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Important phase of Environmental Cleanup set to begin at Solvents Recovery Service of New England, Inc. (SRSNE) Superfund Site

Release Date: 05/12/2014
Contact Information: EPA New England 617-918-1010

A key phase of the environmental cleanup at SRSNE is scheduled to start this week. This comes after just over a year of construction at the SRSNE Superfund Site, and 31 years on the National Priorities list.

The work to be done incudes In-Situ Thermal Remediation (ISTR) to remove solvents from contaminated soils at the site. ISTR uses electrical heaters in the ground to vaporize the solvents, which will then be extracted with a vacuum system and treated on site. The treatment process will create water vapor, which will look like steam coming out of the top of the treatment system stack. The ISTR process is expected to take just over six months to complete. The treated area will be capped after ISTR is finished, leading up to construction of a new segment of the Farmington Canal Heritage Trail.
The ISTR technology has been used successfully and safely at a number of sites across the country, including densely-populated urban neighborhoods, without affecting the residents. Continuous air monitoring will be conducted while the work is going on. Air monitors have been placed along the perimeter of the SRSNE site, and will be monitoring for any dust particles. In addition, all shifts of the Southington Fire Department station have visited the site and been briefed on the technology and emergency procedures.

The SRSNE facility operated as an approved hazardous waste treatment and storage facility. The facility received various waste industrial solvents that were blended for use as a fuel product. From 1957 to 1967, stillbottom sludges were disposed of in two unlined lagoons. In 1967, sludge disposal was discontinued, and the lagoons were drained and covered with fill. After the lagoons were closed, wastes were burned in an open pit on site or disposed of off-site. In the 1970s, the State ordered that the incineration practice be discontinued. Past operating practices, spills, and poor housekeeping are sources of contamination. In 1991, all activities at the site ceased in preparation for closure.
More information on the project is available at: www.SRSNESite.com.

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