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Field Work in Support of Pending Cleanup at the Raymark Superfund Site in Stratford, CT

11/09/2017
Contact Information: 
EPA Public Affairs
617-918-1010

BOSTON - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), in conjunction with the Stratford Health Department, and the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (CTDEEP) today announced that numerous field activities will be conducted in areas of Stratford with known Raymark Waste.

Raymark waste is contamination that was generated by Raymark Industries, Inc., an asbestos brake lining manufacturing plant that operated in Stratford from 1919 to 1989. Specifically, crews will be focused on collecting soil and sediment samples from the entire length of Ferry Creek from interstate 95 to Beacon Point, from several properties along Ferry Boulevard and East Main Street, and from portions of the Department of Public Works property and Wooster Park. Other crews will be conducting boundary and topographic surveys, and completing habitat and wetland assessments in these same areas.

These activities are necessary to support the ongoing design of the cleanup work which EPA announced in a Record of Decision issued last Sept. 9, 2016. Under that decision, Raymark Waste that was buried decades ago in Ferry Creek and other properties around town will be excavated and transported to the former Raybestos Memorial Ball Field located on Frog Pond Lane. The waste will be consolidated with existing Raymark Waste already buried at the ball field and covered with a low-permeability cap. The cap will function to prevent the air-born release of and the potential for direct contact with Raymark Waste, and minimize any further leaching of Raymark Waste into the groundwater.

Some of these areas are highly visible, and the public should be aware that they will see workers wearing chemical resistant clothing (i.e., white suits). This protective clothing is necessary as a precautionary measure required by worker health and safety plans. The public is not at risk from these activities. Air monitoring during field work will be performed to ensure asbestos and other Raymark Waste are not released during these activities.

While some activities will occur through Spring 2018, the bulk of the visible sampling will occur between mid-Novemberand mid-December 2017. The overall design of the cleanup is expected to be complete in late 2018. The design of some preliminary activities including a perimeter barrier and fence system at the former Raybestos Memorial Ball Field and a hall road through the former Contract Plating property is nearly complete. Construction of these components is expected to begin in Spring 2018. The excavation of Raymark Waste is expected to begin in late 2018, with the bulk of the work expected to be performed in 2019 and 2020.

The Sept. 9, 2016 cleanup decision also called for the installation of vapor mitigation systems at approximately 20 homes in the Housatonic Avenue area, and at a single commercial building. The installation of these systems began this past Spring and is nearly complete. These systems are being installed in addition to more than 100 vapor ventilation systems that were installed in this area in the mid-2000s.

More information on the Raymark Superfund Site (www.epa.gov/superfund/raymark)