All News Releases By Date

EPA and NH DES to hold an open house at the Keefe Environmental Services Superfund site

Release Date: 08/15/2003
Contact Information: Alice Kaufman, EPA Community Affairs Office, 617-918-1064 Cheryl Sprague, EPA Project Manger, 617-918-1244

Boston--The United States Environmental Protection Agency is holding an open house at the Keefe Environmental Services Superfund Site located on Exeter Road in Epping, New Hampshire on Wednesday, August 20, 2003 from noon until 4 pm. EPA and the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services, along with the contractor responsible for managing the treatment operations at the site, Woodard and Curran, invite the public to tour the site and treatment facility, and to learn more about the treatment system and how it has effectively reduced chemical concentrations in the groundwater.

EPA has been extracting and treating contaminated groundwater at the Keefe site for the past ten years and recently completed a review of the effectiveness of the groundwater treatment remedy. The review, called a five year review, was conducted to ensure that the cleanup remains protective of human health and the environment. Based on this recent study, EPA finds the treatment system to be meeting cleanup goals while protecting people from coming into contact with contaminants.

Following a similar review in 1995, EPA added two new extraction wells to the system in order to more effectively contain contaminated groundwater within the site boundaries, thereby reducing the range of the groundwater contamination and the number of years expected to meet the groundwater cleanup goals. As a result of this most recent five year review, EPA will take a number of actions over the next year including:

• Removing all monitoring wells which are not currently used or are in disrepair;
• Taking additional soil samples to determine residual soil contamination in the stockpile area of the former lagoon;
• Reviewing institutional controls such as deed restrictions which may need to be used in the future; and,
• Evaluating the need to use either an innovative technology or to excavate and dispose of off-site a remaining area of localized soil contamination which continues to act as a source of ongoing contamination to the groundwater.

Groundwater concentrations for VOCs have been significantly reduced, yet remain at levels just above health-based standards or drinking water consumption. Although the groundwater at the site is not currently used for drinking water, it is classified as a potential drinking water source. The principal contaminants in the groundwater are chlorinated compounds, including 1,1 DCE, 1,2-DCA, benzene, PCE, TCE,1,1-DCA and tetrahydrofuran (THF).

More information about cleanup activities at the Keefe Environmental Services site may be found on the EPA New England web site at: www.epa.gov/region1/superfund/sites/keefe. EPA technical reports including this recent Five year review report are available for public review in the site information repository located at EPA library at One Congress Street in Boston and at the Epping Public Library, 52 Main Street, Epping, New Hampshire.