All News Releases By Date

Clean Up Will Begin at Connell Street Property in Tiverton, R.I.

Release Date: 12/06/2004
Contact Information:

Contact: David Deegan, EPA Press Office, (617) 918-1017

For Immediate Release: December 6, 2004; Release # dd04-12-02

BOSTON -- This week will mark the beginning of work to clean the "A Connell Street" site in Tiverton, R.I. A single-family residence is currently located on this property.

Soil sampling conducted during the past several months by EPA has identified mercury contamination on the property. The mercury is thought to be the result of a hat factory, which operated on the property about 100 years ago.

The site is located in the "Bay Street Suspected Fill Area" where the R.I. DEM is overseeing a large-scale investigation by the New England Gas Co. of about 100 properties. The company is investigating the contamination caused by coal gasification waste historically buried in the area. The A Connell Street property was the first to indicate mercury contamination.

"The mercury contamination appears to be localized to the vicinity of this one residential property," said Frank Gardner, one of the EPA staff coordinating the EPA removal activity at the A Connell Street property. "Because the nature and origin of this contamination sets it apart from the larger investigation underway in the Bay Street Area, DEM requested that EPA address the clean up of this property immediately. This action is separate from the work being done by DEM in the Bay Street Area."

As part of the clean up efforts underway, EPA will conduct additional soil sampling to identify the limits of the mercury contaminated soil, excavate the contaminated surface soils and ship them off-site for safe disposal at a facility licensed to handle hazardous waste, effectively cap contaminated soils in place which may remain at depth, backfill the excavated area with clean fill and restore areas disturbed by site activities.

Gardner and Tom Condon, EPA's on-scene coordinators from the Superfund removal program, will be managing the cleanup on a day-to-day basis.

Related Information:
Cleanup Process
Cleanup in New England
Mercury Topics