Clean-up Begins at Bay State Plating and Polishing, Inc. in Lawrence, Mass.

Release date: 05/31/2005

Contact Information:

Contact: David Deegan, EPA Office of Public Affairs, (617) 918-1017, deegan.dave@epa.gov

For Immediate Release: May 31, 2005; Release # dd050526

BOSTON – EPA will begin work this week on a $683,850 cleanup at the Bay State Plating and Polishing, Inc. site at 300 Canal St. in Lawrence, Mass. The former plating operation is located on the third floor of a five-story mill building.

During investigations in March, EPA’s New England office confirmed the presence of acids, bases, cyanide compounds, sodium hydroxide, ammonia, and other hazardous substances used in the plating industry in numerous open vats, drums and corroding containers on site. The windows of the building are not intact and there was evidence of leakage from many of the containers to and through the floor and ceilings below.

“We are working closely with the City of Lawrence on this project,” said Amy Jean Lussier, EPA’s On-Scene Coordinator from the Superfund removal program. “Our first step will be to immediately deal with any leaking or open drums and containers.” Lussier will manage the cleanup on a day-to-day basis.

Due to the site’s location in a heavily used industrial mill complex with business above, below and beside it, EPA will begin immediately to stabilize the open vats and containers. EPA is working closely with the owner of the mill to ensure that other tenants are informed about the cleanup activities.

As part of the cleanup, EPA will:

• Seal off the work zone to limit the migration of any contaminants beyond the former plating operation area;
• Sample and characterize the contents of containers, drums, processing tanks, and vats;
• Consolidate and transport the waste off-site for disposal at permitted facilities;
• Decontaminate and dispose of the empty drums, vats and small containers;
• Clean building surfaces including the floor, ceiling and walls that are found to be contaminated; and,
• Restore the work area, as necessary.