Clean Up Work Begins at ECC Corporation Location in Holden, Massachusetts

(Boston, Massachusetts - March 1, 2007) - E.P.A. and the Massachusetts Dept. of Environmental Protection (Mass DEP) began cleanup this week of the ECC Corporation Location located at 156 Princeton Street in Holden, Massachusetts The Location includes a two-story brick and cinder block manufacturing building located on an approximately 17-acre property.

ECC Corporation conducted electroplating operations at the site, including manufacturing of printed circuit boards, beginning in the 1950s. The facility has been inactive and unoccupied since shutting down in 2005.

"EPA and Mass DEP are working jointly to clean up this site, to quickly and safely address concerns for nearby residents and the town's drinking water," said Robert W. Varney, regional administrator for EPA's New England office. "The close coordination by both agencies will result in a comprehensive approach to cleaning up this former electroplating facility."

"The partnership between Mass DEP and E.P.A. will ensure that the contaminants at this Location are properly contained and then removed before they can impact sensitive resources," said Mass DEP Acting Commissioner Arleen O'Donnell. "Addressing the issues at this Location is important to the Town of Holden. Once cleaned up, the Location would offer a lot of potential for future brownfields redevelopment."

Joint investigations conducted by E.P.A. and Mass DEP at the facility revealed tanks, drums and other containers, primarily in the wastewater treatment area and the laboratory. These contain chemical products such as cyanides, acids, bases and metal solutions that were used in the electroplating process and also chemicals that were used in the treatment of wastewater generated during the manufacturing process. Approximately 7,000 gallons of such hazardous substances are present in the facility.

Over the next several weeks, E.P.A. will take steps to secure the site, dispose of the drums and containers of chemicals, and pump out and clean the storage tanks; before transporting the materials off Location for disposal at an approved facility. Follow-up activities by E.P.A. and Mass DEP will include sampling of soils, surface water and/or ground water at the Location to determine whether hazardous substances have been released from the facility. While this work is ongoing, the public is reminded not to trespass on the Location or attempt to enter the building.

More information: Clean up of the ECC Location (www.epaosc.net/ECC)

There are currently no comments for this story. Be the first to add a comment!
Click here to add a comment about this story.