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Cleanup Plan for Hatheway & Patterson Superfund Site Approved

Release Date: 10/27/2005
Contact Information:

Contact: David Deegan ([email protected]), EPA Office of Public Affairs, (617) 918-1017

For Immediate Release: October 27, 2005; Release # dd051002

(Boston) - EPA has approved a comprehensive cleanup plan for the 38-acre Hatheway & Patterson Superfund site, located in Mansfield and Foxborough, Mass.

Enacting the final plan paves the way for the cleanup and eventual redevelopment of the site, and protection of both human health and the environment.

Under the cleanup plan, approximately 4000 cubic yards of soils contaminated with fuel oil or dioxin will be removed and properly disposed of off-site. Soils contaminated with arsenic will be consolidated and stabilized under a low permeability cover. The plan also calls for the long-term monitoring of both groundwater and the Rumford River to ensure that water quality is not degraded. Finally, the plan puts in place controls on future land and groundwater uses, to ensure that the health of people in the area is protected.

EPA estimates the cleanup cost to be $12.1 million. As a next step, EPA hopes to begin the demolition of the remaining Hatheway & Patterson production facilities in 2006 in order to prepare the site for other planned cleanup work.

From 1953 to 1993, the Hatheway & Patterson Company used the site to treat wood using solutions of pentachlorophenol (PCP) in fuel oil, as well as copper, chromium and arsenic. These contaminants have been found in site soils and groundwater. The company ceased operations in April 1993 after having filed for bankruptcy in Feb. 1993. EPA performed two emergency cleanups at the Site during 1995-1996 and 2003 to eliminate the immediate threats posed by the abandonment of the Site.

The Hatheway & Patterson site was proposed for inclusion on the National Priorities List (NPL or ‘Superfund’) in Sept. 2001. The NPL is EPA's list of the country's most serious hazardous waste sites identified for possible long-term cleanup. The Superfund program makes public funds available to clean up toxic waste sites when private financing is unavailable.

The cleanup plan for the site is known formally as a Record of Decision (ROD). EPA made the plan available for public review and comment in June 2005. The ROD and technical documents related to the site are available for public review at the Mansfield Public Library, 255 Hope Street, Mansfield; or by appointment at the EPA New England Records Center in Boston (call 617-918-1440); or at: https://www.epa.gov/ne/superfund/sites/hatheway.

Related Information:
Hatheway and Patterson Company
Cleanup Process
Superfund in New England