The Eastern Fine Paper (EFP) site is located at 517 South Main Street in a mixed residential/commercial area of Brewer, Maine. The nearest residences are one block north and south of the site. EFP is bordered by the Penobscot River to the west and the Sedgeunkedunk Stream to the south. Much of the site is located within the 100-year flood plain of the Penobscot River. There are approximately 12 structures on the property, but the majority of the historic mill operations occurred in the main building which has been added on to and expanded over the years. The multi-floored buildings are a combination of brick, wood and aluminum. The geographic coordinates are approximately 44°46.3' north latitude and 68°46.8' west longitude.
In 2000, the parent company to EFP, Eastern Pulp and Paper, declared chapter 11 bankruptcy. On January 17, 2004, EFP and a second Eastern Pulp and Paper Mill located in Lincoln, Maine were shut down. The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Region 1, Emergency Planning and Response Branch (EPRB), was contacted the week of February 9, 2004 by the Maine Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), requesting assistance in assessing a number of environmental threats at the EFP site posed by both potential freezing conditions and abandonment of the facility. On February 18, 2004, EPRB personnel visited the facility and along with DEP officials and plant personnel, toured the grounds and documented the stored chemicals, their locations, and associated environmental concerns. This preliminary assessment documented the following: approximately 200 (55) gallon drums, 50 - 100 (230) gallon totes, hundreds of pails and bagged product, a number of bulk tanks in various locations throughout the facility (along with charged lines to and from some of the vessels), PCB transformers, a large propane tank, and radiation sources. The chemical inventory includes drummed and bulk solvents (flammables), acids, caustics, biocides, oxidizers, and water reactives. There were also hundreds of smaller assorted containers in the laboratory. Many of the chemicals present in the facility are RCRA hazardous wastes, CERCLA hazardous substances, or pollutants and/or contaminants.
Although the threats associated with the mill were documented by EPA and DEP in February, a response was not initiated until June, 2004 because from February through mid-March, 2004, the state of Maine and the city of Brewer attempted to find a purchaser for EFP that would continue to operate the facility as a paper mill. During that time period, a skeleton crew worked at EFP keeping the process chemicals heated and attempted to avoid any freeze related discharges to the environment. In addition, the DEP consolidated hundreds of drums, totes and assorted chemical containers in a central warehouse on the EFP property for potential reuse by other facilities. As part of the bankruptcy hearings, a secured creditor for EFP was given the legal rights to all of the chemicals, which includes both those in the warehouse and any useable process chemicals still in the mill. This was done to allow the creditor a way to recover some of the money they were owed by selling the useable chemicals for reuse or recycling. When the attempts to revitalize the mill failed, EPA was given the go-ahead in mid-May, 2004 to mobilize to the site and begin cleanup operations. One of EPA's main tasks upon mobilization is to work with the creditor to ensure reuse or recycling of as many of the chemicals as possible and that they are moved safely and efficiently. Chemicals that will not be reused or recycled will be transported off-site for proper disposal.
Prior to EPA mobilizing to the site, the other Eastern Pulp and Paper mill in Lincoln was reopened and began site operations as Lincoln Pulp and Tissue (LPT). The secured creditor for EFP then worked out a business transaction with LPT where they were allowed to select the chemicals they wanted for their site operations at the Lincoln plant.
EPA and their cleanup contractor mobilized to the site on June 14, 2004. The crew was first led through the buildings to both orient them to the physical layout of the structures and to identify work tasks. The cleanup crew then began site activities such as emptying and consolidating chemical containers and associated process piping. During the same time, representatives from LPT toured the facility and identified chemicals that they wanted for reuse at LPT. During the week of June 14, two trailer loads of these chemicals were loaded and shipped to LPT. EPA has also contacted vendors of some of the other process chemicals (large tanks of Precipitated Calcium Carbonate and Ground Calcium Carbonate) who will be accepting their material back for reuse or recycling.
As previously mentioned, LPT has identified a number of the chemicals throughout EFP for reuse at their facility. Other buyers are being asked to view the remaining chemical inventory and decide what they are interested in purchasing for reuse/recycling in their facilities. EPA will continue to work with all of these buyers and facilitate removal of the chemicals from EFP. When all of the buyers that have been working with the secured creditor have selected the chemicals that they desire, the creditor will give up its legal rights to the remaining inventory. At that time, EPA will work with the DEP to identify any other potential avenues for reuse of the chemicals. When that search is exhausted, EPA will sample, analyze, consolidate as appropriate, and transport off-site the remaining chemicals for proper disposal. The other component of the removal is to properly dispose of 'non-chemical' items that pose a hazard to human health and/or the environment. These include transformers containing PCB oil, lead-acid batteries, used fluorescent bulbs and their ballasts, and mercury switches in thermostats. The transformers and a number of the batteries are currently being used to help power the facility, so these will have to be taken off-line prior to any draining, flushing, or removing.
* Coordinate with the city of Brewer to transfer power from the PCB transformers to allow for them to be drained and flushed.
* Finalize the list of chemicals for reuse or recycling via the secured creditor so EPA can then determine disposal/reuse options for the remaining chemicals.
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