EPA to begin comprehensive site investigation/early cleanup decision finalized


U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Community Update #3
Eastland Woolen Mill Superfund Site
Corinna, Maine
July 1999

 

EPA is on the move!!

July 1999 has been a very busy and successful month for EPA at the Eastland Woolen Mill Superfund Site, completing four significant milestones in record pace. EPA:

  1. Designated the Eastland Woolen Mill Site on the National Priorities List (NPL). The site is now eligible for funds to address long-term cleanup activities, such as groundwater cleanup and monitoring.
  2. Finalized work plans for the remedial investigation (RI), with work beginning in August 1999.
  3. Finalized the official decision to implement the non-time critical removal action (NTCRA), or early cleanup plan, proposed to the public for comment in May 1999.
  4. Received official notice from EPA Headquarters in Washington D.C. that the early cleanup, or NTCRA, will be funded in 1999.

Now that funding has been approved, EPA will begin the process of selecting a project contractor, gathering data, and 
designing detailed project plans in preparation for the early cleanup. At this time, EPA expects to begin demolishing the mill buildings in late fall 1999, with soil excavation and treatment beginning in spring 2000.

Now, EPA will implement two cleanup plans simultaneously, both of which are authorized under two separate Superfund programs called: the "Removal" and "Remedial" Programs.

The Remedial Program provides resources to address long-term issues, such as groundwater contamination. Now that the Eastland Woolen Mill has been officially designated as an NPL 
site, EPA will move ahead with a remedial investigation of site conditions to determine the need for long-term cleanup activities.

Under the Removal Program, EPA may implement actions to abate an emergency or immediate health threat. EPA may also use the removal authority to perform an early cleanup where prompt action is necessary, but more than six months of planning and preparation time is available before on-site cleanup work must begin. EPA is using this removal authority to perform an early soil cleanup at the Eastland Woolen Mill Superfund Site.

EPA has divided its cleanup work at the site into two cleanup plans. The first plan corresponds with the Removal Program, while the second corresponds with the Remedial Program. These cleanup plans for the Eastland Woolen Mill Superfund Site are described next and will be the subject of future community updates.

 

Plan #1: Early Soil Cleanup

The primary goal of EPA's early cleanup for the Eastland Woolen Mill Site is to remove the source of contamination in soils, thereby reducing the amount of contamination that is migrating into the groundwater and the East Branch of the Sebasticook River. EPA will excavate and treat on-site the contaminated soils that represent a threat to human health and the environment. The chlorobenzenes (monochlorobenzene, dichlorobenzene, and trichlorobenzene) in the soils pose a potential significant threat to future users of the groundwater; to humans who come into direct contact with the contaminants; and to the sensitive Sebasticook River ecosystem.

The early soil cleanup is being performed under the Removal Program, and was described in the May 1999 fact sheet that announced a 30-day public comment period. 

The basic components of the early soil cleanup are to:

  • demolish and remove the Eastland Woolen Mill buildings;
  • excavate contaminated soils beneath and near the building foundation and in the Sebasticook River channel;
  • treat excavated soils with a technology that uses heat to drive the contamination out of the soil as a vapor, which is collected and treated;
  • replace soils after the treatment;
  • treat the emissions using combustion or carbon adsorption;
  • collect and treat water to drinking water standards prior to discharge; 
  • re-locate the East Branch of the Sebasticook River to access contaminated soils and river sediments;
  • remove Main Street bridge and install a temporary bridge to divert traffic around cleanup crews; and,
  • restore the excavated area upon completion.

All of the comments received by EPA from the public during the May 28 - June 28, 1999 comment period were in favor of the early cleanup action. 

 

Cleanup Program #2: Remedial Investigation (RI)

During a Remedial Investigation, EPA collects samples from soil, sediments, surface/ground water, air, and/or fish at a contaminated site to determine the extent and nature of contamination. This work is funded by the EPA remedial program and provides important information to evaluate possible long-term cleanup activities. 

At the Eastland Woolen Mill Superfund Site, the goal of the RI is to answer the following questions:

  • Where is the contamination (surface water, sediments, groundwater, soil, air, fish)?
  • How did the contamination get there?
  • Where is the contamination going?
  • What are the specific chemicals and/or hazardous materials present in each medium (surface water, sediments, groundwater, soil, air, fish), and at what concentrations?
  • How might the contamination come into contact with the community?
  • What is the impact of the contamination on human health and the environment?

During the RI, EPA will conduct a series of field studies to collect information that will be used to answer these questions. EPA will then write several reports that will summarize the investigation, present data, and propose conclusions about the effects of site conditions on human health and the environment. Experts from different scientific disciplines will review these reports to determine whether the questions have been effectively answered. 

 

What are the major tasks of EPA's Summer 1999 Field Investigation?

EPA has planned an ambitious and comprehensive field program for summer/fall 1999. Over the course of the next several months, EPA will:

  • collect a series of soil samples across a range of depths. EPA will collect these samples by drilling borings, or wells into the ground. This will help determine what kind of contamination is present and where it is located in the soil.
  • install groundwater monitoring wells into the soil borings. EPA will also install these wells into the bedrock. The groundwater wells will allow for an evaluation of contamination in groundwater, the flow rate and direction of groundwater, and the relationship between groundwater and surface water.
  • collect surface water and sediment samples to identify any contamination in the East Branch of the Sebasticook River.
  • conduct ecological studies of the East Branch of the Sebasticook River to assess the impact of the contamination on fish and organisms that live in the river sediments. EPA will also perform tests to determine safe concentrations of contaminants for aquatic organisms and animals that feed and/or live in the river.

EPA will present the results of all of the investigations performed and data collected at the site in a report called the, Remedial Investigation Report. This report will describe the kinds and concentrations of contaminants that are present onsite and where the contaminants are located.

Once the basic questions have been answered, EPA will use the data presented in the RI report to generate two additional reports: a Human Health Risk Assessment and an Ecological Risk Assessment. The first of these reports will be prepared to evaluate the potential impact to the public from site conditions. The second report will be prepared to estimate the potential impact to the environment. The general content of these reports is described next.

 

Human Health Risk Assessment Report

This report uses data collected during the RI to evaluate potential human health impacts that could result from current or future exposure to contaminants detected at the site. EPA develops this report by describing and evaluating the most likely ways that individuals are currently or may in the future come into contact with the contamination onsite. 

Then, EPA develops a set of assumptions that consider the number of times per year, the number of years, and the amount of contamination that people would ingest or contact. These assumptions are termed "exposure scenarios." EPA uses a "reasonable maximum exposure scenario", or the most conservative (yet still likely) estimate of how often people may be exposed to contamination related to the site. Using these exposure scenarios, in combination with the best information available about harmful effects of the contamination on human health, EPA develops a mathematical equation to estimate the potential health risks to people who may be exposed to the contamination. 

 

Ecological Risk Assessment

EPA develops this report using the same scientific methods as the Human Health Risk Assessment, but focuses on plants, fish, aquatic birds, and other organisms in the environment that may be exposed to contamination from the site. The basic question that is answered in this report is, "How does groundwater, surface water, and soil contamination impact the health of plants and animals in the surrounding environment?" 
The Human Health and Ecological Risk Assessment reports do not evaluate the impact of past exposure to site-related contamination on human health or the environment. Rather, EPA only considers current and future exposure scenarios. If the results of the risk assessment studies reveal a significant potential health impact from the site, then EPA will develop a list of the contaminants that are of most concern and establish a set of cleanup objectives to protect the surrounding community and environment.

 

Feasibility Study

This report uses the findings of the Remedial Investigation, Human Health Risk Assessment, and Ecological Risk Assessment reports to develop a set of cleanup options that address areas of significant contamination onsite. EPA evaluates cleanup technologies that will control or cleanup contamination onsite to protect human health and the environment.

 

Site History
The Eastland Woolen Mill Site is located on Main Street in Corinna, Maine. The mill began operations at the beginning of this century. Chemicals used in the wool dying process, including chlorobenzene, dichlorobenzene, and trichlorobenzene ended up in the Sebasticook River, which flows directly underneath the building. These chemicals eventually reached the groundwater from dumping of chlorobenzene into the soil or leaks in the tanks onsite. These chemicals have also contaminated the groundwater, including several private drinking water wells adjacent to the site. 

With the oversight of the Maine Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), the Eastland Company installed a public drinking water system to provide clean water to homes affected by the chemicals in the groundwater. However, due to their 1996 bankruptcy, the Eastland Company was no longer able to service the water system and abandoned the mill building. Since that time, the DEP has provided the Corinna Water District with financial support to continue to operate the water supply system. In addition, DEP has been very active in efforts to protect public health through conducting investigations of the contamination and monitoring the water supplies. 

The work completed by DEP at the Site has established a clear initial path for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA's) involvement. EPA began investigations at the site in November 1998. 

 

If you have questions or concerns about the Eastland Woolen Mill Site, please contact one of the following officials:

U.S. EPA
Technical Questions:
Ed Hathaway, Project Manager
(617) 918-1372
hathaway.ed@epamail.epa.gov

Community Outreach
Erin Heskett, Public Affairs
(617) 918-1054
heskett.erin@epamail.epa.gov

Maine Department of Environmental Protection
Kathy Niziolek
(207) 287-4861
kathy.d.niziolek@state.me.us

Town of Corinna 
Judy Doore
(207) 278-4183
corinna@tdstelme.net
 

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