United States Environmental Protection Agency
Region I
POLLUTION REPORT

Subject: 

The Site is located at 156 Princeton Street in a residential area of Holden, Massachusetts.  The Site includes a two-story brick and cinder block manufacturing building located on an approximately 17-acre property.  ECC Corporation conducted electroplating operations, including manufacturing of printed circuit boards, beginning in the 1950s.  The facility has been inactive and unoccupied since shutting down in 2005.  The building is without electricity, heat, water, or fire protection utilities.  Tanks, drums, and other containers of hazardous substances are present, primarily in the wastewater treatment area of the facility.  Approximately 7,000 gallons of hazardous materials are present, including potassium cyanide, acids, bases, flammables, metal hydroxide sludge, and lead.  See polrep 1 for additional site background information.

See polrep 1 for discussion of prior removal activities.

On January 18, 2007 MassDEP conducted a ground water sampling event at and around the Site.  MassDEP sampled 8 existing monitoring wells, plus the Spring Street Well (a water supply well operated by the Town of Holden) for volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which had been historically documented in ground water at the Site.  Laboratory results are pending.

On February 12, 2007, EPA's Superfund Technical Assessment and Response Team (START) contractor collected seven water samples from various storm drains, surface waters, and sumps at the Site.  These samples were sent to EPA's New England Regional Laboratory for VOC, metals, pH, and cyanide analyses.  The pH values ranged from 5.9 to 8.6, and no VOCs or cyanides were detected in any of these seven samples.  Laboratory results for the metals analysis are pending.

On February 26, 2007, EPA and its Emergency Rapid Response Services (ERRS) contractor mobilized to the Site to begin disposal activities.  On this date, the bulk acid waste was pumped from storage tanks in the building into a tanker truck and transported off-site for disposal.  On March 1, 2007, the 55-gallon drums and smaller containers of hazardous substances were repackaged as necessary and transported off-site for disposal.  See the "Disposition of Wastes" section of this polrep for additional details.

ECC has continued to conduct daily security checks of the Site.  To date, no signs of disturbance or unauthorized entry have been observed.  ECC has also continued to plow snow from the driveway and parking lot to facilitate access by EPA and its contractors.

Metal hydroxide sludges present in bins, vats, and sumps in the building will be removed and these surfaces will be decontaminated by power-washing.  Sludges and washwaters will be collected and transported off-site for proper disposal.

After the snow has melted and the ground has thawed, EPA and the START contractor will conduct sampling of surface soils and other media as needed to determine whether hazardous substances are present at levels that may pose a health threat.