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5-Year Review Underway at Dartmouth, Mass. Superfund Site

Release Date: 07/31/2008
Contact Information: Jeanethe Falvey, (617) 918-1020

(Boston, Mass. – July 31, 2008) – EPA has begun a five-year review of the remedies previously implemented at the Re-Solve, Inc. Superfund Site in Dartmouth, Mass., formerly the location of a chemical waste reclamation facility.

The site, located on North Hixville Road in North Dartmouth, is undergoing a scheduled review to ensure that the selected site remedies are effectively protecting public health and the environment. Five-year reviews are mandated under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (commonly known as “Superfund”). This is the fourth five-year review that has been conducted for this site, the last of which was completed in 2003. EPA is the lead agency conducting the review.

In 1987, EPA issued a “Record of Decision” that selected a remedy to clean up the site. The remedy required the removal of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) from soils and sediments, through excavation and on-site treatment and the removal of volatile organic compounds from site groundwater using an extraction, containment and treatment system. Between approximately June 1993 and December 1994, the responsible parties at the site completed the soil and sediment excavation and treatment remedy. Treated soils were backfilled on site and the site was graded and covered with 18 inches of crushed stone. Approximately one acre of wetlands surrounding the excavated area were remediated and restored. In 1999, the crushed stone was replaced by a native upland meadow to enhance the environmental habitat and reestablish native species at the site.

The groundwater extraction and treatment system is ongoing and remains in a long term operation and maintenance phase. The process consists of a two-tiered system of extraction wells and a treatment system to remove volatile organic compounds. An inner tier of wells prevents migration of the most contaminated groundwater and an outer tier of wells is designed to achieve drinking water standards from the less contaminated water. Treated water is then returned back to the aquifer through a surface water discharge to the Copicut River. The responsible parties began operation of the system in April 1998. The groundwater treatment process meets all federal and state air emission and treated water discharge requirements established for this type of system. Environmental and treatment process monitoring is performed on a routine basis to assess the system’s performance.

EPA has formed a review team to plan and conduct the review and to complete a five-year review report. This process involves an evaluation of the site remedies that may also include:

· interviewing local officials and community members

· collecting information from local officials (zoning changes)

· checking the groundwater treatment system to ensure that it is operating as designed and is being properly maintained

· assessing treatment system records and reports

The information gathered will be evaluated and the review team will make a determination as to whether the remedies remain protective of public health and the environment. When the five-year review is complete, the team will produce a final report that will document its findings. The five-year review process is likely to be completed later this summer. EPA will conduct interviews with any interested parties regarding the site and will solicit concerns and comments as the review progresses. Public participation is encouraged and welcomed.

More information: Cleanup activities at the Re-Solve site (epa.gov/ne/superfund/sites/resolve)

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