Waste Site Cleanup & Reuse in New England
Occum Park - Norwich, CT
(April 2006)
Program: EPA
Targeted Brownfield Assessment
Grantee: City
of Norwich (contacts)
Summary: A contaminated former textile mill site
along the Shetucket River in Norwich, Conn., was reborn in 2005
as a public park, using investments totaling $2.7 million from
EPA, state and local sources.
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The City Textile Corporation, a division of Rotoprint, operated a textile finishing business on the 5-acre site between 1967 and 1986. When a fire destroyed the mill complex and office building, it left only the foundation and a concrete building, and the site was abandoned for 13 years. Because contamination was suspected, EPA committed $84,903 through its Targeted Brownfields Assessment (TBA) Program to assess environmental conditions at the site. The assessment revealed contamination from polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), petroleum hydrocarbons, polyaromatic hydrocarbons and metals, all of which have serious health risks..
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Approximately 400 tons of solid waste, including wood, metal, cloth and other waste from the fire, was removed from the property and shipped off-site for disposal. About 150 tons of PCB-contaminated soil was also disposed of off-site. The remaining contaminated soil, over 10,000 cubic yards, was placed under a thick plastic geomembrane cap, with two feet of clean sand and topsoil placed over the cap. The City of Norwich has agreed to provide yearly monitoring to ensure the quality of the cap.
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The City of Norwich took ownership of the site and granted a use variance to develop Occum Park in a former industrial zone. The Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development provided $1.5 million in funding for the Occum Park Neighborhood Redevelopment Project. Connecticut's Department of Environmental protection and the City of Norwich provided additional funds needed for the project, which were administered by the Norwich Community Development Corporation.
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Occum Park was designed for passive and active outdoor recreation by neighborhood and city residents. The park along the Shetucket River has a large, multi-use field in the center of a walking track; a basketball court; picnic tables; and a playground with Playscape equipment. The design also includes bench seating convenient to the riverfront; and access to the water for small boats and canoes.
At the July, 2005 dedication ceremony for the park, according to the local newspaper, one 9-year-old girl said, “I like being able to do gymnastics here because of the nice grass. There's lots of room to do activities.” An 8-year-old boy in attendance reportedly agreed, saying “It's nice. You can do lots of stuff. I'm going to tell my mom and my dad all about this.”
Timeline:
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1967 to 1986: Textile business operated at the site.
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1986: Fire destroyed the mill complex.
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1997: CT DEP begins testing for contaminants at the site
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1998: CT governor announced $1.5 million to fund a park at the former factory site.
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1999: EPA committed $75,000 in Targeted Brownfields Assessment funds.
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2001: City acquires the property for the park.
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2002-2004: Clean-up activities removed contaminated soil and other materials. Geomembrane, sand, and topsoil cap placed over remainder of site.
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2004: Construction begins.
- June 2005: Occum Park is completed and open to the public.