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Site Type: Long Term/National Priorities List (NPL)  |  |
PICILLO FARM | |
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Map this site in Cleanups in My Community |
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| Coventry, Rhode Island |
Kent County
| Street Address: | PERRY HILL RD |
| Zip Code: | 02816 |
Congressional
District(s): |
02 |
| EPA ID #: | RID980579056 |
| Site ID #: | 0101284 |
| Site Aliases: | Candy Box Farm
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| Site Responsibility: | Federal, State, Potentially Responsible Parties |
| NPL LISTING HISTORY |
| Proposed Date | 10/23/1981 |
| Final Date | 09/08/1983 |
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Site Description
The Picillo Farm site is a small portion of a former 100-acre pig farm located in Coventry, RI. More than 10,000 drums of hazardous waste and an undetermined bulk volume of liquid chemicals were disposed of into several unlined trenches on an 8-acre area of the farm. The site was discovered in 1977, when a fire and explosion occurred. After requiring the property owners to halt the illegal disposal operations, the State of Rhode Island conducted an emergency removal of drums containing sodium aluminum hydride. From 1980 through 1982, the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (RIDEM) and the EPA excavated the trenches and removed the majority of the wastes. The contaminated soil was stored on-site in three piles until it was moved off-site in 1988. Currently, there are more than 150 single-family homes located within a mile of the site, and a new development continues to encroach on undeveloped land surrounding the site. All residences rely on private wells for their water; these wells are sampled approximately once a year by the Rhode Island Department of Health. The site lies near the upper Roaring Brook watershed, which is a tributary to the Moosup River. Groundwater and surface water run-off flows away from the disposal site towards an unnamed swamp, Great Cedar Swamp, and Whitford Pond (which is used to irrigate a nearby cranberry bog).
Threats and Contaminants
On-site groundwater is contaminated with volatile organic compounds (VOCs) including toluene, xylene and semi-volatile organic compounds (SVOCs). Off-site groundwater and surface water in the unnamed swamp are also contaminated with VOCs and SVOCs. On-site soil is contaminated with SVOCs and VOCs. Potential threats include use of groundwater and surface water as drinking water supplies. Contaminated surface water may pose ecological risks. Since 2001, the operating groundwater and soil vapor extraction systems contain and prevent spread of contamination. Since the fall of 2006, following a system evaluation by EPA and RIDEM, the soil vapor extraction has been suspended.
Cleanup Approach
The site is being addressed in several stages including emergency actions and two long-term remedial phases focusing on controlling the source of the contamination and cleanup of groundwater and surface water. An additional removal action was also implemented in 2003.
Response Action Status
| Emergency Actions | From 1980 to 1982, the EPA and the State removed approximately 10,000 buried drums from five trenches on-site; bulk wastes were also removed. Contaminated soils were dug from trenches and were stockpiled on-site up until 1998.
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| Source Control | The remedy selected in 1985 by the EPA and performed by the parties potentially responsible for site contamination included: disposal of 3,500 cubic yards of PCB-contaminated soils and 3,000 cubic yards of phenol-contaminated soils in an approved, off-site landfill; installation of a fence; installation of a surface drainage control system; and closure of the site. These remedies were completed in 1988. The Rhode Island Department of Health sampled private wells in the vicinity approximately once a year. Currently this testing is being carried out by the potentially responsible parties.
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| Groundwater and Surface Water | The EPA completed an investigation of on- and off-site groundwater and surface water contamination, as well as residual soil contamination. The investigation determined the nature and extent of contamination, and evaluated human and ecological risks. The field investigation was completed in 1992 and final cleanup remedies were selected in 1993. The selected remedies consist of in-place soil vapor extraction and treatment of VOCs and SVOCs in contaminated soil, off-site disposal of the surface soil contaminated with PCBs, and extraction and treatment of contaminated groundwater. Design of the soil and groundwater cleanup remedies began in early 1995 and was completed by the potentially responsible parties in 1998. Construction of the extraction system and the treatment plant began in 1999 and was completed in 2000. The system is currently in the long-term operation and monitoring phase, after a shake-down period was completed in 2001. Collection and evaluation of monitoring data is on-going. EPA also completed removal and off-site disposal of 1,350 cubic yards of PCB-contaminated soil in the summer of 1998.
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| 2003 Removal Action | In September 2002, EPA Region I issued an Action Memorandum for removal of epoxy waste and commingled soil that was discovered during subsurface explorations for the remedy construction during the summer of 1999. In December 2002, EPA entered into an Administrative Order on Consent with five PRPs to implement this removal action. Approximately 2,450 tons of this material was excavated and removed off-site in the summer of 2003.
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| Enforcement Highlights | The State of Rhode Island filed suit under CERCLA in 1983 against several potentially responsible parties and recovered its site cleanup costs. Four potentially responsible parties completed removal of soil stockpiles in 1988 under a settlement agreement with EPA and the State. That settlement was one of four agreements reached that year with twelve parties under which EPA and the State recovered $1.6 million in past response costs. In 1989, EPA filed a cost recovery action against two non-settlers, and in 1992 EPA received a judgement for over $3 million in response costs from these parties. In 1995, the EPA and 46 potentially responsible parties signed a Consent Decree; five of these parties are performing the final cleanup remedy, while the rest contributed to the cost of the cleanup. In 1998, EPA also reached a settlement with one party to recover over $4.5 million in response costs. |
Environmental Progress
Removal of the contaminated soil from the trenches, removal of buried drums and waste material, and closure of the Picillo Farm site have reduced the potential exposure to site contaminants while remedies to clean up the groundwater and surface water are being designed and implemented.
Current Site Status
In the fall of 2006, following a system evaluation by EPA and RIDEM, the soil vapor extraction was suspended. In addition, two new groundwater extraction wells were installed and the groundwater extraction and treatment system continued to operate. In July 2008, EPA issued the fourth Five-Year Review report for the site with several recommendations regarding optimization and evaluations of the long-term operation and monitoring of the system. Several modifications to the groundwater extraction wells array and treatment system processes have been evaluated and implemented based on these 2008 recommendations. Long-term operation to contain the groundwater plume, maintain the treatment systems, and the required environmental monitoring programs are on-going.
Site Photos
Groundwater and Soil Vapor Extraction Treatment Facility at Picillo Superfund Site.
Links to Other Site Information
Newsletters & Press Releases:
Federal Register Notices:
Administrative Records:
Reports and Studies:
Decision Documents:
Other Links:
Site Repositories
Coventry Public Library, 1672 Flat River Road, Coventry, RI 02816
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: | Anna Krasko |
| Address: | US Environmental Protection Agency
5 Post Office Square, Suite 100
Mail Code OSRR07-1
Boston, MA 02109-3912 |
| Phone #: | 617-918-1232 |
| E-Mail Address: | krasko.anna@epa.gov |
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| EPA Community Involvement Coordinator: | Rudy Brown |
| Address: | US Environmental Protection Agency
5 Post Office Square, Suite 100
Mail Code ORA01-1
Boston, MA 02109-3912 |
| Phone #: | 617-918-1031 |
| E-Mail Address: | brown.rudy@epa.gov |
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| State Agency Contact: | Shelley Ducharme |
| Address: | 235 Promenade Street
Providence, RI 02908-5767 |
| Phone #: | 401-222-3872 |
| E-Mail Address: | shelley.ducharme@dem.ri.gov |
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