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INCINERATION COMPLETED AT THE BAIRD and McGUIRE SUPERFUND SITE

Release Date: 06/17/1997
Contact Information: Kristen Conroy, EPA Community Relations, (617) 918-1069

Boston -- U.S. EPA-New England office today announced the completion of the cleanup of the nation's 14th worst Superfund Site. OHM Remediations Services Corp., contractor to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, completed the incineration of 248,000 tons of heavily contaminated soil at the Baird & McGuire Superfund Site in Holbrook, MA this morning.

"Today marks an environmental victory for the residents of Holbrook and a significant achievement for the nation's Superfund program," said EPA's New England Administrator John P. DeVillars. "The site's soils -- once the cause for classifying it the 14th worst Superfund Site in the country -- have now been safely treated and restored. No longer do neighbors have the fear of exposure to toxic chemicals and pesticides. Seventy years of haphazard handling and improper storage of chemicals -- resulting in a toxic legacy for Holbrook residents -- is now a memory."

"This tremendous milestone could not have occurred without the dedication and support of the Baird & McGuire Task Force, the patience of the surrounding neighbors and businesses, and the cooperation of all the federal and state agencies, as well as OHM Remediation Services, Corp.," said DeVillars.

After EPA approved the trial burn in May 1995, OHM began full operation June 15, 1995. The incinerator operated 24-hrs a day, 7 days a week, cooling down for periodic maintenance. The project included: excavating contaminated site soil and sediment from the Cochato River; safely treating the soil and sediment by incineration; backfilling the ash on-site (after passing tests to show it is no longer a health threat); covering the ash with clean topsoil; and reseeding. The cost for this entire project, being paid by the federal government, is approximately $133 million. This includes all the site studies report and design, the incineration contract, and construction and operation of the groundwater treatment plant.

Throughout the entire project there has been an unprecedented amount of air and stack monitoring to ensure the health and safety of residents and workers surrounding the site. All the stack monitoring conducted has proven emissions to be much less than allowable by federal regulations. For arsenic and lead, emissions have been almost 1000 times below allowable limits.

"Our successful cleanup of the Baird & McGuire Superfund Site was accomplished through not only the technical expertise of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, but also through our strong partnership with the Environmental Protection Agency, the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection, our contractor, OHM Remediation Services of Findlay, Ohio, and the commitment of the citizens of Holbrook to remove this public health threat from their environment," said Lt. Colonel J. Michael Bradbury, Acting New England District Engineer for the U.S Army Corps of Engineers. "This project will help ensure a safe and healthy environment for the residents of Holbrook and the surrounding communities, and will stand as a monument to the success of the Superfund Program in the region."

Secretary of Environmental Affairs Trudy Coxe said, "In terms of toxicity, number and location of hazardous contaminants, this was truly one of the worst in the country. Now the contaminants have been removed from the soil, surface water and wetlands and are actively being removed from the groundwater. This is a huge success for everyone involved."

"This project is a testament to the importance of community involvement and stands as an example of how well a program can work," said Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner David B. Struhs. "We would not have been able to achieve this success without the hard work and commitment of the multiple agencies, and without the cooperation and support of the Baird & McGuire Task Force."

"We have been impressed with how well the community, the Army Corps of Engineers, the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection, the Baird & McGuire Task Force, and the EPA have cooperated together to complete the Baird & McGuire cleanup project in a timely and environmentally sound manner. In completing more than 30,000 environmental cleanup projects, OHM realizes the importance of solid partnerships to successful cleanup efforts. The Baird & McGuire project has definitely been a great success for OHM, and we take pride in being associated with the stakeholders," said James L. Kirk, Chairman, President, and CEO of OHM Corp.

Although the incineration process has been completed, OHM expects that the decontamination and demobilization of the structure housing the incinerator and support equipment will take eight to twelve weeks. Once all the equipment has been removed, the building will be razed, the foundation will be crushed and buried on site, and the area will be covered with ash and topsoil, and then seeded.

The groundwater treatment plant will continue to operate for another ten to twenty years. However, now that the major source of groundwater contamination has been excavated and treated, the groundwater treatment plant will be more effective at cleaning the remaining groundwater at the site.

Following demobilization, potential property reuse opportunities will be available. Although EPA may continue to impose restrictions on portions of the 20-acre site (i.e. land needed to operate the groundwater treatment plant) portions of the site may be used in accordance with Town by-laws. Currently the Baird & McGuire, Inc. owns the land.

The Baird & McGuire Superfund Site, a former chemical manufacturing and batching facility in operation for over 70 years is located approximately 14 miles south of Boston. With over 100 different contaminants in the soils and groundwater, Baird & McGuire has been ranked the 14th worst Superfund site in the country.

The former Baird & McGuire facility was considered dangerous because of the nature, concentration and sheer volume of contaminants in the soil at the site. The hazardous chemicals included dioxin, heavy metals such as arsenic and lead, creositic compounds, pesticides such as chlordane and volatile organic compounds such as xylene, benzene, and toluene. The site was added to the EPA National Priorities List in December 1982.