The Site is located at 5 West Main Street in the city of Chicopee, Hampden County, Massachusetts. The Site is bordered on the north and west by the Chicopee River, on the south by the Chicopee Industrial Park (former Uniroyal Complex), on the southeast by mixed residential and commercial area, and on the east by commercial property. The Site is approximately 500 feet northwest of the U.S. Post Office and the Safety Complex of the City of Chicopee (housing the city Fire Department and a Police Station. Multiple family dwellings, apartments, and condominiums are located on Court and Grove Streets south and within 200 feet of the Site. The Chicopee River is 150 to 200 feet wide on the northern and wester boundaries of the Site. Adjacent to the river and the site are two water treatment pump station and a flood-control dam Single family dwellings and vacant land are present on the northern bank of the Chicopee River opposite the Site.
The Site includes 7 buildings, used for various stages of textile manufacturing, on an L-shaped area of 19.25 acres. The Site is not fully secure and only partially fenced-in and evidence of trespassing is evident via the Chicopee River embankment (routinely used by people for recreational fishing) and paths leading from the south of the Site. Hazardous materials are present in 3 of the buildings. The Site was used by Facemate Corporation to process and finish cotton fabrics (i.e., bleaching, dyeing, resin coating, fire retardant coating) until November 2003, when the company shut down operations due to bank foreclosure procedures and left the Site unoccupied. Oil on the Site was used as either fuel for the plant boiler or lubricants for machinery used in the mill. Bleaches, starches, dyes, acids, and resins were used in the cloth processing and finishing. Chlorinated solvents were used in the machine shops of the mill. Tanks, vats, drums, and other containers of hazardous substances remain in these buildings. The Site has been abandoned since March 2004 without electricity, heat, water, or fire protection utilities.
On August 30, 2004, the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) notified EPA of the presence of large quantities of hazardous substances at this abandoned mill and requested EPA=s assistance in addressing the Site. The Facemate Corporation was a privately owned and operated textile mill that manufactured fabrics for apparel, home, and industrial markets. On September 30, 2004, EPA initiated a Preliminary Assessment/Site Investigation (PA/SI) which included site reconnaissance and inspection of the sulfuric acid tank and water treatment area. On October 5, 2004 EPA and START contractors walked the Site with representatives of DEP and confirmed the presence if acids, bases, hydrogen peroxide, ammonia, ammonium chloride, and other hazardous substances in tanks, vats, drums, and other containers. Friable asbestos containing material (ACM) was also noted on the floors throughout the buildings due to vandalism and deterioration from leaking roofs. In addition, EPA documented the presence of transformers containing polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and a pile containing friable asbestos shingles. The PA/SI was concluded, and a removal action was recommended in a closure memo dated October 22, 2004.
