All News Releases By Date

EPA and NH DES Begin Joint Effort to Contain the Migration of Contaminants from the Troy Mills Landfill in Troy, NH

Release Date: 10/10/2002
Contact Information: Alice Kaufman, EPA Press Office, (617) 918-1064

BOSTON - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency today announced that it has set aside $960,000 to contain leachate migrating from an area of buried drums at the Troy Mills Landfill in Troy, NH. The contamination threatens nearby wetlands, a protected pond, and a popular recreational area.

In August and September, EPA conducted a geophysical survey and test pit excavation activities in the former landfill to evaluate the condition and contents of the buried drums. Analysis of the contents of the buried drums revealed liquids and sludge, consisting of flammable substances, volatile and semi-volatile organic compounds as well as inorganic contaminants. Soil samples, as well as surface water samples collected immediately down gradient from the drum burial areas, confirmed that the buried drums are releasing contaminants into the soil and groundwater. Groundwater monitoring wells located immediately down gradient and adjacent to the drum burial area also contain similar contaminants.

In the next few weeks, EPA will begin to conduct engineering studies to better define the movement of contaminants leaching from the buried drums. During the winter months, engineering designs will be developed in preparation for the construction of a temporary interceptor system that will capture the contaminated groundwater. Actual construction of the interceptor system at the base of the drum disposal area is anticipated to take place in the spring.

Sand Dam Pond, a summer recreational area located approximately 3,500 feet from the former landfill, receives water discharges from the Rockwood Brook which flows parallel to the landfill. A sensitive wetland area and a protected water body, which provides a habitat for eight New Hampshire state-listed endangered or threatened species, are also near the site.

The landfill was reportedly undeveloped prior to 1967. From 1967 to 1978, Troy Mills Inc. manufactured acrylic fabrics for the automotive industry. The company disposed of an estimated 6,000 to 10,000 55-gallon drums of waste liquid and sludge containing plasticizers, a petroleum-based solvent known as Varsol Stoddard, and mineral spirits. An average of 15 to 20 drums per week were dumped from trucks into trenches into a two-acre area of the landfill. Up to 70 percent of the drums are estimated to still contain waste. The remainder of the landfill (approximately eight acres) contains discarded synthetic fabrics and other types of solid waste.