The Site is defined as the point of release and
where hazardous substances have come to be located, thus it includes portions
of the ECC Corp. property (the point of release) – the Source Property – and
impacted properties currently consisting of an abutting town property (zoned
residential) and two residential properties (where contamination has come to be
located). Situated at 156 Princeton Street, in Holden, Worcester County,
Massachusetts, the Source Property consists of an approximately 17-acre parcel
(Parcel ID 922 on Holden Tax Map 87, Block 26). The Source Property, located in a predominantly residential
area, is bordered by residential properties to the north, west, and south, and
by the Asnebumskit Brook along the southern and
eastern perimeter.
The Source Property was a former
electroplating manufacturing facility that was operated by Electronic Controls Corporation (ECC) from the 1950s until 2005 and has been
inactive since 2006. Prior to the construction of the ECC facility, a
historical woolen mill operation was once located on the property. The Source
Property includes a two-story brick and cinder-block manufacturing building; a
paved driveway and parking area; areas of maintained lawn; and in the northwest
section, a former waste lagoon, closed under the Resource Conservation and
Recovery Act. The northern portion of the property is currently undeveloped and
is heavily vegetated. There are several monitoring wells located on the
property due to a documented chlorinated solvent plume originating in the former
waste lagoon. There are recovery wells on site that are part of an ECC-operated
pump-and-treat system that had been installed to address the plume; the system
ceased operation in 2005.
A total of 264 soil samples, including four
field duplicates, were collected from soil borings from the Source Property and
from eight abutting residential properties. Sampling analysis by EPA
determined that lead, a hazardous substance as defined by Section 101(14)
of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and
Liability Act (CERCLA), 42 U.S.C. §9601(14), and 40 CFR § 302.4, has been released
or threatened to be released into the environment on the former ECC property,
an abutting town owned property (zoned residential) and two abutting residential
properties (where contamination has come to be located).
The Administrative Record -- Collection 67495 -- is available for review online at:
or using this code:
Site Updates
March 18, 2024: On March 18, 2024, EPA remobilized to the site to resume removal activities. The removal action is expected to be complete by mid-summer, pending delays outside of EPAs control.
February 28, 2024: T&D of staged excavated soil is complete and EPA has temporarily paused removal activities at the ECC Corp. Site due to winter conditions (frozen ground, snow). Removal activities, such as excavation, will resume in the early spring. For up to date information, please refer to this webpage.
February 20, 2024: Transportation and disposal (T&D) of staged excavated soil is scheduled for the week of February 20, 2024. During this time, trucks will be entering and leaving the site periodically. T&D activities are expected to be complete by the end of the week (February 23, 2024), pending delays outside of EPAs control. After completion of T&D, the site will remain shut down until spring.
February 1, 2024: EPA has temporarily paused removal activities at the ECC Corp. Site due to winter conditions (frozen ground, snow). Removal activities, such as excavation, will resume in the early spring. Transportation and disposal activities are currently being scheduled and should be completed in the next few weeks. For up to date information, please refer to this webpage.
December 19, 2023: No site work will be performed between December 22, 2023 and January 1, 2024 due to the upcoming holidays. EPA and its contractors will resume work on Tuesday, January 2, 2024.
