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Site Type: Long Term/National Priorities List (NPL)  |
SUTTON BROOK DISPOSAL AREA |
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| Tewksbury, Massachusetts |
Middlesex County
| Street Address: | OFF OF SOUTH STREET |
| Zip Code: | 01876 |
Congressional
District(s): |
05 |
| EPA ID #: | MAD980520696 |
| Site ID #: | 0100686 |
| Site Aliases: |
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| NPL LISTING HISTORY |
| Proposed Date | 07/27/2000 |
| Final Date | 06/14/2001 |
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Site Description
The Sutton Brook Disposal Area ("the site"), which is roughly synonymous with the Rocco's Disposal Area site, is located off South Street on the eastern boundary of Tewksbury, Middlesex County, Massachusetts. The site is in excess of 50 acres. A small portion of the site also extends into the Town of Wilmington, Massachusetts. The Sutton Brook Disposal Area is bound by a former railroad grade along the northern boundary, beyond which is a former piggery and a forested area; residential properties to the west; undeveloped woodland and wetlands to the south; and the Tewksbury/Wilmington Town Line and agricultural land to the east. The site comprises three source areas; a 50-acre landfill, an area of buried drums, and contaminated soils associated with the drum disposal area. These three source areas are located on what is known as the Rocco's Disposal Area. Waste disposal activities at the Sutton Brook Disposal Area can be traced back to at least 1957, when an area of the site was used as a "burning dump." This area was originally designated by the Tewksbury Board of Health as a temporary disposal area (landfill). In 1961, the temporary assignment was modified to require that the landfill on the site be operated as a sanitary landfill, accepting municipal refuse generated only in the Town of Tewksbury, Massachusetts. The assignment was not complied with, as the landfill accepted municipal, commercial, and industrial wastes from both inside and outside the Town of Tewksbury. The owners of the landfill received numerous citations from state and local officials for violating Massachusetts Sanitary Landfill Regulations.
In 1966, the Town of Tewksbury was ordered by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts (the Commonwealth) Commissioner of Public Health to operate the landfill using the sanitary landfill method. However, after 1966, there were documented occurrences of landfill burning, uncovered waste areas, the filling in of on-site wetlands, wastes disposed below the water table, and landfill slopes which exceeded operation plans. Due to these violations, the Commonwealth ordered the closure of the landfill in 1979. At the time of its closure, the landfill was accepting in excess of 250 tons of waste per day. Despite the closure order, landfill operations continued until 1982, when official landfill operations were suspended, yet waste acceptance continued through 1988.
In 1983, a loam screening business began operation on the property. On August 11, 1983, during an inspection by the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Quality Engineering (MADEQE) (currently MADEP), underground burning was observed through fissures in the ground in the southern landfill lobe. During a subsequent inspection conducted by MA DEQE personnel on August 12, 1983, flames and smoke were no longer visible after heavy machinery had covered the fissures with soil. Subsequent investigations by Tewksbury Health Inspectors and MADEQE documented piles of demolition debris and soil on areas of the property, in some cases adjacent to and/or encroaching upon on-site wetland areas.
This 50 acre landfill area has an estimated volume of approximately 1.9 million cubic yards. During the 1999 EPA Superfund Technical Assistance and Response Team (START) on-site reconnaissance, a number of erosional cuts, leachate seeps, and collapsed areas were observed in the cover material of the landfill. Sutton Brook (and associated wetlands) flows east to west through the property, dividing the landfill into northern and southern lobes. Additional wetlands areas are located south of the landfill and along the eastern and western portions of the property. Approximately 300 yards south of the landfill is an unnamed pond, used seasonally for ice skating.
During the Winter of 2000-2001, EPA installed 14 groundwater monitoring wells, and obtained samples from 22 monitoring wells in the vicinity of the Rocco Landfill in order to get a current assessment of the condition of groundwater which may be leaving the site. In addition to the analytical samples, groundwater level measurements were taken at a total of 43 wells. The water level measurements are used to help establish and map groundwater flow directions. The groundwater analytical data suggest that there is contamination discharging to groundwater from the northern and southern lobes of the Rocco Landfill. It appears that the affected groundwater flows towards Sutton Brook from the south(from the southern lobe, and towards Sutton Brook from the north(from the northern lobe). A report containing the results of this effort has been sent to the site repositories listed below. In 2002 and 2003 EPA sampled and analyzed water from private wells near the site. These wells do not appear to have been affected by the site.
In September 2007, EPA selected a comprehensive remedy for the site valued at approximately $30 million.
Threats and Contaminants
Numerous investigations of the site by local, state, and federal organizations have revealed the presence of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), semivolatile organic compounds (SVOCs), pesticides, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and inorganic elements in on-site and off-site ground water, surface water, sediment, soil, and VOCs and SVOCs in air samples.
Cleanup Approach
The major components of the remedy selected in the September 2007 Record of Decision (ROD) include the following:
- Excavation of contaminated soils exceeding site-specific cleanup levels from the Former Drum Disposal Area and the former Garage and Storage Area;
- Excavation of contaminated soils and sediments exceeding site-specific cleanup levels from a portion of Sutton Brook between the two landfill lobes;
- Consolidation of excavated soils and sediments along with other debris adjacent to the landfills into the landfills;
- Construction of a low permeability cap over both landfill lobes, including systems to collect and manage gases and stormwater from the landfills;
- Construction of a vertical barrier to intercept groundwater from the southern landfill to prevent it from entering Sutton Brook;
- Collection and treatment of contaminated groundwater from an area west of the southern landfill lobe;
- Monitored natural attenuation of areas of groundwater contamination not captured by the extraction system, with a contingency to expand the area of active groundwater remediation, if necessary;
- Institutional controls such as deed restrictions and/or local ordinances to prevent unacceptable exposures to wastes left in place and to restrict exposure to contaminated groundwater until cleanup levels are met; and
- Long-term groundwater, surface water, and sediment monitoring, and periodic five-year reviews of the remedy.
Response Action Status
| Initial Action | Three separate removal actions were undertaken during the 2000 by EPA. The actions involved excavation and removal of contaminated soils and deteriorated drums. Excavation and removal of contaminated materials has been completed at all 3 areas. |
| Entire Site | In February 2004, following investigation and negotiations, EPA reached an agreement with 25 responsible parties (RPs) to conduct the necessary studies at the Sutton Brook Disposal Area site. These parties conducted the Remedial Investigation/Feasibility Study(RI/FS). The RI/FS characterizes the site with regard to the nature and extent of contamination, as well as what risks may exist (RI), and then develops and evaluates cleanup alternatives to address the risks (FS). The RI and the FS were completed in the spring of 2007 and are available in the site repositories (Tewksbury Public Library and EPA's Boston office). A public comment period regarding EPA's Proposed Cleanup Plan was conducted during the summer of 2007. A Record of Decision (ROD) choosing a remedy for the site was completed in September 2007. The ROD is available on this website as well as in the site repositories. In December 2009, the US Department of Justice lodged a Consent Decree with 49 potentially responsible parties for implementation of the remedy outlined in the ROD. |
| Enforcement Highlights | In December 2009, the US Department of Justice lodged a Consent Decree with 49 potentially responsible parties for implementation of the remedy outlined in the ROD. The consent decree, lodged in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts, is subject to a 30-day public comment period and approval by the federal court. A copy of the consent decree is available on the Justice Department Web site at http://www.usdoj.gov/enrd/Consent_Decrees.html. |
Environmental Progress
Three removal actions in which contaminated soils and deteriorated drums were excavated for removal, have been undertaken. All three removal actions have been completed
Current Site Status
As described above, the Remedial Investigation and the Feasibility Study have been completed and a cleanup plan has been selected. The Record of Decision, which outlines the remedy for the site, was completed in September 2007. EPA has completed negotiations with responsible parties for those parties to design and construct the remedy under EPA oversight. The Consent Decree outlining the agreement was lodged by the US Department of Justice in December 2009 for a 30-day public comment period. See "Enforcement Highlights" above.
Site Photos
Links to Other Site Information
Newsletters & Press Releases:
Federal Register Notices:
Administrative Records:
Reports and Studies:
Decision Documents:
Other Links:
Site Repositories
Tewksbury Public Library, 300 Chandler Street, Tewksbury, MA 01876 (978)640-4490
EPA New England Records Center, One Congress Street, Boston, MA 02114 (617) 918-1440
Contacts
| EPA Remedial Project Manager: | Don McElroy |
| Address: | |
| Phone #: | (617) 918-1326 |
| E-Mail Address: | mcelroy.don@epa.gov |
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| EPA Community Involvement Coordinator: | Sarah White |
| Address: | |
| Phone #: | (617) 918-1026 |
| E-Mail Address: | white.sarah@epa.gov |
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