RETURN TO USE INITIATIVE 2012 Demonstration Project NORWOOD PCBS: Norwood, Massachusetts THE SITE: The 26-acre Norwood RGBs Superfund site (the Site) is located on Route 1 in a commercial area of Norwood, Massachusetts. For almost 40 years, a succession of businesses that manufactured electrical equipment operated from the Site. Improper disposal practices resulted in contamination of soil and ground water at the Site with polychlorinated biphenyls (RGBs) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs). In 1979, the site owner subdivided the Site into a 10-acre northeastern portion and a 16-acre southern and western portion. Grant Gear Works, Inc. leased the 10-acre portion of the Site, using the on-site facilities to conduct industrial gear manufacturing. Several parties purchased the remaining 16-acre portion of the Site and further divided the area into seven lots and a private roadway. After site investigations identified PCBs in soil in 1983, the EPA and the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) conducted emergency cleanup activities. The EPA removed 518 tons of PCB-contaminated soil and disposed of it at an off-site facility. MassDEP fenced off and covered areas containing high levels of PCB contamination. During cleanup activities, the EPA found additional contaminants in soil and identified elevated levels of PCB and VOCs in ground water. Subsequently the EPA placed the Site on the National Priorities List (NPL) in 1986. From 1989 until 1999, the EPA conducted additional cleanup activities, including removing contaminated soil and sediment from a brook next to the Site, placing contaminated materials under an asphalt cap on site, placing a gravel cover over two lesser-contaminated areas, and demolishing an on- site facility. From 1996 to 2001, the EPA also constructed and operated a ground water treatment facility to address contaminated ground water. The EPA worked with the Site's potentially responsible parties (PRPs) to conduct long-term maintenance activities. The PRPs collect ground water, surface water and sediment samples on an annual basis with the EPA and MassDEP oversight. PICTURED: In the event that future digging occurs in the parking area, an orange marker layer indicates the transition between the bottom of the new parking surface and the top ofthe remedial cap. (source: The EPA) BARRIERS: The Site's original institutional controls (ICs) did not consider redevelopment activities. Additionally, the community expressed concerns about the safety of the Site following redevelopment. SOLUTION: The EPA and MassDEP worked closely with developers and the local community to develop compatible ICs and reuse plans to ensure the protectiveness ofthe Site's remedy and the long-term safety of redevelopment activities. SEPA United States Environmental Protection Agency Superfund Redevelopment Initiative BEFORE: 26-acre commercial property impacted by soil and ground water contamination. AFTER: Two large commercial/retail facilities providing 56,000-square feet of commercial/ retail space. PICTURED: One of the storefronts on the redeveloped property, (source: The EPA) February 2013 1 ------- THE OPPORTUNITY: In 1997, a local business owner entered into a Prospective Purchaser Agreement (PPA) with the EPA as part of his purchase of the 10-acre portion of the Site, where the majority of contaminants are located. The agreement required his cooperation with the recording of land use restrictions (also known as institutional controls or"ICs") on the site property to protect the remedy. After purchasing a portion of the Site and completion of remedy construction in 2001, the business owner leased the property to a private retail developer. The developer's initial proposed redevelopment required some modification of the ICs to facilitate reuse. This provided the EPA, the property owner and the developer an opportunity to work together to ensure that the remedial cap and cover at the Site remained in place and protective during and after the Site's redevelopment. In 2008, when developers completed plans for commercial facilities at the Site, the EPAand MassDEP worked with the developers to enhance the protectiveness of the Site's remedy as part of the redevelopment construction. BARRIERS: The original ICs, placed on the Site in 1992, did not consider the Site's redevelopment. Commensurate with the property transfer, the EPA and MassDEP drafted new ICs, which contemplated future reuse of the property. Subsequently, developers proposed several plans for redevelopment, including a large retail building centered on the permanent cap area. This proposed plan would have resulted in intrusive activities into the most-contaminated materials, so the local government and community rejected the plan. THE SOLUTION: The EPA worked closely with MassDEP, the PRPs, site owners, developers and the local community to record the modified ICs. EPA and MassDEP collaborated with developers to create a redevelopment work plan that preserved remedy components and was consistent with the land use restrictions previously recorded. The final plan proposed two smaller commercial/retail buildings situated around the capped area. The plan situated the central parking lot over the capped area where the most-highly contaminated soil is located. In 2008, the Site's developer submitted the construction work plan and, with the approval of the EPA and MassDEP, redevelopment construction began. Developers added additional gravel to the gravel portions of the Site to provide the necessary grading for the construction of the commercial buildings and enhance protectiveness. The construction of a parking lot for the commercial center provided the opportunity to increase the thickness of the asphalt cap and thus, the protectiveness of the remedy. Construction of the new buildings also included the installation of a passive vapor mitigation system consisting of a layer of gravel and a network of transmission lines vented to the exterior to ensure the safety of the buildings' occupants. Additionally, the building design included provisions to allow for air sampling beneath the buildings. THE SITE NOW: Today, protectiveness of the remedy exceeds what cleanup plans for the Site required. The Site provides two large facilities on the northeastern portion of the Site totaling 56,000 square feet of commercial/retail space. Monkey Sports, a sports equipment retailer, currently occupies one of the facilities and the second facility remains available for use. Close collaboration between the EPA, MassDEP, the PRPs, developers and local community has resulted in the successful redevelopment of the 10-acre northeastern portion of the Site while also preserving the protectiveness of the remedy in place. In addition, this new development complements prior commercial development on the southern and western portions of the Site. Area commercial development, completed in the mid-1980s, currently houses a variety of businesses, including a two-year private college, business and medical supply and wholesale retailers, a martial arts center and a toy store. The new Monkey Sports store brings additional retail resources to this growing commercial area. FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT: Daniel Keefe, Remedial Project Manager, at keefe.daniel@epa.aov or (617) 918-1327; or John Podgurski, Region 1 Superfund Redevelopment Coordinator, at podgurski.john@epa.gov or (617) 918-1296. &EPA United States Environmental Protection Agency Superfund Redevelopment Initiative February 2013 2 ------- |