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EPA Finalizes Remediation Plan for Scovill Industrial Landfill Superfund Site in Waterbury, Conn.

Release Date: 11/25/2013
Contact Information: Kate Renahan, 617-918-1491

(Boston, MA) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced the selection of a cleanup plan for the Scovill Industrial Landfill Superfund Site (Site) in Waterbury Connecticut. The final plan will require some limited targeted removal of contaminated soils, a Pre-Design Investigation to better understand and address contaminated soils on certain parcels, a protective cap at the Calabrese Parcel, and the implementation of environmental land use restrictions throughout the Site.

There is no current risk to people living or working at the Site because contaminated soil is currently covered by pavement, buildings, or vegetated areas. EPA will remediate the site to prevent potential future risk to human health should current site conditions change. Until the remedy is implemented, however, EPA recommends that people refrain from digging on their properties and/or planting gardens without first consulting with EPA and the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (CTDEEP).

EPA issued its Proposed Plan for remediation in July 2013, and held a public hearing and informational meeting later that month to explain the plan and formally receive public comments. EPA accepted public comments on the proposed remediation plan for 30 days and considered public input before finalizing its decision. EPA prepared detailed responses to the comments it received in a Responsiveness Summary, which is part of the Record of Decision.

EPA’s final cleanup plan includes:

• Targeted excavation and off-site disposal of certain soils within the top four feet of some properties;
• Environmental land use restrictions on all properties at the Site that:
- prevent excavation of soils below four feet without Agency approval;
- prevent removal of on-site soils to an off-site location without Agency approval;
- and prevent commercial properties from converting to residential uses without Agency approval;
• A Pre-Design Investigation to collect some additional soil samples at the Calabrese Parcel, at the Store Avenue Plaza Parcel, and at four residential properties to better define the extent of soil remediation in those areas;
• A two-foot cap on the Calabrese Parcel to prevent direct contact with contaminated soil. The cap will consist of a geotextile warning layer, a cobble barrier layer, soil cover, and surface vegetation. Prior to cap installation, some targeted excavation and off-site disposal of certain contaminated soils will completed;
• Further evaluation at 119 Store Avenue to better assess if there is a potential exposure pathway for vapor intrusion into the building due to some isolated volatile organic compounds found near the building during the RI. If a potential pathway posing unacceptable risk is discovered, a vapor intrusion mitigation system will be installed; and
• Five-Year Reviews to evaluate Site conditions and the protectiveness of remedy.

The 25-acre Site consists of multiple parcels within the City of Waterbury Connecticut. The Scovill Manufacturing Company used the Site as a landfill from 1919 to the mid-1970s for disposal of ash, cinders, demolition debris, and other wastes generated by the company. In 1998, the 6.8-acre Calabrese Parcel, located at the northern end of the Site, was in the initial stages of development when a number of capacitors, ash, cinder, and other waste materials were encountered at depths ranging between 8 and 20 feet. The waste materials contained elevated levels of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and metals. In 1998, CT DEEP removed 2,300 tons of PCB-contaminated soil and 18 capacitors from the Calabrese Parcel. On July 27, 2000, EPA listed the Site on the National Priorities List (NPL).

Between the fall of 2002 and 2011, EPA, in consultation with CT DEEP, oversaw and conducted a Remedial Investigation (RI), Human Health Risk Assessment, Ecological Risk Assessment, and Feasibility Study (FS) at the Site. The RI and FS were completed to characterize the Site and help determine cleanup options.

More information on Scovill Industrial Landfill Superfund Site (www.epa.gov/region1/superfund/sites/scovill)