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Clean Up To Begin at Former Chroming Facility in Bangor

Release Date: 03/04/2005
Contact Information:

Contact: David Deegan, EPA Office of Public Affairs, (617) 918-1017

For Immediate Release: March 4, 2005; Release # dd050301

Boston - EPA will begin work this week on a $240,000 cleanup at the Cobb's Custom Chroming facility in Bangor, Maine. The site, approximately a half acre in size located on Perkins Street, includes a two-story cinder block facility and a garage.

EPA's investigations revealed that while plating and stripping vats, various containers of acids, cyanide solids and other materials once used in the plating operations were on site, the facility had been kept in an orderly manner. The facility is no longer in operation.

The building owner has recently removed any non-hazardous materials from the facility, making it easier for EPA to address the chemical materials on site.

"We are working closely with the Maine Department of Environmental Protection and the City of Bangor to address this site," said Randy Rice of EPA. Rice, EPA's On-Scene Coordinator from the Superfund removal program, he will be managing the cleanup on a day-to-day basis. "We are also working closely with the owner of the facility," added Rice. "This cooperative effort makes us confident that we have a good handle on the extent of contamination in the building and will be able to safely remove the contaminated materials."

As part of the cleanup, EPA will gather and consolidate stored chemicals; drain and clean the process vats; remove all other hazardous substances from the facility and ship them off site for proper disposal; and address any areas of building or soil contamination. Air around the site will be monitored throughout the cleanup to confirm that contamination is not migrating off site.

The work is expected to take less than two months to complete, weather permitting. Additional information on the project is available at www.epaosc.net/cobbscustomchroming.

Related Information:
Cleanup Process
Cleanup in New England
Chemicals
Hazardous Waste