(Boston, Massachusetts - May 21, 2013) - E.P.A. today is adding 2 Massachusetts sites to the National Priorities List (NPL) of Superfund sites, and is proposing to add one New Hampshire location as well. Superfund is the federal plan that investigates and cleans up the most complex, uncontrolled or abandoned hazardous waste sites in the country to protect people's health and the environment.
The former Walton & Lonsbury Incorporated facility in Attleboro, Massachusetts and the former Creese & Cook Tannery in Danvers, Massachusetts have been added to the list. The former Collins & Aikman Plant in Farmington, N.H. has been suggested for consideration.
"Adding these 2 sites to the national Superfund list allows E.P.A. to begin addressing contamination issues on these parcels. Superfund has been very effective cleaning contaminated lands across the country, ensuring cleaner and healthier communities," said Curt Spalding, regional administrator of EPA's New England office.
"These heavily contaminated sites in Attleboro and Danvers will one day be clean enough to be redeveloped and help boost the Massachusetts economy," said Massachusetts Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Rick Sullivan. "We thank our partners at the E.P.A. for listing these sites as priorities, helping us to protect our residents and the environment."
The former Walton & Lonsbury location housed a chrome plating facility, formerly operated by Walton & Lonsbury, Incorporated While in operation from 1940-2007, the facility was used to chrome plate oversized objects such as pistons for large hydraulic equipment or rollers for paper mills. A number of chemicals and chemical compounds were used and left as waste in the operations process. The contaminants of concern on the location include total chromium, hexavalent chromium, lead and volatile organic compounds. The Commonwealth of Massachusetts referred the location to E.P.A. because it poses a serious risk to human health and the environment and because the former Walton & Lonsbury Incorporated is bankrupt. E.P.A. has been working on a removal action since 2010 to address the most immediate risks. The NPL listing allows E.P.A. to address long-term risks.
The former Creese & Cook Tannery property is comprised of 3 parcels and a portion of a 4th parcel (a railroad right-of-way) totaling approximately 17 acres of land situated along opposite banks of the Crane River in Danvers, Massachusetts At one time, the 4 parcels were owned by the Creese & Cook Company being used as a leather tanning and finishing operation from 1903 until 1981, when the company went bankrupt. Solid wastes from the manufacturing process were disposed of in 2 onsite landfills. Liquid effluent was discharged directly to the Crane River and later to sewers, while sludge waste was deposited in an on-site lagoon system. The former Creese & Cook Tannery property was later subdivided and one of the 3 parcels has been redeveloped into a condominium complex. The Commonwealth of Massachusetts referred the location to E.P.A. because it poses a serious risk to human health and the environment and because there are no funds accessible to continue work.
The next steps for the 2 Massachusetts sites, as with all NPL sites, is for E.P.A. to identify companies or people responsible for the contamination at a site, and require them to conduct or pay for the cleanup. For the newly listed sites without viable potentially responsible parties, E.P.A. will investigate the full extent of the contamination before starting significant cleanup at the site. Therefore, it may be several years before significant E.P.A. clean up backing is required for these sites.
The former Collins & Aikman Plant in Farmington, N.H. was also formally suggested to be added to the NPL. This action initiates a 60-day public review period. Following the public review period, E.P.A. will review comments received to determine if the location should be listed on the NPL. The Collins & Aikman Plant itself was a former automotive parts manufacturing facility. The facility is a source for groundwater contamination in the area. The State of New Hampshire has referred the location to E.P.A. for review because the location poses risk to the environment and human health. Collins & Aikman Co. is bankrupt, leaving no money to continue the investigation and implement a comprehensive cleanup in the future.
Since 1983, E.P.A. has listed 1,685 sites on the NPL. At 1,145 or 68 percent of NPL sites, all cleanup remedies are in place. Approximately 610 or 36 percent of NPL sites have all necessary long-term protections in place, which means E.P.A. considers the sites protective for redevelopment or reuse.
More information:
Federal Register notices and supporting documents for the final and suggested sites: http://www.epa.gov/superfund/sites/npl/current.htm
How a location is listed on the NPL: http://www.epa.gov/superfund/sites/npl/npl_hrs.htm
