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Site Type: Long Term/National Priorities List (NPL)  |
ATLAS TACK CORP. |
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| Fairhaven, Massachusetts |
Bristol County
| Street Address: | 83 PLEASANT ST |
| Zip Code: | 02719 |
Congressional
District(s): |
04 |
| EPA ID #: | MAD001026319 |
| Site ID #: | 0100376 |
| Site Aliases: |
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| Site Responsibility: | Federal, Potentially Responsible Parties |
| NPL LISTING HISTORY |
| Proposed Date | 06/24/1988 |
| Final Date | 02/21/1990 |
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Site Description
The Atlas Tack Corporation Superfund Site (site) is located at 83 Pleasant Street in Fairhaven, Massachusetts, approximately 0.5 miles from Fairhaven Center. The site includes the entire Atlas Tack Corp. (Atlas Tack) property (currently owned by Atlas Tack), property adjacent to the Atlas Tack facility owned by Hathaway-Braley Wharf Company, Inc. and portions of Boys Creek and the adjacent saltwater tidal marsh extending to Buzzards Bay.
The area surrounding the Atlas Tack facility is primarily residential to the north and west. There is a bike path just north of the site and an elementary school about 200 feet to the northwest. Wetland and tidal marsh areas extend to the south and east. The Fairhaven hurricane barrier, constructed in the mid-1960s, cuts through the tidal marsh. To the north of the hurricane barrier, the Atlas Tack property comprises approximately 13.6 acres of commercial area (including a number of now defunct buildings) and 7.2 acres of wetland. The Hathaway-Braley property, a 3.2 acre unimproved parcel on Church Street, abuts the south side of the Atlas property and is also a disposal area. Approximately 20 acres of tidal marsh south of the hurricane barrier have also been contaminated by migration of hazardous substances from the source areas located on the Atlas Tack and Hathaway-Braley properties.
The Atlas Tack facility was built in 1901 and manufactured cut and wire tacks, steel nails, and similar items until 1985. From the 1940s until the late 1970s or 1980s, wastes containing cyanide and heavy metals were discharged into an unlined acid neutralizing lagoon located approximately 200 feet east of the manufacturing building and adjacent to a saltwater tidal marsh in Buzzards Bay Estuary. Process wastes containing acids, metals such as copper and nickel and solvents were discharged into drains in the floor of the main building. Some of these chemicals have permeated the floors and timbers of the building and have migrated to adjacent soils and groundwater. Other contaminated areas at the site include a filled wetland, a former dump, and other chemical spills. The area is zoned as residential and commercial. Approximately 7,200 people live within a one mile radius, and approximately 15,150 people live within three miles of the site.
Threats and Contaminants
The groundwater is contaminated with cyanide and toluene that leached from the site lagoon. The on-site soils and debris are contaminated with volatile organic compounds (VOCs), including toluene and ethyl benzene; heavy metals, including chromium, cadmium, lead, zinc and nickel; pesticides; polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs); and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Trespassers could be at risk through direct contact with contaminated soil or ingestion of shellfish in the area. The marsh and creek south of the lagoon and estuarine areas in Buzzards Bay are also contaminated causing an ecologic risk to the wildlife.
Cleanup Approach
The site is being addressed in two phases: initial actions and a long-term remedial phase focusing on cleanup of the entire site.
Response Action Status
| Initial Action | In late 1992, the potentially responsible party installed a fence around the facility to control access. In 1999, EPA removed asbestos from three buildings on the site. The removal was completed in March 2000. |
| Entire Site | In 1998, EPA completed investigations into the nature and extent of site contamination. EPA released a Proposed Plan in December 1998, identifying the preferred cleanup alternative. In March 2000, a Record of Decision (ROD) was signed. The ROD identifies the selected remedy which calls for the excavation of contaminated soil, debris and sediments with possible on-site treatment of some materials using solidification/stabilization technologies. All excavated and treated material will be disposed of at appropriate off-site facilities. Monitored natural attenuation will be implemented and institutional controls will be put in place. |
Environmental Progress
EPA continues to monitor the site to ensure there is no immediate threat to human health during the on-going clean up activities.
Current Site Status
In 1999, EPA held public meetings on the Proposed Plan for the cleanup of the site and received written and oral comments. EPA issued an order to Atlas Tack to remove asbestos from the dilapidated buildings on site. They subsequently opted not to comply, and as a result, EPA conducted the work during the latter part of 1999 and in 2000. A Record of Decision (ROD) for the final remedy was signed in the Spring of 2000. The Remedial Action (cleanup activities) will be performed in three phases: Phase I - demolition of the manufacturing and power plant buildings and excavation and off-site disposal of contaminated soil and sludge beneath the buildings in the commercial area; Phase II - excavation of contaminated soils and debris in the debris and fill areas; and, Phase III - excavation of marsh soils and creek bed sediments. Cleanup of the site is estimated to cost $18 million. In 2002, the Remedial Design for Phases I and II was completed, Phase III design was completed in 2004.
In late May 2004, EPA received $1.8 million to begin the first phase of construction which includes the demolition of certain building structures and excavation and off-site disposal of subsurface contaminated soil and sludge.
On June 6, 2005, EPA began the first phase of construction in the Commercial Area of the Site. The buildings, the existing slab beneath the former one-story manufacturing building and smoke stack were demolished (front two-story building remains) and contaminated soil and sludge have been excavated from beneath and near the main building footprint. Contstruction of this phase was completed in March 2006.
In September 2005, EPA received partial funding in the amount of $3,000,000 to begin Phase II. Further delineation of the debris and fill areas was assessed in the Spring of 2006 and excavation began in June 2006. Construction of this phase was completed in February 2007, with the removal of approximately 35,000 cubic yards (cy) of contaminated material. Funding for the remaining Phase III work, wetland mitigation and site restoration, was secured and work began in February 2007. Approximately 22,000 cy of contaminated marsh soil and creek bed sediment was excavated and disposed of off-site.
Wetland restoration construction began in June and was completed in late September 2007, including fresh and salt water wetland plantings. The entire site has been restored and attained a "construction complete" status in late September 2007. Approximately 108,000 tons of contaminated soil, debris and sediment were excavated and disposed of off-site during the entire project. Long-term groundwater monitoring will continue until ecologically-based cleanup levels are attained. EPA will transfer this monitoring to the MassDEP after ten years. EPA will also conduct other site maintenance and monitoring, including plant growth monitoring and erosion prevention for up to one year after the completion date or sooner. This maintenance and monitoring will then be transferred to the MassDEP.
Site Photos
Links to Other Site Information
Newsletters & Press Releases:
Press Releases about this project  | | |
Site Activity Update, November 2001  | | |
| Site Activity Update, June 2004 (282 KB) | | |
| Site Activity Update, June 2005 (254 KB) | | |
| Site Activity Update, July 2005 (157 KB) | | |
| Site Activity Update, August 2005 (160 KB) | | |
| Site Activity Update, September 2005 (149 KB) | | |
| Site Activity Update, April 2006 (148 KB) | | |
| Site Activity Update, May 2006 (222 KB) | | |
| Site Activity Update, July 2006 (152 KB) | | |
| Site Activity Update, August 2006 (114 KB) | | |
| Site Activity Update, November 2006 (693 KB) | | |
| Site Activity Update, February 2007 (1 MB) | | |
| Site Activity Update, June 2007 (327 KB) | | |
| Site Activity Update, Fall 2007 (902 KB) | | |
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Federal Register Notices:
Administrative Records:
Reports and Studies:
Decision Documents:
Other Links:
Site Repositories
Fairhaven Public Library, Center Street, Fairhaven, MA 02719
EPA New England Records Center, One Congress Street, Boston, MA 02114 (617) 918-1440
Contacts
| EPA Remedial Project Manager: | Elaine Stanley |
| Address: | |
| Phone #: | (617) 918-1332 |
| E-Mail Address: | stanley.elainet@epa.gov |
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| EPA Community Involvement Coordinator: | Stacy Greendlinger |
| Address: | |
| Phone #: | (617) 918-1403 |
| E-Mail Address: | greendlinger.stacy@epa.gov |
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| State Agency Contact: | Joseph Coyne |
| Address: | Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection
Bureau of Waste Site Cleanup
One Winter Street
Boston, MA 02108 |
| Phone #: | (617) 348-4066 |
| E-Mail Address: | joseph.coyne@state.ma.us |
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