USA: EPA Issues Proposed Plan for Woonasquatucket River Cleanup

EPA has issued its Proposed Plan for the cleanup of the Centredale Manor Restoration Project Superfund Site in North Providence, R.I. The Proposed Plan presents multiple long-term cleanup alternatives for the cleanup of sediment, soil, surface water and groundwater contamination.

EPA’s preferred cleanup alternative generally includes:

• Removing buried waste material from Source Area (where contamination originally occurred), and majority of contaminated Woonasquatucket River sediment and floodplain soil near and downstream of Source Area, using a combination of containment and treatment methods;

• Installing new hazardous waste isolation caps over remaining Source Area contaminated soil and placing thin soil covers over contaminated wetlands and floodplain areas to speed up natural recovery processes and preserve valuable habitat;

• Placing restrictions to permanently prevent use of groundwater and to temporarily prohibit eating fish, as well as restricting other activities that could potentially expose remaining contamination;

• Monitoring long-term to assess cleanup’s effectiveness and recovery of Woonasquatucket River and its floodplain, and to evaluate potential need for other response actions in the downstream reaches beyond Lyman Mill Dam into Providence area; and

• Minimizing contribution of site contaminants to Woonasquatucket River’s surface water.

It is recommended that the approximately 120,000 cubic yards of contaminated soil and sediment would be disposed of in an Upland Confined Disposal Facility (an area located on higher land designed to permanently and securely contain excavated contaminated sediment/soil), with the highest levels of contaminated material taken off-site for treatment. An Upland Confined Disposal Facility can be designed to accommodate beneficial reuses such as recreational fields and paths.

EPA’s proposed cleanup plan would be implemented through additional investigations, design, construction, maintenance and Five-Year Reviews. The estimated total present value for this proposed cleanup plan is about $101 million.

The public is invited to learn more about EPA’s proposed cleanup plan for the Centredale Manor Restoration Project Superfund Site at a series of public informational meetings. At each meeting, EPA and RIDEM staff will be available to address specific topics during the poster session prior to the proposed cleanup plan presentation. Meetings will occur on:

– Tuesday, 11/8/11 at 7 pm in the North Providence Town Hall, in the second floor Council Chamber;

– Wednesday, 11/9/11 at 7 pm in the Johnston Senior Center located at 1291 Hartford Ave.;

– Thursday, 11/10/11 at 2 pm in the Centredale Manor located 2074 Smith Street, North Providence.

EPA will be accepting public comments on this proposed cleanup plan from November 14, 2011 through January 12, 2012.

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Source: epa, October 28, 2011