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Two Companies Agree to Reimburse EPA and Pay for Environmental Studies of Large Contaminated Parcel in Cumberland and Lincoln, R.I.

Release Date: 08/17/2001
Contact Information: Peyton Fleming, Press Office, (617-918-1008)

BOSTON -- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency today announced that CCL Custom Manufacturing Inc. (formerly Peterson/Puritan Inc.) and the Bestfoods company have agreed to reimburse EPA for the more than $600,000 the agency has spent on site investigation work towards the planned cleanup of a major section of the Peterson/Puritan Superfund Site in Cumberland and Lincoln, RI.

The companies have also agreed under a settlement to undertake and fund a comprehensive site investigation and an evaluation of cleanup options for the mile-long contaminated parcel that runs along the Blackstone River. These activities are expected to cost the companies millions of dollars.

The agreement pertains to a parcel known as Operable Unit Two which runs along the river from Martin Street down to the Pratt Dam. The contaminated property includes the J.M. Mills Landfill, a portion of the Blackstone River, a former solid waste transfer station, the nearby flood plain and wetlands, gravel pits, the former Lenox Street municipal well and the Quinnville municipal well field. The area is contaminated with PCBs, asbestos, heavy metals, volatile organic contaminants, and other hazardous substances.

"This agreement is a major step forward in getting this key parcel along the Blackstone River cleaned up," said Robert Varney, regional administrator of EPA's New England Office. "In addition to improving the river, this project will enhance lands alongside the river, including a vital section of the Blackstone River bikeway."

"The Blackstone River serves as a gateway to the rich history and abundant natural resources that this region of our state has to offer," added Jan Reitsma, director of the R.I Department of Environmental Management. "The settlement agreement reached between EPA and the responsible parties provides the important first step toward the cleanup of this American Heritage River."

The proposed settlement for reimbursement of past costs is subject to a 30-day public comment period, which begins this week with its publication in the Federal Register. Once the 30-day period ends, EPA will respond to any comments before deciding whether to finalize the settlement.

A full-scale investigation of the nature and extent of contamination on the property will begin this summer. The investigation is expected to take two years, after which a remediation plan will be finalized so cleanup work can commence.

CCL and Bestfoods are both liable for the investigation and cleanup costs at the property because of a 1987 agreement with EPA to pay investigation costs for the entire Peterson/Puritan Superfund Site. Bestfoods is the former parent company to Peterson/Puritan, which is now owned by CCL. Peterson/Puritan is liable as an owner of part of the Superfund site and because it generated hazardous substances that also ended up at the landfill, which subsequently leaked and contaminated soils and groundwater. EPA is continuing to investigate other potentially responsible parties who would also share in the future costs of cleanup for the site if they contributed to the problem.

EPA has already settled over investigation and cleanup costs for the other part of the Peterson/Puritan Site, known as Operable Unit One, which consists of an industrial park in Lincoln including the Peterson/Puritan facility. Five parties, including CCL, settled with EPA in 1995 over cleanup costs for the area. Under an earlier settlement, the town of Lincoln was reimbursed for the cost of finding water supplies to replace closed wells. All wastes have been removed from Unit One, and a groundwater treatment system is in operation.