|
 |
|
|
|
Site Type: Short Term/Removal (SHORT) 
BUCKFIELD TRAILERS
 |
|
| Buckfield, Maine |
| Oxford County |
| Street Address: | Railroad Bed Recreational Trail, John Ellingwood Road |
| Zip Code: | 04220 |
Congressional
District(s): |
02 |
| EPA ID #: | MEN000103190 |
| Site ID #: | 0103190 |
| Site Alias: | |
|
|
Description
The Buckfield Trailers site (Tax Map 0012-01, Lot 002A), which consists of approximately 5 acres of a 45-acre parcel of heavily wooded land, is located adjacent to the Railroad Bed Recreational Trail off of John Ellingwood Road in the Town of Buckfield, Maine (population 1,723). Thirty-nine tractor trailers, some parked back-to-back, vans, flat bed trailers, and tanker trucks, and numerous areas of stained soil, are located throughout the five acres. The northeast portion of the property is a wetland. There are no fixed structures, and access is unrestricted. The property is bordered to the north, south, east, and west by woodlands. Numerous residences are located within a 0.25-mile radius.
The Railroad Bed Recreational Trail is used by people who drive all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) and four-wheel drive vehicles. In the winter, the Trail is part of the of Interconnected Trail System (ITS-89) and is used by snowmobilers. The Nezinscot River, flowing adjacent to the Site, is used for recreational purposes such as canoeing and fishing.
Local sources estimate that the trailers have been on the property approximately 7 to 8 years. The exact nature of the owner’s activities are unknown at this time.
On August 4, 2002, the Maine Department of Environmental Protection (ME DEP) responded to a fire caused when carburetor cleaning fluid in aerosol cans stored in one of the box trailers self- ignited due to the extreme heat inside the trailer. The Buckfield Fire Department used 5,000 gallons of water and 5,000 gallons of foam to put out the fire. ME DEP mobilized to the site with a contractor to investigate the contents of the trailers. The owner has been unresponsive to ME DEP’s attempts to communicate with him to get more information. Over a period of several weeks, ME DEP discovered numerous containers of hazardous materials mixed among the solid waste in the trailers. Due to their limited resources, ME DEP requested the assistance of EPA after discovering the significant quantities of hazardous materials.
On October 2, 2002, prompted by a referral from the ME DEP, EPA conducted a Removal Program Preliminary Assessment/Site Investigation (PA/SI) with personnel from the ME DEP. The key findings were as follows:
- thirty-nine tractor trailers, vans, and tanker trucks in various stages of deterioration containing numerous pallets of small containers of unknown liquids;
- Areas of visibly stained soil throughout the site;
- 300 Gallons of acid liquid in a 600 gallon container; and,
- Numerous lead acid batteries, mercury vapor lamps, oxygen cylinders, acetylene cylinders, PCB-containing ballasts, refrigerator units possibly containing Freon.
| |
Current Status
In October 2002, EPA signed an Action Memorandum authorizing a short-term cleanup (Removal Action) at the site, including, but are not limited to, the following: segregate containers of unknown liquids and solids; over-pack containers as needed; conduct soil sampling; segregate cylinders; sample contents of the containers; bulk hazardous liquids and solids; excavate or cover contaminated soil (as needed based on additional data); remove asbestos; transport and dispose of all contaminated wastes; and, disable the tanker trailers to prevent future use.
Photos
Links to Other Information
Public Record Locations
OSRR Records and Information Center, 1st Floor, 5 Post Office Square, Suite 100 (HSC), Boston, MA 02109-3912 (617) 918-1440
Contacts
| AMY JEAN LUSSIER |
| On-Scene Coordinator |
| Address: | One Congress Street, Suite 1100, Boston, MA 12114-2023 |
| Phone #: | 617-918-1248 |
| E-Mail Address: | lussier.amyjean@epa.gov |
|