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Cumberland and Lincoln Receive $100,000 from EPA Administrator Whitman for Reuse of Peterson/Puritan Superfund Site

Release Date: 07/26/2002
Contact Information: Andrew Spejewski, EPA Press Office, (617- 918-1014)

LINCOLN, R.I. – Flanked by state and local officials at the Pratt Dam along the Blackstone River, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Christie Whitman today awarded a $100,000 Superfund redevelopment grant to the towns of Cumberland and Lincoln for the planned re-use of the 500-acre Peterson/Puritan Superfund Site.

The grant is part of $1.2 million being awarded to help 19 communities across the country determine reuse options and redevelopment plans for cleanup of Superfund National Priorities List (NPL) sites.

“Beyond just cleaning up these sites, we need to help communities return them to productive reuse,” Whitman said. “Today’s grant will help Cumberland and Lincoln maximize the Peterson/Puritan site, boosting both the tax base for these two communities and the quality of life for the growing number of users of the Blackstone River.”

The two towns will use the Superfund Redevelopment Pilot Grant to involve community members in developing a reuse plan for the 500-acre site, which has already seen more than $12 million of cleanup work funded by EPA and responsible parties.

The process will involve extensive stakeholder involvement in “visioning” workshops and other reuse planning activities. Another key component will be to develop an accurate data base of relevant site information and GIS maps to support the planning activities.

“This is a pro-active step by your government to maximize the use of this important property through planning and study,” said Lincoln Town Administrator Jonathan Oster, who joined Whitman at today’s press conference. “The funding will help our town government respond to the needs and concerns of the community. The Town of Lincoln greatly appreciates the grant funding.”

“Early this year, Cumberland embarked on an extensive project to review and establish appropriate growth management issues for the town,” added George Gifford, Cumberland’s growth management project manager. “Many of our public discussions with citizens included the topic of how Cumberland may plan for re-use of existing ‘tainted’ properties. This EPA grant is very timely. It will allow us to appropriately address the issue as it applies to this critical area adjacent to the Blackstone River.”

The Peterson/Puritan site covers 500 acres straddling the Blackstone River in Cumberland and Lincoln. Two portions of the site have major cleanups underway, while other portions of the site are still in active industrial, commercial or recreational uses. Most of the 40 separate parcels are privately owned, with some owned by local and state governments.

The site covers an industrial park, including the former Peterson/Puritan facility, an inactive landfill known as the J. M. Mills Landfill, sand and gravel operations, the Blackstone River State Park (including a river-front bikeway), impacted municipal water supply wells and numerous interspersed areas of undeveloped land, flood plain and wetlands along the river.

The Blackstone River became a federally-designated “American Heritage River” in 1999. The river and nearly 400,000 surrounding acres make up the Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor. The Blackstone River Bikeway and the Blackstone River Canoe Trail both pass through the site.

The Superfund Redevelopment Initiative makes it possible for communities to have a strong voice in local land use decisions that affect them. The 19 communities will use the $1.2 million to plan for a variety of activities such as housing, education and training centers, industrial parks, recreational facilities and service centers.

Superfund redevelopment has existed throughout the United States for many years. Communities and other stakeholders have turned over 300 toxic waste sites into community assets. Over 15,000 on-site jobs have resulted from a variety of commercial and recreational uses including retail stores, office buildings, golf courses, transportation centers and sports complexes. These jobs have resulted in over $500 million in annual income. Many sites are being used for passive recreation including hiking trails, bike paths and parks, as well as ecological purposes such as wildlife preserves and wetlands. In fact, over 60,000 acres have been put into recreational and ecological use.

EPA’s Superfund Redevelopment Program, which started in 1999, already has contributed nearly $5 million in kind services and other assistance to 50 communities across the country. Superfund redevelopment funds can be used for a variety of activities designed to identify anticipated future uses including: public outreach; facilitation, coordination and training efforts among community members and different levels of government on reusing Superfund sites; and developing reuse assessments and reuse plans.

For more information about the Superfund Redevelopment Pilot Program, grant recipients, and a description of these new pilot projects visit EPA’s web site at: www.epa.gov/superfund/programs/recycle/index.htm