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EPA Begins Cleanup at Jard Company Site in Bennington, VT

Release Date: 10/05/2006
Contact Information: David Deegan, (617) 918-1017

(Bennington, Vt. - Oct. 5, 2006) – EPA has begun cleanup work at the Jard Company Site located on Bowen Rd. in Bennington. The 36-acre site includes an abandoned and unsecured 120,000 square foot steel building which is in an advanced state of deterioration and is contaminated with PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls). The cost of the cleanup is estimated to be $1.9 million.

The Jard Company operated the facility, located in an industrial area of town, from 1969 to 1986 and manufactured capacitors, transformers and motors used in household appliances. In 1989, Jard filed for bankruptcy.
This week, EPA contractors have been clearing the site of vegetation, posting signs and making repairs to the fence surrounding the site to restrict access and deter trespassers from accessing the site. Over the next several months, EPA will begin careful demolition of the building and remove and dispose of the highly contaminated portion of the concrete slab foundation beneath the building.

In addition, EPA will remove and dispose of drywells, an underground storage tank, asbestos tiles, transformers, and a zinc hopper. EPA will also seal off pipes in the building. Once the building is removed, EPA will address areas of heavily contaminated soil located beneath the concrete slab. After excavating the heavily contaminated soils, EPA will then backfill the open areas with clean fill and place a soil cap over the remaining slab area. Once removed, the contaminated material will be transported off-site for disposal at a licensed facility.

During this work, demolition debris will be wetted down to minimized fugitive dust. EPA will monitor the air during the removal activities to ensure that surrounding residents are not exposed to unhealthy air.

In 1992, EPA oversaw the removal of drums and containers from the site, took measures to restrict access to the building and installed a fence around the perimeter of the site. Following a fire at the site in 1997, EPA returned to the site to remove additional contaminated soil, re-secure the building and repair the fence.

During the next several months when EPA is working to demolish the existing structure, the public is reminded not to trespass on the site or enter the building.

More information on the Jard Co. site (epaosc.net/site_profile.asp?site_id=2448)

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