This Pollution Report (POLREP) provides an update on the cleanup of metal-contaminated soils at the Apco Mossberg Company, Inc. Superfund Site, located at 100-101 Lamb Street in Attleboro, Massachusetts. The 11-acre property was a former automobile-parts manufacturing facility. The available data indicates that the hazardous materials on-site are linked to former manufacturing activities conducted on the property between 1900 and 1987.
On Tuesday, May 17, 2005, EPA cleanup workers discovered oil contamination in subsurface soils approximately 10 yards from the Ten Mile River. The oil-saturated soils are co-located with cadmium contaminated soils (up to 12,000 ppm Cadmium) in the woodland area 200 feet north of the foundation footprint. The oil appears to occur from approximately 1 to 3 feet below ground surface.
Analytical results from a sample of the oil in the woodland area show the contents to be a mix of weathered fuel oil and motor oil, possibly No. 2 fuel oil. The analytical results also show that the oil contains lead, cadmium, and nickel at levels which exceed Massachusetts Contingency Plan (MCP) Method 2 S-1 soil standards, as well as MCP Method 1 S-1/GW-2 and S-1/GW-3 soil standards. The level of nickel in the oil also exceeds MCP Method 2 S-2 and S-3 soil standards.
The source of the oil is unknown at this point. A possible source may be one (or both) of two abandoned undergound storage tanks located within the northwest corner of the former manufacturing building foundation. Other possible sources include discarded, partially buried 55-gallon drums and deteriorated wooden kegs, observed in the woodland area.
A groundwater sample collected from a monitoring well installed by EPA in 2003 near the abandoned oil tanks also revealed No. 2 fuel oil contamination. Based on a groundwater elevation survey conducted by EPA in 2003, groundwater beneath the property has been determined to flow east-northeast, discharging into the Ten Mile River.
Due to the proximity of the oil contamination to the Ten Mile River, a substantial threat of a discharge of oil, into or upon navigable waters of the United States, exists. The Ten Mile River, designated as a "Class B" waterway by MADEP, is designated as a habitat for fish, other aquatic life, and wildlife, and for primary and secondary recreation. The Ten Mile River empties into Dodgeville Pond, then flows as the Ten Mile River to Central Pond, which becomes the James V. Turner Reservoir, then flows as the Ten Mile River to Omega Pond, which empties into the Seekonk River, which flows into the Providence Harbor/River, which flows to Kettle Point, located at Watchmoket Cove in East Providence, Rhode Island.
However, EPA has determined that there is no need for a separate response to the oil pollution in the woodland area under the Oil Pollution Act (OPA). The ongoing cleanup activities under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA), with respect to the cadmium contamination, will address the oil contamination issue as the oil is co-located with the metal contamination.
Upon discovering the oil contamination, workers bermed the area to prevent oil migration into the river, and collected an oil sample for analysis. OSC Ted Bazenas reported the discovery of oil contamination to the National Response Center in Washington, D.C.
Cleanup workers continue to excavate metal-contaminated soils in the woodland area approximately 200 feet north of the foundation footprint, staging and managing stockpiles onsite for ultimate transport off-site to EPA-approved disposal facilities.
Composite soil samples obtained from the excavation floors and perimeters are being sent to EPA's New England Regional Laboratory (NERL) in Chelmsford, Mass. for analysis. Analytical results for these post-excavation soil samples are being used to verify when cleanup levels have been attained.
Transport of contaminated foundation soils to permitted disposal facilities began in mid-May and continues. To minimize the impact to the community during this period of heavy truck traffic, EPA, in coordination with the Attleboro Police and Fire Departments, is implementing a traffic control plan. The plan includes the following:
Posting flaggers at intersections near the site when heavy trucks are entering and exiting the work area to ensure the safety of nearby residents and pedestrians, cleanup crew, and passing vehicles.
Limiting weekday heavy truck traffic before 8:00 a.m. and after 2:00 p.m. to avoid school buses and heavy commuter traffic. In addition, trucks will be routed away from the center of town.
Washing truck tires and inspecting vehicles before they leave the site to ensure that contaminated materials are not being tracked beyond the work area.
EPA continues to conduct air monitoring and dust suppression activities to ensure that the cleanup activities do not impact the air quality of nearby residents or pedestrians in the vicinity of the work area. Covering stockpiled wastes with heavy tarps and decontaminating vehicles and equipment before moving off-site ensures that contaminated soil is not being tracked or spread beyond the work area.
EPA continues to implement the Erosion, Sediment, and Stormwater Control Plan and Dust Control Plan (ESS&D Plan) for the site, to minimize environmental impacts due to wind erosion and runoff (rain and snowmelt) events.
EPA will continue to excavate metal-contaminated surface soils on the property, transporting contaminated soils and waste materials off-site to permitted disposal facilities. Excavated areas will be backfilled with clean materials and disturbed areas will be revegetated.
EPA continues to evaluate engineering options for excavating metal-contaminated riverbank and wetland soils, including strategies for containing, managing, and disposing of the metal-contaminated oil in the woodland area.
EPA continues to work with the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MADEP) to evaluate strategies for addressing any residual product and sludge in the two abandoned underground storage tanks on-site, as well as any resulting soil and groundwater contamination.
On May 12, 2005, MADEP issued a Notice of Response Action (NORA) to Mr. David M. Cross regarding a threat of an oil release posed by the two abandoned underground storage tanks on-site.
EPA, in conjunction with MADEP, and the City of Attleboro continue to implement the community involvement plan for the site. OSC Morash continues to regularly leaflet the neighborhood and disseminate progress reports. OSC Morash also works with the EPA Press Office to publish press releases in the Attleboro Sun Chronicle with updates on cleanup activities.
Action Memorandum Addendum #1 for the site was signed on May 11, 2005, providing a total project ceiling increase of $1,380,000 to address cadmium-contaminated surface soils in former waste chemical storage lagoons in the wooded area northwest of the manufacturing building foundation. A change in scope for the response action was also authorized to remove and dispose of metal wastes in chemical plating vats and other miscellaneous containers, recently discovered during removal activities in April 2005.
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