid Landfill & Res Rec Dovisville NCBC Picillo Farm Newport NETC Stamina Mills Peterson/Puntan Western Sand & Grovel W Kingston/URI VERMONT Commerce Plume Ely Copper Mine Eli2abeth Mine Bennington Landfill Darling Hill Dump Pike Hill BFI Landfill Tonsitor Electronics Burgess Bros LF Pine Street Canal Pownal Tannery Old Springfield IF Parker Landfill Blackburn&Union Nuclear Metals Sutton Brook proposed NPL site * In negotiations with responsible parties Note Statistics represent most-advanced Operabfe Unit at each site, additional activities may be ongoing at these sites REMEDIATION AND RESTORATION ANNUAL REPORT 2006 / 5 ------- Land Revitalization VERMONT LAND REVITALIZATION Most people associate the reuse of contaminated properties with the Brownfields Program, but similar efforts are also occurring within the other land cleanup programs:Superfund, RCRA Corrective Action, and UST. Although the goal is the same — to restore contaminated proper- ties to economic and environmental vitality — each program must often work from a unique set of rules to achieve the desired results. EPA’S national Land Revitalization Initiative, established September 2004, seeks to enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of these various cleanup programs by promoting an interchange of ideas and finding opportunities for working collaboratively. Whether a property is a Superfund site, an operating RCRA facility, a former gas station, or an abandoned industrial facility, there are common challenges confronting revitalization efforts that can clearly benefit from a coordinated and comprehensive approach.This is being achieved by: • Developing a consistent set of cross-program revitalization measures • Promoting collaboration among EPA programs and external partners • Developing effective tools that address barriers to land revitalization • Providing land revitalization training • Conducting public outreach For more information on EPA’s national Land Revitalization initiative, please visit: www.epa .gov/Iandrevitalization. A fundamental tenet of the Land Revitalization Initiative is that cleanup and reuse are mutually supportive goals and that consideration of the anticipated property reuse should be an integral part of EPA’s cleanup decisions. Because land use is generally determined at the local level, EPA has been working in partnership with municipal governments, community members, property owners, responsible parties and other key stake- holders to implement cleanups that enable formerly unproductive properties to be safely returned to sustainable and beneficial uses. “EPA’s cleanup programs Stakeholder Engagement have set a national goal for returning formerly contaminated sites to long-term, sustainable, and productive uses.” — 2003-2008 EPA Strategic Plan 6 REMEDIATION AND RESTORATION ANNUAl REPORT 2006 ------- U.S. EPA New England Land Revitalization EpA United States Environmental Protection Agency New England Brownfields Railroad Row, Hartford, Vermont — The historic, yet di- lapidated, Twin State Fruit ware- house property in Hartford, Ver- mont underwent an economic and environmental recovery that started with a $200,000 EPA Brownilelds Assessment Grant awarded to the Two Rivers- Ottauquechee Regional Corn- mission. RCRA Corrective Action Gilbert & Bennett, Reading (Georgetown), Connecticut - The bankrupt and abandoned Gilbert & Bennett manufacturing facility will soon see new life as a pedestrian-friendly, environmen- tally-responsible village center with 416 planned residential units, over 300,000 square feet of com- mercial space, a performing arts center, and a host of other ameni- ties. The project has received nu- merous accolades, including EPA’s 2004 National Award for Smart Growth Achievement (Small Communities). Federal Facilities Pease Air Force Base, Portsmouth, New Hamp- shire - As part of the compre- hensive redevelopment plan for the Former Pease Air Force Base in New Hampshire, the runway, taxiway, and aviation support fa- cilities have been refurbished and upgraded to support new passen- ger and cargo air operations. Superfund Saco Tannery Superfund site, Saco, Maine — To partially compensate for the per- manent loss of wetlands at the Superfund site, 247 acres of rare wildlife habitat were acquired and translerred to the Nature Conservancy, which now manages it as a publicly-accessible sanc- tuary and nature-viewing area. m UST (Former) Whitney Screw site, Nashua, New Hampshire - The UST Program supports states, territories and other partners in the cleanup and reuse of properties contaminated by petro- leum releases from USTs and works to better inte- grate eligible petroleum brownfields into ongoing restoration/revitalization activities. The Whitney Screw property has been sold and developed into a mixture of retail and warehouse uses. REMEDIATION AND RESTORATION ANNUAL REPORT 2006 7 ------- National Priorities List Sites VERMONT Summary of Superfund Status—New England EPA has worked aggressively to clean up hazardous waste problems in New England In cooperation with our state counterparts, final cleanup activities are completed, underway, or in design at most of New England’s 115 NPL sites. • 80% of New England Superfund sites (proposed, final, and deleted) on the National Priorities List - 92 of 115 sites - have undergone or are undergoing cleanup construction. • 65 sites have all cleanup construction completed, 27 sites have cleanup construction underway • 12 New England sites have been deleted from the NPL. • EPA has helped promote economic development by removing 1,781 sites in New England from the CERCLIS list of waste sites. • The Superfund program has spent over $1.8 billion in New England to cleanup Superfund National Priorities List sites • EPA has spent over $274 million on site assessment, investigation, and cleanup at non- National Priorities List sites in New England. • EPA, with the cooperation of the U.S. Department of Justice, continues to ensure that companies responsible for contamination at sites pay their fair share of cleanup costs Since the inception of the program, responsible party commitments to cleanups in New England, via direct payments to the Superfund Trust Fund or via funding of studies and cleanup work, exceeds $2.2 billion. Source EPA New England. December 2006 Cumulative Federal Superfund Dollars Expended at National Priorities List Sites in New England (1 980-2006) fl CT. $225 million MA. $1 billion ME $164 million NH $247 million RI: $113 million VT. $85 million NEW ENGLAND TOTALS: $1,834,000,000 Source. EPA New England, December 2006 8/R [ MEDIATION AND RESTORATION ANNUAl REPORT 2006 ------- U.S. EPA New England II A United States Environmental Protection National Priorities List Sites # Agency New England 2006 Superfund Fast Facts—Vermont EPA has worked aggressively to ciean up hazardous waste probiems in Vermont In cooperation with the Vermont Agency of Naturai Resources, finai cieanup activities are compieted, underway, or in design at most of Vermont’s 13 NPL sites • 69% of Vermont’s Superfund sites on the Nationai Priorities List - 9 of 1 3 sites - have undergone or are undergoing cieanup construction, or are in finai design. • 9 Superfund sites have au cieanup construction completed • 2 Superfund sites have been deleted from the National Priorities List, Dariing Hill Dump in Lyndon, and Tansitor Eiectronics, Inc in Bennington. • Region 1 has helped promote economic redeveiopment by removing 99 Vermont sites from the CERCLiS waste list • The Superfund Program has spent over $85 miilion in Vermont to ciean up Superfund Nationai Priorities List sites • EPA has spent over $5 million on site assessment, investigation, and cleanup at non-National Priorities List sites in Vermont • EPA, with the cooperation of the U S Department of Justice, continues to ensure that companies responsible for contamination at sites pay their fair share of cieanup costs Since the inception of the program, responsible party commitments to cieanups in Vermont, via direct payments to the Superfund Trust Fund or via funding of studies and cleanup work, exceeds $83 million Source EPA New England, December 2006 REMEDiATi0N AND RESTORATION ANNUAl REPORT 2006 / 9 ------- National Priorities List Sites VERMONT Bennington Bennington Municipal Sanitary Landfill for more information on this project, see: www.epa.gov/ne/superfund/sites/ bennington ( NPL Status. Listed in 1989 Cleanup Status: All Construction Completed in 1999 L Superfund $$ Spent $3.3 million Tansitor Electronics, Inc. for more information on this project, see: w iw.epa .gov/ne/superfund/sites/tansitor ( NPL Status’ Deleted in 1999 Cleanup Status All Construction Completed in 1997 L SuPer1und $$ Spent: $539,000 Burlington Pine Street Canal for more information on this project, see: www.epa.gov/ne/superIund/sites/pinestreet NPL Status: Listed in 1983 I Cleanup Status All Construction Completed in 2004 L__Superfund $$ Spent $1 1 million Corinth Pike Hill Copper Mine for more information on this project, see: viww.e pa .gov/ne/superfund/sites/pikehill L NPL Status Listed in 2004 Cleanup Status: Study Underway Superfurid $$ Spent: $615,000 Lyndon Darling Hill Dump for more information on this project, see: www.epa gov/ne/superfundfsites/ darlinghill ( JPL Status: Deleted in 1999 Cleanup Status: All Construction Completed in 1992 L__Superfurtd_ 5$ Spent. $1 million 1O/R [ MEDIATION AI JD RESTORATION ANNUAL REPORT 2006 ------- Parker Sanitary Landfill United States U.S. EPA New England I i - Environmental Protection National Priorities List Sites I PAAgencyNewEnglana for more information on this project, see. www.epa.gov/ne/superfund/sites/parker NPL Status Listed in 1990 Cleanup Status, All Construction Completed in 2005 Superfund $$ Spent $4.1 million Pownal Pownal Tannery for more information on tins project, see. www.epa gov/ne/superfund/sites/pownal NPL Status: Listed in 1999 Cleanup Status’ All Construction Completed in 2004 perfund $$ Spent: $28 3 million Rockingham BFI Sanitary Landfill for more information on this project, see: www.epa .gov/nelsuperIunci/sites/bfi NPL Status: Listed in 1989 Cleanup Status All Construction Completed in 1996 ( uperfund $$ Spent: $1.5 million Springfield Old Springfield Landfill L for more information on this project, see.’ www.epa gov/ne/superfund/sites/ oldspringfield NPL Status: Listed in 1983 Cleanup Status. All Construction Completed in 1994 Superfund $$ Spent. $4.7 million I Strafford Elizabeth Mine for more information on this project, see: www.epa.gov/ne/superfund/sites/elizmine NPL Status: Listed in 2001 Cleanup Status’ Study Underway, Removal Activities Superfund $$ Spent: $25 million [ REMEDIATION AND RESTORATION ANNUAL REPORT 2006 / 11 ------- National Priorities List Sites VERMONT Vershire Ely Copper Mine for more information on this project, see: www.epa.gov/ne/superfund/sites/ely C NPL Status Proposed in 2001 Cleanup Status Study Underway Superfund $$ Spent. $1.6 million Williston Commerce Street Plume for more information on this project. see: www.epa.gov/ne/superfund/sfles/commerce r NPL Status Listed in 2005 Cleanup Status. Remedial Assessment not Begun L__Superfund $$ Spent: $439,000 Woodford Burgess Brothers Landfill for more information on this project, see: www.epa gov/ne/superfundfsites/burgess C NPL Status. Listed in 1989 Cleanup Status. All construction Completed in 2000 Superlund $$ Spent $2.1 million 12/REMEDIATION AND RESTORATION ANNUAl REPORT 2006 ------- United States U.S. EPA New England I - Environmental Protection National Priorities List Sites OtPAAgency New Eng land REMEDIATION AND RESTORATION ANNUM RIPORT 2006 / 13 ------- Sites of Special Interest ELIZABETH MINE Strafford, Vermont The Elizabeth Mine Superfund site is a former copper and copperas mining operation in Strafford, Vermont which operated from 1809 to 1958. There are two large tailing piles (TP-1 and TP-2), one area of waste rock and cop- peras heap leach piles (TP-3), two large open bedrock cuts (North Open Cut and South Open Cut), a small area of waste rock (TP-4), several miles of underground shafts and adits, and a satellite area of mining (South Mine) within the Copperas Brook and Lord Brook water- sheds. The major contaminants of concern for ecological receptors at the site are aluminum, cobalt, copper, iron, manganese, and zinc. In September 2002, EPA signed an Action Memorandum for a non-time-critical removal (NTCRA) that included stabilization of the tailing piles and diversion of surface water/shallow groundwater as key compo- nents. From 2003-2006, EPA implemented a NTCRA to stabilize the Tailling Dam. In 2006 a subset of the NTCRA activities were initiated. These activities included the stabilization of the west side of the Tailing Dam along with the installation of 2630 feet of diversion channels along the east and west sides of TP- 1. Diversion channels will be installed along the east side of the Tailing Dam during 2007. In September 2006, EPA completed the Remedial Investigation and Feasibility Study for the site and signed a Record of Decision selecting the final cleanup action for the site. More information on this site is available at: www.epa.gov/ne/superfund/sites/elizabeth VERMONT 14 REMEDIATION AND RESTORATION ANNUAL REPORT 2006 ------- U.S. EPA New England I A United States Environmental Protection Watch List # Agency New England VERMONT WATCH LIST January 2007 Sites included on the Watch List are those that both the state and EPA Site Assessment programs agree merit increased state-federal coordination and oversight. These sites are but a small subset of the several thousand active sites included in the EPA New England and New England state inventories of known and suspected hazardous waste disposal sites. Criteria for including sites on the Watch List are loosely defined. In general, the Watch List includes sites that warrant special monitoring because they are strong National Priorities List (NPL) candidates, are the subject of considerable public interest, are particularly large and/or complex, are requiring significant Agency or state resource expenditures, or are state-lead sites that may be referred to EPA in the future. Watch List sites may be, but are not necessarily, listed in the federal CERCUS inventory Sites may be added or dropped as their status changes. The purpose of the Watch List is to facilitate rapid information exchange between the states and EPA regarding the current status of these high profile sites, and to ensure both agencies are kept abreast al key site issues. EPA and the state have agreed to share site information and to revise the status of sites as needed. At a minimum, however, the entire list will be reviewed and revised, as appropriate, annually. Sites on the Watch List are listed below. For a more detailed description of current activities at these sites, please contact Meghan Cassidy, EPA Chief, Technical Support and Site Assessment at (61 7) 91 8-1 387. Site City/Town CERCLIS ID # Young Landfill Highgate VFD980914931 St. ,AJbans Gas and Light (former) St. Albans VFD988366688 Jard Bennington VTD048141741 Vermont Asbestos Group Lowell and Eden Not in CERCUS 9 Depot Square (former Howe Cleaners) Barre Not in CERCLIS REMEDIATION AND RESTORATION ANNUAl REPORT 2006 / 15 ------- Emergency Planning & Response Program VERMONT EMERGENCY PLANNING AND RESPONSE PROGRAM EPA New England’s Emergency Planning and Response Program prepares for, and responds to oil and chemical spills to the environment, and supports and supplements local, state, and private parties’ efforts to address emergencies. EPA also oversees short-term cleanups across New England. Short-term cleanups, called “removal actions” reduce immediate threats to public health and the environment at sites that are typically less complex to clean up than sites on the National Priorities List. Short term cleanups may take anywhere from a few days to a few years to complete. depending on the type and extent of contamination. EPA may need to respond within hours to perform an emergency removal action when hazard- ous or toxic chemicals or oil are released into the environment causing potential health or • environmental risks. • Time critical actions are those cleanups where, based on an evaluation of the site, EPA determines that on site cleanup activities must be initiated within six months of determining that a short term cleanup is appropriate. For time critical actions, EPA conducts an investigation of the contamination and produces an “action memorandum” authorizing and outlining the cleanup process before beginning work. Examples of the types of situations where EPA may need to respond immediately include indus- trial fires, explosions, or imminent, catastrophic contamination of a drinking water supply. EPA conducted several emergency response actions during 2006, highlighted by the massive explo- sion and fire at a paint manufacturing facility in Danvers, Massachu- setts. Within hours of the explosion, EPA personnel were conducting extensive air monitoring and sampling to ensure that evacuation zone was large enough and that firefighters and personnel investigating the cause of the explosion were wearing the appropriate level of respiratory protection. Once the initial criminal investigation was concluded, the EPA response team quickly stabilized the site by securing hundreds of drums and containers, removing chemicals from three underground storage tanks, re- moving metal debris, and shipping off all contaminated materials from the site. Throughout the operation, EPA conducted air sampling to ensure returning residents were not being exposed to any contaminants. The following charts show the funds spent at each of the short term cleanup sites that EPA worked on in New England in calendar year 2006. Also, EPA prepares for and responds to catastrophic incidents that may be caused by natural disasters or acts of terrorism by participating in numerous training and exercises with our local, state and federal response partners. During the first half of 2006, we deployed significant num- bers of personnel and contractor resources to Louisiana to assist in the huge EPA response to the aftermath of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Drawing on that experience, we worked closely with our New England state counterparts throughout 2006 on developing debris management plans and overall hurricane response preparedness. j.___ 16 REMEDIATION AND RESTORATION ANNUAL REPORT 2006 ------- U.S. EPA New England Emergency Planning & Response Program ‘ EPA United States Environmental Protection Agency New England SITES WITH CLEANUP ACTIVITIES COMPLETED IN 2006 Site Name Cily Dote CERCLA Completed Funds Expended Connecticut InterRoyal (Removal 4) Somers Plating East Main Street Disposal Area Maine Camden Yarns New Franklin Laundry Plainfield 05/25/2006 $1,770,762 Somers 06/20/2006 $2,996,604 Branford 1 2/07/2006 $ 44,988 Lewisfon Bangor 09/19/2006 04/11/2006 $ 5,840 $ 394,799 Massachusetts Leavens Awards Cabin Realty Trust John J. Riley Whitman Cistern Attleboro Taunton Wobu rn Whitman 12/20/2005 01/20/2006 11/15/2006 06/28/2006 $ 172,323 $ 250,887 $ 11,557 $ 800,478 — New Hampshire L St Catherine Street Tannery Waste Penacook 07/10/2006 $ 322,641 Rhode Island Centredale Manor Restoration Protect Hartford Avenue Gravel Pits North Providence Johnston 05/15/2006 1 0/24/2006 $2,883,251 $ 77,905 — J Vermont St Albans Gas and Light St Albans 09/1 2/2006 $1,248,563 REMEDIATION AND RESTORATION ANNUAL REPORT 2006 / 17 ------- Emergency Planning & Response Program VERMONT SITES WITH ONGOING CLEANUP ACTIVITY Site Name City Date CERCLA Started Funds Expended Connecticut South Paris Perry Baldwinville Do nvers Seekonk Taunfon Woburn Norwood Chesterfield Providence 08/14/2006 10/19/2006 08/16/2004 11/27/2006 07/10/2006 10/30/2005 03/28/2003 10/16/2002 11/07/2005 06/02/2005 $ 1,490,161 $ 58,030 $11,433,392 $ 132,834 $ 416,148 $ 464,173 $ 82,953 $ 369,573 $1 ,402,952 $ 4,266,225 None Maine A C Lawrence Erb Junkyard Massachusetts Baidwinville Residential Properties Danversport Explosion Sherman Avenue Parcel 6A Wells G & H Zimble Drum New Hampshire Electrosonics/Spofford Place Rhode Island Lancashire Street Disposal Area Vermont Jo rd Bennington 08/17/2006 $1,196,615 18/REMEDIATION AND RESTORATION ANNUAL REPORT 2006 ------- U.S. EPA New England ri United States - Environmental Protection Brownfields l Agency New England J EPA NEW ENGLAND BROWNFIELDS: RESTORING VERMONT COMMUNITIES Environmental contamination can rob a community of Its economic potential and its social structure even when Land & Community Revitahz tion contamination is not severe enough for a Superfund desig- B R.O’v\1N1 F l E LPS nation. Any amount of contamination—or even the percep- tion of possible contamination—can prevent the use of valuable property. Across New England, hundreds of prop- erties are abandoned or underused because of the fear of environmental contamination, a contamination that may not even exist. And at the same time these sites are left unused, devel- opment is consuming valuable open space elsewhere. Although such idle properties, called brownfields, are usually urban warehouses or abandoned factories, they can also be found in rural areas. When mines are abandoned or fields host illegal dumping, the value of the property can plummet EPA New England’s Brownfields Program provides solutions by helping communflies restore value to these abandoned sites. The program focuses on providing grants and services to help communities assess contamination, plan for new uses, and clean sites to ready them for redevelopment. “The term ‘brownfield site’ means real property, the expansion, redevelopment. or reuse ci which may be complicated by the presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant.” (from the federal Brownfields Act of 2002) Summary of Brownfields Program Originally begun as an EPA initiative in January 1995, the US EPA National Brownflelds Program has since evolved into a collaborative effort involving many federal, state and local partners. In January 2002, the Small Business Liability Relief and Brownlields Revitalization Act (“the Brownfietds law”) was signed This law expanded potential federal assistance for Brownfields revitalization, including grants for assessment, cleanup, and job training. The law also includes provisions to establish and enhance state and tribal response programs, which will continue to play a critical role in the successful cleanup and revitalization of brownfields. Below is a summary of the US EPA Region 1 funding for each of the key Brownfields initiatives. Summary of EPA Brownfields Funding in Vermont (1 994-2006) Program Funding Assessment Grants $ 6,01 0,000 Revolving Loon Fund (RLF) Grants $ 2,000,000 Cleanup Grants $ 0 Job Training Grants $ 0 EPA Targeted Assessments (TBA) $ 266,621 State Brownfields Funding $ 2,226,543 Showcase Communities $ 0 Grand Total: $10,503,164* *Funding total current as of December 2006 REMEDIATION AND RESTORATION ANNUAl REPORT 2006 / 19 ------- Brownfields Assessment Grant Program The Brownfields Assessment Program consists of grants of up to $200,000 for hazardous sub- stances and $200,000 for petroleum initially to local, tribal and state governmental entities to conduct site assessment and related activities at brownfields sites. Up to $350,000 can be used per size with a waiver. Grantees are selected through a national competition. Recipient Funding Addison County Regional Planning Commission $ 200,000 Bennington County Regional Commission $ 200,000 Burlington $ 700,000 Central Vermont Regional Planning Commission $ 200,000 Chittenden County Regional Planning Commission $ 600,000 Lamoille County Planning Commission $ 200,000 Northeastern Vermont Development Association $ 200,000 Northwest Regional Planning Commission $ 600,000 Rutland $ 200,000 Rutland Regional Planning Commission $ 600,000 Southern Windsor County Regional Planning Commission $ 760,000 Two Rivers Ottauquechee Regional Commission $ 600,000 Windham Regional Commission $ 950,000 Total: $ 6,010,000* t Funding total current as of December 2006 20 /REMEDIATION AND RESTORATION ANNUAl REPORI 2006 VERMONT ------- U S. EPA New England United States Environmental Protection Brownflelds # Agency New England Revolving Loan Fund (RLF) Grant Program Under this initiative, grants are awarded to eligible local, tribal and state entities to establish and capitalize revolving loan funds to assist private and public entities in cleaningup contaminated sites Grants are for up to $1,000,000 and eligible com- munities may team together to establish larger revolving loan funds pools. Grantees are selected through a national competition. Recipient Funding Southern Windsor County Regional Planning Commission $1 ,000,000 Vermont Agency of Commerce & Commur ty Dev&oprnent $ 1,000,000 Total: $ 2,OOO,OOO 1 Funding total current as of December 2006 REMEDIATION AND RESTORATION ANNUAL REPORT 2006 / 21 ------- Brownfields Cleanup Grant Program Under this initiative, EPA funds are awarded to eligible local, state, tribal and non- profit entities to conduct cleanup activities on eligible brownfielcis properties. Grants are for up to $200,000 per property. Entities must own the property at the time of award to be eligible for Funding. Grantees are selected through a national competi- tion. Job Training Grant Program The Brownfields Job Training Program funding is used to train workers in the field of hazardous waste assessment and remediation. To be eligible for these grants, the applicants must be affiliated with an existing Brownfietds-funded grant recipient. Grant- ees are selected through a national competition. EPA Targeted Brownfields Assessments Under this initiative, EPA uses its contractors to conduct brownfields assessments at sites identified by the local entity as being a high-priority for reuse. Brownfields assess- ments typically involve a review of existing site records, site sampling and preparation of a preliminary clean-up cost estimate The information gathered allows local gov- ernment officials and developers to make informed decisions regarding the redevel- opment potential of a site. Recipient Site Approx. Value of Assessment Montpelier Corr Lot, Taylor Street $ 110,31 7 Rockingham TLR Complex, Mill Street $ 56,304 Windsor - 28 River St __________ ____ $ 100,000 P Tota’ : ______________ _____________ 266,621* Funding totol current as of December 2006 22/REMEDIATION AND RESTORATION ANNUAL REPORT 2006 VERMONT ------- U.S. EPA New England United States Environmental Protection Brownfields Agency New England Financial Assistance to State Brownfields Program EPA also offers funding to directly support state brownfields activities including funds to establish and enhance state brownfields programs (also known as voluntary cleanup programs), to conduct site specific assessment and cleanup, to develop revolving loan lund programs and to develop insurance tools. Below is a summary of funding received in Mmont: Program Funding Vermont Deportment of Environmental Conservation Total: — ciurr nt ris r fl Jard Chemical Company 151 South Champlain Street Vermont Electric Coop Jewell Brook Property BCIC Building Complex Sweat Comings Stanley Tools Site Jones & Lamson Plant #1 PVDC Property, 1 00 River Street Downtown Windsor Showcase Communities As part of the multi-federal agency Brownfields National Partnership, sixteen communities were selected to receive Sho vcase Community designation following a national competition. The federal partners work with selected communities to revitalize brownfields properties. EPA generally provided each with a $00,000 Brownfields Ehionstration Pilot and assigned an EPA employee to work lull time in the designated community for two years. $ 2,226,543 $ 2,226,543* iii.x.i-e LsIsr: State Assessments Municipality Site __________ Bennington Burlington Johnson Ludlow North Bennington Richford Shaftsbury Springfield Windsor REMEDIATION AND RESTORATION ANNUAL REPORT 2006 / 23 ------- RCRA Corrective Action Program VERMONT RCRA CORRECTIVE ACTION PROGRAM The Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) provides EPA and authorized states the authority to regulate facilities that treat, store, or dispose of hazardous waste (RCRA facilities). Although RCRA is designed to prevent releases of hazardous waste at RCRA facilities, accidents or other activities have occasionally caused such releases into soil, groundwater, surface water and air The RCRA Corrective Action Program, administered by EPA or authorized states and territories, compels RCRA facilities to investigate and cleanup hazardous waste releases. In New England, four of the six states are authorized to run the program, and Massachusetts and Rhode Island are currently working toward authorization in 2007. RCRA Corrective Action differs from Superfund in that RCRA facilities generally have viable operators and on-going operations, although some of the sites may be aban- doned. By the year 2020, EPA and the authorized states plan to have largely completed cleanup of releases of hazardous wastes at all facilities requiring Corrective Action resulting in reuse and revitalization of these properties. While working toward the 2020 goal, EPA wanted to ensure that sites presenting the greatest risk to human health and the environment were addressed first, and developed what is called the “2008 baseline” of facilities in each state. Remediation of the highest-priority sites involves numerous steps and often takes years to complete. Interim goals allow EPA to measure performance and facilitate reuse and revital- ization of these sites. In this regard, the EPA RCRA Corrective Action Program developed two Environmental Indicators (Els). Human Exposure El The Human Exposures El ensures that people near a particular site are not currently exposed to unacceptable levels of contaminant risk under current land and groundwater use conditions Groundwater El The Groundwater El ensures that the migration of contaminated groundwater has stabilized and does not spread and further contaminate groundwater resources. As a result of EPA efforts to achteve the Els at facilities, as of today the Els have been achieved at the majority of the highest-priority Corrective Action sites in New England. Building on the success of the Els and collaborative partnerships with stakeholders, the Corrective Action Program prioritized its focus in 2006 to the substantive cleanup and revitalization work that will result in final dispositions of these facilities. Similar to the Superfund program then, the RCRA Corrective Action Program is measuring its remedy and “con- struction completion” accomplishments, which translate into reuse and revitalization of these facilities and communities. New England Universe and Status of RCRA Corrective Action Sites State 2008 Human Groundwater Final Construction 2020 Baseline Exposure El El Achieved Remedy Complete Baseline Achieved Selected Achieved CT 128 119 90 17 11 163 ME 18 13 13 10 9 37 MA 26 20 15 1 1 46 NH 9 6 6 2 1 11 RI 5 4 4 0 0 18 VT 4 4 4 __ 4 4 7 L Ls: 190 T 132 26 282 24/REMEDIATION AND RESTORATION ANNUAl. REPORT 2006 ------- NEW ENGLAND UNDERGROUND STORAGE TANKS FACILITY INSPECTIONS CT ME MA NH RI VT Iota Is: 4,633 1,471 4,766 1,294 675 1,129 13,968 1,173 0 20 150 2,620 CONFIRMED RELEASES IN NEW ENGLAND 401 538 135 510 2,675 U.S. EPA New England United States rI.%En oental Protection UST Agency New England EPA NEW ENGLAND UNDERGROUND STORAGE TANKS: New Legislation Requires Changes to the Underground Storage Tank Program On August 8, 2005, President Bush signed the Energy Policy Act of 2005. Title XV, Subtitle B of this act (entitled the Underground Storage Tank Compliance Act of 2005) contains amendments to Subtitle I of the Solid Waste Disposal Act, the origi- nal legislation that created the underground storage tank (UST) program. This new law significantly affects federal and state underground storage tank programs, will require major changes to the programs, and is aimed at reducing underground storage tank releases to our environment. The UST provisions of the Energy Policy Act focus on preventing releases. Among other things, it expands eligible uses of the Leak- ing Underground Storage Tank (LUST) Trust Fund, and includes provisions regarding inspections, operator training, delivery pro- hibition, secondary containment and finan- cial responsibility, and cleanup of releases that contain oxygenated fuel additives. To implement the new law, EPA and states will work closely with tribes, other federal agen- cies, tank owners and operators, and other stakeholders to bring about the mandated changes affecting underground storage tank facilities. In 2006, EPA proposed or finalized con- gressionally required guidelines on inspec- tions, delivery prohibition, state report on government owned UST’s, public record, secondary containment, financial respon- sibility and installer certification, and tribal strategy. In 2007 states must begin to adopt these guidelines in their state — for sec- ondary containment and financial respon- sibility by February 8, 2007, and delivery prohibition, inspections and public record by August 8, 2007. Operator training re- quirements need to be in place by August 8, 2009. Leaking Underground Storage Tanks Program In addition to the extra activities now required in the Energy Bill, New England states continue to track new releases, have contamination assessed and plan and implement cleanup of leaking under- ground storage tanks (LUSTs). Above is the current count of cleanup activities underway in the region. Nationally the cleanup backlog is 113,915 as of September, 2006. The annual goal for the country is to complete 13,000 cleanups per year. The regional goal in FY07 is 445. Data as of September 2006 1,268 780 9 311 Data as of December 2006 CT ME MA NH RI VT Totals: 2,497 2,261 6,186 2,275 1,260 1,945 16,424 1,671 2,173 5,230 1 ,449 1,006 1,176 12,705 826 88 956 826 254 769 3,719 REMEDIATION AND RESTORATION ANNUM REPORT 2006 25 ------- Map 26/REMEDIATION AND RESTORATION ANNUAL REPORT 2006 ------- PAGE NOT AVAI LABLI DIGITALLY ------- U.S. EPA New England I EPAU Map I Environmental Protection Agency New England REMEDIATION AND RESTORATION ANNUAL REPORT 2006 / 27 ------- |