Vermont Business Magazine The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has completed required comprehensive site cleanup reviews, or Five-Year reviews, of two National Priority List Sites (Superfund Sites) across Vermont.
“Continuing to monitor Superfund sites after our primary cleanup work is completed ensures that site remedies are continuing to protect human health and the natural environment, and that communities who had been burdened by concerns of contamination can rest easier,” said EPA New England Regional Administrator David W. Cash. ”By completing these reviews of the cleanups every five years, EPA can continue to keep communities in the know, and information up-to-date.”
As required by law, EPA conducts reviews at Superfund sites after cleanup remedies have been implemented every five years. This comprehensive review of previous work helps ensure that EPA continues to evaluate the performance of cleanup efforts and determines whether any further action to protect human health or the environment is required.
The Superfund Sites in Vermont, where EPA has completed Five-Year Reviews during the 2023 Fiscal Year, are listed below. The attached links provide access to each Superfund Site page, where you can find their Five-Year Review report(s). The Five-Year Review of each of these sites concluded that the remedies continue to effectively protect peoples’ health and the environment and made recommendations for follow up actions where needed.
Completed Vermont Five Year Reviews in Fiscal Year 2023:
Commerce Street Plume, Williston, Vermont
Aerial photographs from 1937 show the area of what is now the Site to be an undeveloped, vegetated area with a dirt road (later Commerce Street) surrounded by agricultural land. Development of the AIP began in 1946 when Alling Enterprises began manufacturing cup hooks and caster caps. Since then, light industrial and commercial operations by various tenants have occurred along Commerce Street. In 1960, George and Beatrice Alling developed and leased what is now 96 Commerce Street (Lot 07:019:011000) to the Sunshine Biscuit Company for use as a warehouse and distribution center. Another tenant, Qual Tech, excavated unlined lagoon in 1972. The unlined lagoon was used until 1977 by both Qual Tech (1972-1974) and North American Alloys (1974-1977) for on-site wastewater disposal. Mitec leased the property in 1979 and discharged an undetermined quantity of rinse waters and sludge waste associated with electroplating operations to the unlined wastewater lagoon for approximately 5 years. The discharge contained chromium, cadmium, cyanide, nickel, and industrial solvents, including trichloroethene (TCE). Public water and sewer were made available in the area surrounding the Site in 1985 after the Vermont Department of Health surveyed private drinking water wells in the area. Mitec removed contaminated soil from the bottom and sides of the unlined lagoon that same year. From 1986 to 2005, VTDEC and EPA investigated contamination at the Site and surrounding area. The Site was added to the National Priorities List (NPL) on April 17, 2005. From 2010 until 2015, EPA further investigated and studied the Site, completing a Remedial Investigation and Feasibility Study (RI/FS) that characterized Site contamination, detailed the risk due to the contamination, and evaluated potential remedies to address those risks. A more detailed history of the Site may be found in Section 1 of the Remedial Investigation report. On September 30, 2015, EPA issued a ROD for the Site memorializing the selected remedy. In accordance with the soil remedial component of the ROD, during the fall of 2017 EPA removed 1,193 tons of contaminated soils from the area of the former wastewater lagoon at various depths within four defined excavation areas. Excavated soils were disposed of at a licensed off-site facility. Using clean backfill, EPA restored the ground surface throughout the excavation areas such that post-excavation sampling demonstrated all contaminants of concern met background cleanup standards. Site restoration (plantings, seeding, gravel compaction) and permanent fencing were completed the following field season in 2018. Figure 2 shows the depth and extent of the soil removal activities. Remedial measures related to the Vapor Mitigation remedial component commenced in 2018 when VTDEC initiated mitigation measures at the residence located at 830 South Brownell Road, a property previously identified to have been impacted by the migration of contaminant vapors to indoor air. Mitigation measures have included filling and closing off the basement to a level above the water table and installing a passive sub-slab depressurization system (SSDS) and vapor barrier. The VTDEC is working towards completion and acceptance of the work performed by its contractors. As entirely passive vapor mitigation measures were utilized, further inspections/verifications of the remedial component are not planned and operation and maintenance activity are not required. In 2019, VTDEC completed the 100% (final) Remedial Design (RD) for the groundwater contamination component of the ROD. A March 2022 ESD was completed that describes changes to the soil cleanup level, as well as the methods to perform the groundwater and vapor intrusion remedial components selected in the RD. In May 2022, funding was provided via the federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Law for VTDEC to commence groundwater remediation under a site-specific Cooperative Agreement with EPA.
Old Springfield Landfill, Springfield, Vermont
The 10-acre Site is about 1 mile southwest of the town of Springfield in Windsor County, Vermont (Figure 1). From 1947 to 1968, the Town operated the Old Springfield Landfill, previously referred to as the Will Dean Dump. Hazardous industrial waste from local industries and municipal trash were disposed of at the landfill. The industrial waste was disposed of in discrete trenches and mixed with municipal solid waste. Most hazardous waste was reportedly in bulk liquid and semi-liquid form. In 1968, the landfill property was sold and developed for use as a mobile home community, known as Springfield Mobile Home Estates (Figure 1). At the time of the mobile home community’s development, the Vermont Department of Health (DOH) recommended that drilled wells not be used to supply water to the mobile homes because the development was located over areas previously used for chemical disposal. The permit for the mobile home community required the residents to be provided with town water. Municipal water lines were extended to serve the mobile homes. By 1994, Springfield Mobile Homes Estates was no longer occupied and mobile homes were removed. The Site currently consists of the Western Seep (which collects groundwater discharge from an area along Seavers Brook Road) and the capped landfill on Will Dean Road (which includes extraction points from which groundwater is conveyed to the on-site PTF). The portion of the Site occupied by the landfill is undeveloped land. Woodlands border the landfill to the north, east and south (Figure 1). Residences along Will Dean Road border the landfill property to the west. A condominium complex consisting of six buildings and 13 single family residences is north of the Site. Current land use is not anticipated to change in the reasonably foreseeable future. 5 The Site is located on an upland plateau with slopes descending steeply to the north, east and west. Seavers Brook runs west of the Site and the Black River runs to the east. Seavers Brook flows northward to the Black River, which flows south and discharges to the Connecticut River. Will Dean Road is located along the western side of the Site. Route 11 runs along the eastern side of the Site (Figure 1). The geology at the Site consists of overburden consisting of silt, glacial till, sands and gravel which is located over bedrock. Groundwater occurs in both the overburden and in the underlying bedrock. Site groundwater is recharged from uplands located south of the landfill. Beneath the waste areas, shallow groundwater in the silt and glacial till flows generally to the east and discharges in seeps and springs on the slopes of the Site. Discharge of the deeper groundwater is anticipated to occur in the sands and gravels along the Black River. Due to the Site’s location on a plateau between the Black River and Seavers Brook, a northwest/southwest oriented groundwater divide is present on site. A portion of groundwater at the Site migrates northwest toward Seavers Brook and discharges at the Western Seep. Groundwater in the bedrock flows generally to the east toward the Black River (Figure 1). Groundwater contamination has historically been located in greatest concentrations beneath the southeastern portion of the landfill. The bedrock aquifer is a current source of drinking water in the area for those individuals not connected to the municipal water supply system. Users of the bedrock aquifer groundwater near the Site are located primarily upgradient of the Site or are beyond the site groundwater plume. Groundwater monitoring wells are located between the Site and current users of the bedrock aquifer. All other residents in close proximity to the Site receive municipal water from the Town.
Background
The Superfund program, a federal program established by Congress in 1980, investigates and cleans up the most complex, uncontrolled, or abandoned hazardous waste sites in the country and endeavors to facilitate activities to return them to productive use.
Throughout the process of designing and constructing a cleanup at a hazardous waste site, EPA’s primary goal is to protect public health and the environment. At many sites, EPA continues to ensure it remains true to EPA’s mission, by requiring cleanup reviews every five years. It is important for EPA to regularly check on these sites to ensure the cleanup remedy is working properly. These reviews identify issues (if any) that may affect the protectiveness of the completed remedy and, if necessary, recommend action(s) necessary to address them.
There are many phases of the Superfund cleanup process including considering future use and redevelopment at sites and conducting post cleanup monitoring of sites.
More information:
For more information about EPA’s Superfund program, visit www.epa.gov/superfund
Source: BOSTON (Dec. 20, 2023) – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Learn more about EPA Region 1: https://www.epa.gov/aboutepa/epa-region-1-new-england
