United States Environmental Protection Agency
Region I
POLLUTION REPORT

Subject: 

Site Location

The Facemate Site, located at 5 West Main Street in the city of Chicopee, Hampden County, Massachusetts, includes 7 buildings, used for various stages of textile manufacturing, on an L-shaped area of 19.25 acres.  It 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.  Multiple family dwellings, apartments, and condominiums are located within 200 feet of the area.  Adjacent to the river and the Site are two water treatment pump stations and a flood-control dam.

The Site is not fully secure, only partially fenced-in, and hazardous materials are present in 3 of the buildings.  The area 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 mill’s machine shops.  Tanks, vats, drums, and other containers of hazardous substances remain in these buildings.  Friable asbestos has been identified in several of the buildings, especially in the boiler room of the main mill building, and a debris pile of asbestos shingles and siding has been identified outside one of the buildings.  The Site has been abandoned since March 2004 without electricity, heat, water, or fire protection utilities.

Activities since the last POLREP

During the reporting period of this POLREP (2/11/05 - 3/25/05), the primary activities included the cleaning of the tanks that were previously identified by ERRS, pumping all vats that were previously identified by ERRS into 55-gallon drums, categorizing all lab pack information, and the continuation of drum handling/sampling activities and prepping all drums that were identified for disposal by the ERRS T&D Coordinator.

In addition to the drum, container, vat and tank work that has been going on by ERRS throughout the reporting period, the following activities have occurred:

∙ On 2/14/2005, an ERRS subcontractor arrived to discuss the asbestos removal procedure with the OSC and ERRS Response Manager..

∙ On 2/15/2005, an ERRS subcontractor disconnected all power sources that were associated with the transformers on site identified for disposal.  

∙ On 2/16/2005, a MA DEP representative, the owners of the Facemate property, met with the OSC, ERRS Response Manager, and ERRS T&D Coordinator regarding the selling of fiber drums containing dye material on site.

∙ On 2/17/2005, an ERRS subcontractor completed the lab packing activities that began 2/9/2005.  

∙ On 2/23/2005, an ERRS subcontractor removed and disposed of nine transformers.  Approximately four rinse water drums and 23 oil drums were removed at the completion of disposal activities.

∙ On 2/25/2005, an ERRS subcontractor disposed of all lab packing material that was generated.  

∙ On 3/9/2005, an ERRS subcontractor disposed of a 5-gallon pale which could not be transported on 2/25/2005.  

∙ On 3/9/2005, an ERRS subcontractor met with the ERRS Response Manager to discuss ACM removal activities and cleared work zone areas with a certified health hygienist.  

∙ On 3/22/2005, an ERRS subcontractor began load out activities of 808 drums/containers.

∙ Identify and characterize waste streams and develop waste profiles for disposal purposes.

∙ Provide transportation and disposal of hazardous substances including but not limited to, acids, bases, dyes, asbestos containing materials (ACM), PCBs transformer and transformer oil at CERCLA-approved off-site disposal and recycling facilities in a safe and cost-effective manner.

∙ Investigate surface contamination in the unpaved areas around the Site (as necessary) and the areas where the above-ground and underground storage tanks were located.  Remove any soil contamination found as necessary.

Direct and coordinate with START and ERRS the ongoing removal action.  In addition, coordinate efforts with MA DEP.