Comments Sought on Proposed Interim Groundwater Cleanup Plan at New Hampshire Plating Company Superfund Site, Merrimack, N.H.
Publilshed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
BOSTON (May 31, 2023) – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has released a Proposed Plan for an interim remedy for the cleanup of groundwater at the New Hampshire Plating Company Superfund Site located on Wright Avenue in Merrimack New Hampshire. EPA is accepting public comments on the Proposed Plan until June 30, 2023. EPA is also holding a virtual informational meeting and public hearing on the proposal on Wednesday, June 7, 2023, from 6:00pm – 7:15pm
EPA will hold a virtual informational meeting, immediately followed by a formal public hearing at which people can submit oral comments, which will be included in the official record. Both events will be held virtually so people can participate online or by telephone. Detailed Instructions are available at EPA’s website at: www.epa.gov/superfund/nhplating. Written comments may also be submitted as detailed below.
EPA has considered several alternative methods to address groundwater contamination at the Site and is seeking public comments on its preferred interim remedy. After the public has had an opportunity to review and provide comment, EPA plans to formalize selection of the interim remedy in a “Record of Decision (ROD) Amendment (Interim Remedy)” expected in August 2023. This decision document will amend the groundwater remedy selected in the 1998 ROD modified by EPA in subsequent Explanations of Significant Differences (ESD), dated September 28, 2007, and September 25, 2020.
EPA’s preferred alternative for the interim remedy in the Proposed Plan is designed to prevent future human health exposure to, and risk from, hazardous substances until a final remedy is selected for groundwater at the Site. The Proposed Plan includes:
- In-situ (below ground) treatment and sequestration of groundwater contaminants;
- Phytotechnologies (tree plantings) for the treatment and sequestration of groundwater contaminants;
- Land use restrictions to prevent exposure to Site contaminants;
- Monitoring of the contaminated groundwater plume to evaluate the performance of the interim remedy; and
- Periodic reviews, at a minimum of every five years, to assess the protectiveness of the remedy.
The proposed interim remedy defers the selection of a final groundwater remedy for the Site pending further evaluation of data which will be assessed at least every five years. Information obtained from this interim remedy will allow EPA to better determine any final remedy for this contamination.
The estimated total present value of this proposed cleanup approach, including construction, operation and maintenance, and long-term monitoring is approximately $15.1 million.
Background
The New Hampshire Plating Company (NHPC) Superfund Site is located in Merrimack, New Hampshire. The two NHPC parcels, with a combined total of 13 acres, are enclosed by an 8-foot-high chain-link security fence and are situated in an area with mixed land use, including light manufacturing, commercial businesses, and a few private residential dwellings. A public water supply is available to properties in the immediate vicinity of the Site. Soil and groundwater at the Site have been contaminated by historical (1962 to 1985) electroplating operations and waste disposal activities, most notably the discharge of treated and untreated wastes and wastewater from the former process areas into drainage channels within the concrete floors of the building, from which the waste materials gravity-drained through an underground discharge pipe into unlined waste lagoons. The presence of volatile organic compounds (including 1,4-dioxane), metals, and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) have been identified throughout the Site at levels that present an unacceptable future risk to human health and the environment.
Given that public water is available in the immediate vicinity of the Site with no current users ingesting Site groundwater, there is no current human health risk via ingestion of groundwater. Additional remedial actions are required to address the potential human health risks associated with the future ingestion of contaminated groundwater and the potential inhalation of contaminated vapors in new or renovated structures constructed over the groundwater contaminant plume.
More information and Public Comment Opportunity:
Copies of the detailed Proposed Plan, as well as historical information about EPA’s efforts at the New Hampshire Plating Company Superfund Site may be viewed on EPA’s website at: www.epa.gov/superfund/nhplating or if local conditions allow, may also be reviewed at the Site information repository at the Merrimack Public Library, 470 Daniel Webster Highway, Merrimack, NH 03054.
EPA is accepting comments on the Proposed Plan. Comments must be submitted no later than June 30, 2023. Comments may also be submitted during the 30-day public comment period, which may be submitted via phone, mail, email, or fax to: Valerie Jurgens, Remedial Project Manager, US EPA New England, 5 Post Office Square, Suite 100, SNR07-1 Boston, MA 02109; jurgens.valerie@epa.gov. FAX: 617-918-0346. If you have questions, Ms. Jurgens can be reached at (617) 918-1346.
Read the full article at: https://www.epa.gov/newsreleases/comments-sought-proposed-interim-groundwater-cleanup-plan-new-hampshire-plating
