United States Environmental Protection Agency
Region I
POLLUTION REPORT

Subject: 

The Site, located at Holman Street, near the village of Baldwinville in the town of Templeton, Worcester County, north 42° 36' 54' latitude, west 72° 04' 33 longitude, encompasses a neighborhood of approximately 55 residential properties. The site area is about 1/2 mile north of the village center.  And consists of about 80 acres total along Winchester, Holman, Harris, Elm and Bridge Streets and Winchendon Road.

This was discovered when soil sampling for polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB’s) at the adjacent Temple-Stuart removal site advanced to it’s property line without PCB concentrations declining below acceptable Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MADEP) regulatory concentrations for residential areas. Subsequent sampling of the residential properties in 2003 confirmed PCB concentrations above MADEP levels at 28 properties. An additional 24 properties are slated for sampling in an additional phase.

For additional background information, please see the Action Memorandum

The ERRS contractor commenced site mobilization on 16 August 2004. The following work has been completed; some of this work was performed under expanded PA/SI activities:

• Command post has been established, including a lab trailer with 20 amp electric service.

• Equipment and supplies are being delivered.

• Equipment decontamination pad construction is in progress.

• Soil holding area for disposal staging has been set up.

• 10 yards were sampled to 3 feet depth with a geoprobe to assess vertical profile.

• Removal access has been obtained for 25 of the 28 properties.

• ERRS awarded a security sub-contract to Lock-Tight Security to ensure site security in the off hours, watches commenced on 16 August 2004.

• All 28 properties have been video recorded and photographed by the US Coast Guard Atlantic Strike Team to document existing conditions.

• A botanical inventory of the yards is in progress.

Remove interference such as trees, yard ornaments, etc.
Excavate surface soil as necessary to remove all grids above 10 ppm and to achieve a yard-wide average of 2 ppm or less.
Dispose of contaminated soil.
Backfill with clean soil and hydroseed grass.
Restore trees and shrubbery as far as possible.

Mark the first two properties for removal.
Remove interference and commence removal.

Site includes many mature, large trees, approximately 30 will require removal by a professional tree removal service firm due to location near houses, electric lines, etc.