United States Environmental Protection Agency
Region I
POLLUTION REPORT

Subject: 

The Wells G & H Superfund Site covers approximately 330 acres in Woburn, Middlesex County, Massachusetts.  The Site includes the aquifer and land mass area located within the zone of contribution to the City of Woburn’s two municipal drinking water wells known as Wells G & H.  The Olympia Property is one of the five primary source areas of contamination within the Federal Superfund Site.  TCE-contaminated soils in the subsurface have contaminated ground water and continue to act as an ongoing source of ground water contamination.  In addition, PCBs were present in exposed surface soils in the former drum disposal area, where they posed a direct contact threat to those who may enter the site.  See polrep 1 for additional background information.

In a memorandum dated July 23, 2002 the remedial program notified the Emergency Planning and Response Branch (EPRB) of the presence of high levels of contaminants in surface soils and subsurface soils acting as an ongoing source of ground water contamination at this site and requested that a time critical removal action be undertaken.  On August 14, 2002, EPA initiated a Preliminary Assessment/Site Investigation (PA/SI) which included walking the site with the remedial project manager, reviewing the site file, and meeting with the entire remedial case team.  Recent data collected from the site by the remedial program and its contractors indicates significantly higher levels of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and trichloroethylene (TCE) than previously believed to exist at the Olympia Property in this area.  The PA/SI was concluded, and a removal action was recommended in a closure memo dated October 11, 2002.

The Olympia Nominee Trust (Olympia) has been identified as a potentially responsible party (PRP) as the owner of the site.  Olympia entered into an Administrative Order on Consent (AOC) in which the Olympia committed to conducting removal activities at the site.  Olympia’s contractor, GeoInsight, Inc. (GeoInsight) has mobilized to the site, excavated and disposed of surface soils contaminated with PCBs and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and prepared a work plan to address TCE-contaminated subsurface soils.  The TCE work plan was approved by EPA on March 10, 2004.

EPA and the PRP are currently negotiating a second AOC which will require the cleanup of the TCE contamination per the approved TCE work plan.  The cleanup, which will involve in situ treatment via permanganate injection, is expected to occur during the 2004 construction season.

On or before April 2, 2004, the PRP will submit a Final Report to document the activities conducted under the first AOC.

None identified at this time.

Five cubic yard boxes of contaminated soil, four 55-gallon drums of PCB-contaminated source material, and two 55-gallon drums of decontamination water were shipped to U.S. Liquids of Detroit, Inc. in Detroit, Michigan on June 25, 2003.

Twenty cubic yard boxes of contaminated soil were shipped to U.S. Liquids of Detroit, Inc. on June 26, 2003.

Thirty-one cubic yard boxes of contaminated soil and two 55-gallon drums of decontamination water were shipped to U.S. Liquids of Detroit, Inc. on August 28, 2003.