United States Environmental Protection Agency
Region I
POLLUTION REPORT

Subject: 

The American Tissue Mills of Maine (ATM) Site is the former location of a tissue paper mill, which, prior to 2001 was operated by American Tissue Mills of Maine. In 2001, the company declared chapter 11 bankruptcy, and ceased operation of the mill.  The mill was acquired by Augusta Tissue LLC in March 2003.  Augusta Tissue LLC has not resumed operation of the mill.  The facility has been unsecured and unheated since operations ceased in 2001.   Most of the facility has been without electrical power since that time.  Two former employees of American Tissue had been retained in a part-time capacity by Augusta Tissue.  One of the responsibilities of these employees was to maintain a series of propane fueled heaters to keep the chemicals in the drums, totes, tanks and piping from freezing during winter.  At one point during the winter of 2005/2006, the propane supply at the site ran out.  ATM did not provide their employees with any funds to procure additional fuel, and the facility has been unheated since that time.  Reportedly, the employees have not been paid for their services for several months.   Electrical service was maintained in the office portion of the complex, until a fire destroyed the office on May 15, 2006.

Please refer to earlier POLREPS for a description of Site activities prior to August 13, 2009.

On September 15 and 16, 2009, EPA and its contractors returned to the site ,to address ten transformers which had been identified to contain PCBs.

Site activities consisted draining transformers and  rinsing with diesel oil.  The efficiency of the transformer rinsing process was monitored on-site using of Dexsil PCB Chlor-N-Oil® kits.    The PCB contaminated rinse oil was containerized and shipped off-site for disposal, completing the removal action.

The removal action at this site was previously determined to be complete as of December 3, 2008 (see POLREP 4 and Final).

Subsequent actions documented in this POLREP, were conducted in accordance with the Action Memorandum authorizing a second exemption from the 12 month statutory limit, approved on August 6, 2009.

Please refer to earlier POLREPS for a disposition of waste information prior to October 12, 2008.