The Maine Department of Environmental Protection (DEP)contacted the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Region 1, Emergency Planning and Response Branch (EPRB) the week of February 9, 2004 to request assistance in assessing a number of environmental threats at a defunct paper mill, the Eastern Fine Paper (EFP) Site in Brewer, Maine. In 2000, the parent company to EFP, Eastern Pulp and Paper, declared chapter 11 bankruptcy. On January 17, 2004, EFP was shut down. A skeleton crew worked at EFP for the remainder of the winter keeping the process chemicals heated and attempting 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 for potential reuse by other facilities. 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. When those attempts failed, EPA was given the go-ahead to mobilize to the site and begin cleanup operations. On-site concerns include acids, caustics, solvents, biocides, PCBs, oxidizers, and assorted laboratory chemicals.
From mobilization in June, 2004 through final loadout in November, 2004, EPA and their cleanup contractor conducted a number of removal activities including, but not limited to: draining charged chemical lines; collecting, consolidating and appropriately staging totes/drums/containers; inventorying and staging laboratory chemicals; removing, consolidating and staging thousands of fluorescent bulbs, mercury switches and thermostats, fire extinguishers, and PCB ballasts; consolidating and staging empty containers; bulking contents of similar totes; facilitating and assisting in the loadout of chemicals and oils for reuse and recycling; and transporting hazardous chemicals, empty containers, assorted gas cylinders, and pollutants and contaminants for off-site disposal.
