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Site Type: Long Term/National Priorities List (NPL)  |  |
PETERSON/PURITAN, INC. | |
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Map this site in Cleanups in My Community | |
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| Cumberland and Lincoln, Rhode Island |
Providence County
| Street Address: | MARTIN ST |
| Zip Code: | 02864 |
Congressional
District(s): |
01 |
| EPA ID #: | RID055176283 |
| Site ID #: | 0101247 |
| Site Aliases: | Blackstone Valley, Blackstone River, J. M. Mills Landfill (for Operable Unit 2)
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| Site Responsibility: | Federal, Potentially Responsible Parties |
| NPL LISTING HISTORY |
| Proposed Date | 12/30/1982 |
| Final Date | 09/08/1983 |
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Site Description
The Peterson/Puritan, Inc. Superfund Site consists of two Operable Units encompassing over two miles of mixed industrial/residential property situated in the north-central portion of Rhode Island in the towns of Cumberland and Lincoln. The Site occupies over 500 acres and runs in a generally north to south direction and approximately 2,000 feet to the east and west of the main river channel of the Blackstone River, between the Ashton Dam to the north and the Pratt Dam to the south, and includes a portion of the Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor. The Site "study area" comprises an industrial park (including the former Peterson/Puritan facility), an inactive landfill known as J. M. Mills Landfill, an inactive solid waste transfer station, sand and gravel operations, the Blackstone River State Park (aka Mackland Farm/Kelly House) development, impacted municipal water supply wells and numerous interspersed areas of undeveloped land, flood plain and wetlands along the Blackstone River. Land uses surrounding the Site are a mixture of industrial, commercial, residential and recreational parcels. Immediately to the north and west of the Site is a predominately residential area. To the east is commercial/residential, and to the south predominately commercial. There are over 1000 residences within a one-mile radius and 12,000 people living within a 4-mile radius of the Site. The nearest residence is less than 1/4 mile away. Operable Unit 1 (OU1) consists of the industrial park in the vicinity of Martin St. and includes the former Peterson/Puritan, Inc. facility (currently CCL Custom Manufacturing Inc.) solvent spill, Pacific Anchor Co. (PAC) leachfields, and contaminated soils and groundwater associated with this portion of the Site. The Peterson/Puritan, Inc. facility was built in 1959 and began packaging aerosol consumer products. A rail car incident and product tank spill occurred on the facility's property in 1974 releasing an estimated 6000 gallons of solvent. In 1976, following a major fire, the plant was rebuilt. The Martin Street well and Lenox Street well in the Town of Cumberland and the Quinnville well field in the Town of Lincoln were closed in 1979 due to ground water contamination, and remain out of service. The Peterson/Puritan spill was identified as a primary source of contaminants impacting the sand and gravel aquifer feeding the river and the Martin Street well, and Quinnville well field. The Town of Lincoln has since been connected to an alternate water supply while the Town of Cumberland absorbed the cost of the loss of its wells by increasing production from their remaining town water supplies. Operable Unit 2 (OU2) is immediately south (downstream) of OU1 and consists of the inactive, privately owned J.M. Mills Landfill, the former Transfer Station, debris fields, the River, associated wetlands, an unnamed island, and areas south to the Pratt Dam. The source of the Lenox St. well contamination remains under investigation.
Threats and Contaminants
In Operable Unit 1, groundwater is contaminated with chlorinated solvents, volatile organic compounds (VOCs) including: 1,2 dichloroethene, trichloroethene, acetone and benzene, phthalates, and heavy metals such as arsenic. Operable Unit 2 includes soils along the river which are contaminated with polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and heavy metals. Surface water and sediments are contaminated with low concentrations of VOCs. People are at risk if they come into direct contact with or accidentally ingest contaminated groundwater, surface water, sediment, leachate, or soil. The Site is located in a flood plain which may cause surface water, sediments, plants, and animals to be impacted by contamination. Physical hazards that include metal parts, broken glass, and unstable demolition debris from inappropriate past landfilling operations are apparent along the river bank in the immediate area of the J.M. Mills landfill. Signs are maintained along this portion of the river bank to warn recreational users of the river of this concern. The landfill is partially fenced to deter trespassers from entering this area on foot.
Cleanup Approach
The site is being addressed in four stages: (a) by two distinct, but parallel, long-term remedial measures implemented to focus on the cleanup of OU1, (b) through initial response actions, and (c) through investigations of the J.M. Mills landfill, including the source of the Lenox Street well contamination, for OU2.
Response Action Status
| Initial Action | In 1992, a fence was constructed to restrict access to the J.M. Mills landfill (OU2) and drums containing contaminated materials were removed from the base of the landfill. In November 1997, a second action was taken to address recently disposed of asbestos containing wastes found outside of the fenced area. The security fence was extended to limit further dumping and maintain access restrictions at this portion of the Site.
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| Operable Unit 1 | Parties potentially responsible at OU1 completed investigating the extent of contamination in 1993. In late 1993, after evaluating cleanup alternatives, the EPA selected final cleanup remedies in a Record of Decision (ROD) to address the primary sources of contamination at two areas: the CCL-Area and the PAC-Area. The remedy for the CCL-Area included soil vapor extraction to clean soils surrounding a tank farm, pumping and treating a contaminated groundwater plume emanating from the tank farm, and pumping groundwater downgradient from the tank farm into the local sewer system. For the PAC-Area, the leach fields were excavated and in-place oxidation was used to reduce arsenic concentrations in groundwater. The EPA also requires monitoring of contaminant levels in groundwater to ensure that each of the cleanup efforts is effective. All design activities were completed as of May 1996. Phased construction of the selected remedies began in the fall of 1995 and were completed in January 1997. After a start up period, all remediation systems have been operating as designed since July 1997. Operation and maintenance of these remedial systems will continue until the EPA determines that containment concentrations are within EPA's acceptable risk range. As indicated in the OU1 ROD, the estimated time frame for this to occur is between 4 and 12 years. EPA requires continued periodic monitoring of groundwater throughout OU1 until all portions of the impacted aquifer within OU1 meet designated groundwater cleanup standards.
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| Operable Unit 2 | The Remedial Investigation/Feasibility Study (RI/FS) is ongoing. This investigation will provide the data necessary to address the nature and extent of contamination at the J.M. Mills landfill and its surroundings. The majority of field investigations are now complete, and data summary reports have been submitted to the Agencies for review and comment. Further follow-on field investigations to fill data gaps are currently underway. A draft RI report was submitted in the Fall of 2007 and has undergone EPA and RIDEM review. Risk assessments originally contained in the draft RI underwent substantial revisions and are now final. With the risk assessments complete, and final comments submitted in order to revise the RI report, a final RI report is planned for the Fall of 2011. An FS is now underway with expectations for delivery within one year. Following completion of the RI/FS, a final cleanup remedy will be proposed for public comment and eventually selected in a ROD for this portion of the site.
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| First Five Year Review | The first five-year review for Operable Unit 1 found that: 1) the remedy was constructed in accordance to the requirements of the ROD, 2) institutional controls have not been implemented on all affected properties, 3) remediation of the ground water at the PAC source area to drinking water standards for arsenic within the ROD-designated cleanup time frames will not likely be achieved, and 4) further assessment of the ground water is necessary. The remedy for OU1 currently protects human health and the environment in the short term, however, the remedy can not be deemed protective in the long term until follow-up actions are taken.
Until additional information becomes available through the Remedial Investigation and Feasibility Study, the protectiveness determination for OU2 was deferred.
For the Mackland Farm/Kelly House property, further consideration for investigation into the nature and extent of contamination remains to be determined and EPA no longer considers the Ashton Mill Property to be a part of the Peterson/Puritan Superfund Site.
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| Site Reuse Planning | In the summer of 2002, the Towns of Cumberland and Lincoln, Rhode Island were granted funds from the U.S.Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under the Superfund Redevelopment Initiative (SRI) Pilot Grant to perform an analysis of the Ashton-Pratt Corridor. This analysis included: 1) evaluating existing land uses within the project area, including the Peterson/Puritan, Inc. Superfund Site, 2) determining the potential future land uses based on the needs and recommendations of the towns, citizens, property owners and users, and 3) developing a Redevelopment Plan (or "Reuse Plan") for the Ashton-Pratt Corridor. This plan was prepared by the municipalities and was completed in September 2004. The Redevelopment Plan will assist EPA in obtaining the information needed to appropriately assess the Site, establish cleanup goals, and provide, to the extent feasible, an appropriate and protective remedy based upon the reasonably anticipated future land use.
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| Partial Deletion | A partial deletion of the site concerning a portion of two properties designated on the town of Cumberland Tax Assessor's Map Plat 14, Lot 2 and Plat 15, Lot 1, known locally as the proposed Berkeley Commons and River Run developments, and owned by Macklands Realty, Inc. and Berkeley Realty, Co. respectively, has occurred during 2005. This partial deletion involved 19.8 acres previously designated within the OU2 boundary of the Peterson/Puritan, Inc. Superfund site.
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| The Second Five Year Review | A second five year review for the site was initiated in 2007 for the whole site. The primary purpose of this second five year review was to ensure that the soil and ground water treatment remedies in two areas, known respectively as the CCL area and the PAC area, are effectively protecting the public's health and environment. Additionally, EPA reviewed the progress made throughout the whole site including the ongoing investigations at the J. M. Mills Landfill.
For the CCL area, EPA reviewed the performance of the remedy which includes a soil vapor extraction system designed to clean soils surrounding a tank farm, pumping and treating contaminated groundwater emanating from the tank farm, and pumping groundwater from within the down gradient portion of the plume to the local sewer system. For the PAC area, the EPA examined the extent to which the previously installed in-situ oxidation treatment system reduced the concentration of arsenic in groundwater and whether other remedial alternatives may be effective in further reducing the arsenic concentrations to meet a newly promulgated drinking water standard of 10 parts per billion. At both areas of the site, EPA evaluated the implementation and the effectiveness of using institutional controls (in the form of conservation easements) to restrict the use or alteration of groundwater at the site as interim protective measures for human health.
EPA formed a review team consisting of the EPA and State project managers, scientists and engineers from the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) and a community involvement coordinator to plan, conduct, and complete the second five year review. The information gathered and evaluated by the review team resulted in the Second Five Year Review report being completed in September, 2008. Among the findings, EPA determined that for:
OU1:
The remedy implemented at OU1 currently protects human health and the environment in the short term because alternative water supplies are available to meet current demand. The remedy, however, cannot be deemed protective in the long term until follow-up actions are taken. These follow-up actions include further definition of the occurrence of contaminants in bedrock, the fate and transport of contaminants, and the completion of institutional controls throughout OU1 as identified in the first five-year review. Institutional controls are implemented at a portion of the properties located within the PAC remediation area and steps are being taken to implement institutional controls at the remainder of OU1.
OU2:
At OU2, an investigation into the nature and extent of contamination at the J. M. Mills Landfill and its surroundings is currently underway. Until this information becomes available, the protectiveness determination for OU2 cannot be made at this time. For the Ashton Mill property, located on the Cumberland side of the Blackstone River, EPA no longer considers this part of the Site.
For a full list of issues, recommendations and follow-up actions, please see the complete report. A link is provided below under the Reports and Studies section of this fact sheet.
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| Analyses of Blackstone River Fish Tissue Completed | As a component of the OU2 RI/FS, the results from the collection and chemical analysis of fish is complete. A full discussion of these findings will be reported in the Remedial Investigation Report planned for public release later in 2008. However the general findings presented below were included in the Second Five Year Review.
Fish were collected from (1) the Blackstone River and from several ponds within OU2, and (2) from upstream “reference” areas of the river and a “reference” pond, where the Site would not have contributed contaminants. This was performed in order to separately evaluate the effects of Site-related contamination from river-wide effects.
Comparison of tissue concentrations measured in fish from reference areas and from OU2 demonstrated that fish from each of the areas displayed a similar distribution of chemicals. The most notable contaminants in the fish tissue include polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), pesticides, and arsenic. Tissue concentrations varied depending on the species and chemical of interest in reference area fish and in fish from OU2. In general, white suckers had the highest concentrations of chemicals in their edible tissue; small pan fish (e.g., pumpkinseed) had the lowest chemical concentrations.
Additional information concerning this fish tissue study will be posted on this website in the near future.
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| Enforcement Highlights | After a preliminary investigation in 1982, the EPA identified the Peterson/Puritan, Inc. facility as the major source of the contamination in the Quinnville Well Field. The Town of Lincoln filed a lawsuit against Peterson/Puritan, Inc. based on these findings. In 1984, the company reached a settlement with Lincoln and assisted with the cost of the town's new water supply. The company also installed a recovery well on its property for the purpose of capturing contaminated groundwater underlying its property. In 1987, an Administrative Order by Consent (AOC) was issued to Peterson/Puritan, Inc. to take over the site investigation from the EPA. In 1995, five defendants settled with EPA and the State to pay past costs and conduct the cleanup of Operable Unit 1. Negotiations for Operable Unit 2 work commenced in 1998 calling for parties to conduct the site investigation and pay past costs. The parties entered into an amended AOC to conduct and finance the RI/FS for Operable Unit 2 in the summer of 2001 and the investigation is now underway. On October 21, 2004, EPA amended its AOC to include additional parties to help finance and perform the ongoing, OU2 RI/FS. Enforcement work is ongoing. To date, over 100 parties have been notified of their potential liability for future cleanup costs at OU2. |
Environmental Progress
Alternate water supplies have provided safe drinking water to affected area residents, treatment systems are complete and operating at the primary source areas within Operable Unit 1. Access to the J.M. Mills landfill at Operable Unit 2 is also currently restricted while further investigations are being undertaken. The State completed a linear park and bike path along the Blackstone River and Canal which incorporates a portion of the Site. The Blackstone River basin which spans across portions of 24 communities from Worcester to Providence and which also incorporates the Site,was named as a national heritage corridor in 1986. In addition, the Blackstone River, together with the Woonasquatucket River to the south, was designated an American Heritage River in 1998. In July 2011, the National Park Service released a special resource study which proposes that the heritage corridor be eligible for potential inclusion as a unit of the National Park System.
Current Site Status
Construction of the soil vapor extraction and groundwater extraction and treatment systems for the source areas at OU1 were completed in March 1998. The systems are maintained by the potentially responsible parties. For the CCL-Area system, contaminants continue to be removed from the soil and groundwater and are treated onsite. However, the PAC-Area treatment system, designed for reducing arsenic levels in groundwater, was found to be ineffective in achieving the interim clean up standard of 50 ppb as presented in the Record of Decision (as well as the more stringent, newly promulgated arsenic standard of 10 ppb in groundwater) and was subsequently shutdown. In the interim, EPA is requiring institutional controls for groundwater on all affected OU1 properties. In addition, a Second Five Year review for the entire site was initiated in 2007 and was completed in September, 2008. The Third Five Year Review report will be initiated and completed in 2012.
For OU2, a draft RI report was submitted in the Fall of 2007 and has undergone extensive review by EPA and RIDEM. The Human Health and Ecological Risk Assessments are complete and published on this website for public review. EPA expects the RI Report will be released to the public by the end of 2011. The OU2 Feasibility Study was recently started during the Summer of 2011 and is planned for completion in late 2012.
Blackstone River and Bikeway immediately south of the Martin
Street Bridge (Operable Unit 1).
The headwaters of the Blackstone River originates in south-central Massachusetts and flows from Worcester, Massachusetts to the head of Narragansett Bay in Providence, Rhode Island. The Blackstone has a total length of 77 kilometers (48 miles) with a drainage area of 1400 square kilometers (540 square miles). Its watershed encompasses 24 communities and more than 350,000 acres, and includes the second and third largest cities in New England. The river is the second largest freshwater tributary to the Narragansett Bay. The Blackstone River is an important natural, recreational, and cultural resource to both Rhode Island and Massachusetts. The river is a Class B(1) (currently impaired) stream throughout the Site which has an established goal of "fishable and swimmable," and the State of Rhode Island has an overall objective to "restore impaired sections of the Blackstone River and its tributaries." The B1 classification indicates that while all Class B uses must be supported by water quality, primary contact recreation may be "impacted due to pathogens from approved waste water discharges (RI WQR, Rule 8(B)(1))." A pamphlet entitled "Do's and Don'ts for the Blackstone River" which briefly and generally describes the current health of the river is provided in the "Other Links" section of this fact sheet*.
* NOTE: The "Do's and Don'ts for the Blackstone River" pamphlet was developed through independent means and resources and is not based upon any particular facts, findings, studies and/or actions solely relevant to the Peterson/Puritan Superfund Site. The pamphlet, which is widely distributed, is placed here in order to provide general and informative dialogue concerning the current challenges of the river and to increase public awareness for communities residing within the watershed.
Site Photos
Click photo for more photos. http://www.epa.gov/region1/superfund/sites/peterson/photos.html
Rhode Island Blackstone River Bikeway along western
edge of OU1 follows the historic tow path for the Blackstone Canal.
Links to Other Site Information
Maps and Photos:
Newsletters & Press Releases:
Federal Register Notices:
Administrative Records:
Administrative Record File for Partial Deletion of Operable Unit 2, February 24, 2005 (index links to 24 AR documents)  | | |
| Administrative Record Index, OU01 Record of Decision (ROD), September 30, 1993 (2,474KB) | | |
| Administrative Record Index, Access Order (AO), July 1, 2008 (322 KB) | | |
| Administrative Record Index - Lien, JM Mills Inc, July 2008 (219 KB) | | |
| Administrative Record Index - Lien, Linda Marszalowski, July 2008 (219 KB) | | |
| Administrative Record Index - Lien, Michael John Realty, July 2008 (222 KB) | | |
| Administrative Record Index, Access Order (AO), April 1, 2009 (254 KB) | | |
| Administrative Record Index, Unilateral Administrative Order (UAO), April 1, 2009 (409 KB) | | |
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Reports and Studies:
Decision Documents:
| View Records of Decision (RODS) on-line (EPA HQ) | | |
| First Amendment to Administrative Order on Consent (AOC), March 10, 1992 (151 KB) | | |
| Record of Decision (ROD), September 30, 1993, (19.9 MB) | | |
| Consent Decree, July 25, 1995 (20 MB) | | |
| Second Amendment to Administrative Order on Consent (AOC), July 13, 2001 (3.15 MB) | | |
| Addition of Cash Out Parties to Third Administrative Order on Consent (AOC), March 30, 2006 (900 KB) | | |
| Lien Post Perfection Letter for Plat 12 Lot 4 and Plat 12 Lot 12, June 23, 2008 ( 295 KB) | | |
| Lien Post Perfection Letter for Plat 12 Lot 18, June 23, 2008 (290 KB) | | |
| Administrative Order for Property Access, July 1, 2008 (20.2 MB) | | |
| Administrative Order for Property Access at Plat 58 Lot 69 - Seaconke Wampanoag Tribe, April 14, 2009 (2.35 MB) | | |
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Settlement Documents:
Other Links:
Site Repositories
Cumberland Public Library, 1464 Diamond Hill Road, Cumberland, RI 02864 and the Lincoln Public Library, Old River Road, Lincoln, RI 02685
OSRR Records and Information Center, 1st Floor, 5 Post Office Square, Suite 100 (HSC), Boston, MA 02109-3912 (617) 918-1440
Contacts
| EPA Remedial Project Manager: | David J. Newton |
| Address: | US Environmental Protection Agency
5 Post Office Square, Suite 100
Mail Code OSRR07-1
Boston, MA 02109-1367 |
| Phone #: | (617) 918-1243 |
| E-Mail Address: | newton.dave@epa.gov |
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| EPA Community Involvement Coordinator: | Sarah White |
| Address: | US Environmental Protection Agency
5 Post Office Square, Suite 100
Mail Code ORA20-1
Boston, MA 02109-1367 |
| Phone #: | (617) 918-1026 |
| E-Mail Address: | white.sarah@epa.gov |
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| State Agency Contact: | Paul Kulpa, Engineer |
| Address: | Office of Waste Management
RI Dept. of Environmental Management
235 Promenade St., Suite 380
Providence, RI 02908 |
| Phone #: | 401-222-4700, ext. 7111 |
| E-Mail Address: | paul.kulpa@dem.ri.gov |
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| Site Attorney (OU1) | John Hultgren |
| Address: | US Environmental Protection Agency
5 Post Office Square, Suite 100
Mail Code OES04-2
Boston, MA 02109-1367 |
| Phone #: | (617) 918-1761 |
| E-Mail Address: | hultgren.john@epa.gov |
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| Site Attorney (OU2) | Michelle Lauterback |
| Address: | US Environmental Protection Agency
5 Post Office Square, Suite 100
Mail Code OES04-3
Boston, MA 02109-1367 |
| Phone #: | (617) 918-1774 |
| E-Mail Address: | lauterback.michelle@epa.gov |
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