Massachusetts Superfund Site: Haverhill Municipal Landfill
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Are you in need of a Toxic Tort Attorney in The Bay State? The E.P.A. has designated Haverhill Municipal Landfill in Massachusetts as a Superfund site due to its levels of environmental toxins and threat to the natural world. You can read the report for the site below.
Some Superfund sites are on the National Priority Site Lists. The National Priorities List ("NPL") is the list of hazardous waste sites in the United States eligible for long-term remedial action financed under the federal Superfund program. Environmental Protection Agency regulations outline a formal process for assessing hazardous waste sites and placing them on the NPL. The NPL is intended primarily to guide the EPA in determining which sites warrant further investigation.
Sites are listed on the NPL upon completion of Hazard Ranking System (HRS) screening, public solicitation of comments about the proposed site, and after all comments have been addressed. EPA may delete a final NPL site if it determines that no further response is required to protect human health or the environment. Sites where a remediation was completed through the Superfund program are typically deleted from the NPL.
Living near Superfund Sites in Massachusetts may place you and the people you love more vulnerable to developing a disease from exposure to the site and experiencing a loss of value for your property, but you can do something to to fight back: The EPA says,
[We have] set up a "Post Construction Completion" (or PCC) strategy to ensure that Superfund response actions provide for the long-term protection of human health and the environment. EPA's Post Construction Completion activities also involve optimizing remedies to increase effectiveness and/or reduce cost without sacrificing long-term protection of human health and the environment.However, most of the Superfund sites continue to pose a threat the well-being of local residents.
By choosing Weitz & Luxenberg, you benefit from the legal ability of skilled Toxic Tort attorneys who will help fight back against polluters and get you and your loved ones the compensation and environmental remediation to which you are entitled.
Below you can read the EPA report for the Haverhill Municipal Landfill Superfund site. If you, a loved one, or someone in your community has suffered due to exposure to a Superfund site Haverhill Municipal Landfill, or if your property has lost value because of contamination, you will need a toxic tort attorney who knows the people of the State of Massachusetts . Learn more about your legal options by filling out this simple form. There is no obligation, and your case will be evaluated within one business day. To refer a friend, neighbor, or loved one, click here to let them know about the environmental toxic tort attorneys at Weitz & Luxenberg.
Haverhill Municipal Landfill
This site is not a Federal Facility.
Site Type: Long Term/National Priorities List (NPL)
HAVERHILL MUNICIPAL LANDFILL
Haverhill, Massachusetts
Essex County
| Street Address: | OLD GROVELAND RD |
| Zip Code: | 01830 |
| Congressional District(s): | 06 |
| EPA ID #: | MAD980523336 |
| Site ID #: | 0100717 |
| Site Aliases: | Haverhill Landfill |
Street Address:
OLD GROVELAND RD
Zip Code:
01830
Congressional
District(s):
06
EPA ID #:
MAD980523336
Site ID #:
0100717
Site Aliases:
Haverhill Landfill
Site Responsibility:
Federal, Municipal, State, Potentially Responsible Parties
NPL LISTING HISTORY
Proposed Date
10/15/1984
Final Date
06/10/1986
Initial Action
In 1990, the EPA discovered two drums of unknown material on the site. Tests revealed the contents of the drums were contaminated with VOC's. The contaminated drums were stabilized, removed and properly disposed of by the responsible parties.
Entire Site
EPA is perfroming continued oversight activites while the City of Haverhill and Aggregate Industries are closing the landfill under Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MADEP) Solid Waste and Massachusetts Contingency Plan requirements.
2003 Phase I Hot Spot Investigation
During the summer of 2003, contractors for the RP's conducted the Hot Spot Investigation Activities. The purpose of this was to address concerns regarding hazardous waste disposal of drums at the landfill, prior to the final capping, closure and grading.
2004 Phase II A Drum Removal Program
This work was conducted during the Fall of 2004. Activiites included the excavation, stabilization and proper dispoal of approximately 1,800 drums of wastes.
2005 Phase II B Drum Remval Program
This work is scheduled to begin during the summer or spring of 2005, pending funding approval from the State Revolvoing Fund Program. Both MADEP & EPA will continue oversight activities while the RPs are performing this work.
Disclaimer
Instructions about PDF
Recent Press Releases about this project (if any) nbsp
Site Newsletter: Haverhill Municipal Landfill, January 2004 (94KB) nbsp
Haverhill Municipal Landfill Fact Sheet # 2, September 2004 (287KB) nbsp
Final NPL Listing nbsp
View Records of Decision (RODS) on-line (EPA HQ) nbsp
NPL Site Narrative at Listing: nbsp
[Back to Top
EPA Remedial Project Manager:
Derrick Golden
Address:
1 Congress Street, Suite 1100
Boston, MA 02114-2023
Phone #:
(617) 918-1448
E-Mail Address:
golden.derrick@epa.gov
EPA Community Involvement Coordinator:
Pamela Harting-Barrat
Address:
1 Congress Street, Suite 1100
Boston, MA 02114-2023
Phone #:
617-918-1318
E-Mail Address:
Harting-Barrat.Pamela@epa.gov
State Agency Contact:
Janet Waldron
MADEP
Address:
One Winter Street
Boston, MA 02108
Phone #:
617-556-1156
E-Mail Address:
janet.waldron@state.ma.us@state.ma.us
The Haverhill Landfill became into existence as of the result of the Great Merrimack River flood of 1936. The local businesses and residences were completely flooded and had no place to dispose of their damaged goods, food and other wastes while they cleaned up from the flood damage. Later that year (1936) the City designated the current location of the landfill as the place to dispose of their wastes.
Municipal and Industrial wastes were accepted at the Landfill until May of 1981. From 1982 until June of 1996, sludges generated from the City of Haverhill Wastewater treatment plant and paper beater waste from the Haverhill Paperboard Company, were also disposed of at the landfill. In 1996, the City covered the landfill with an intermediate cover until a final site wide closure plan can be finalized. Both the Massachusetts Department of Environemntal Protection (MADEP) and the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will review and comment on these final closure plans before it is allowed to be implemented. The Haverhill landfill is currently inactive and does not accept wastes.
Some of the known wastes that were disposed of included 55 gallon steel drums of unknown materials, tannery and shoe wastes, tires, and flammables such as lacquers, paints, oils, and glues. These materials were either dumped on the surface of the site or deposited into shallow pits, while sludges and liquids were disposed of on a parcel near the river to the east. Groundwater monitoring wells are located throughout the entire area and along the Merrimack River, indicate low levels of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) like Trichlororethene, Benzene and Vinyl Chloride. Private residences are located immediately adjacent to the site and within the nearby Town of Groveland. Haverhill and Groveland have a total combined population of approximately 58,040 people.
Threats and Contaminants
Groundwater beneath the site in contaminated with low levels of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs). In 1999, MADEP with the concurrence of EPA entered into a legal cooperative agreement with the City of Haverhill and Aggregate Industries (the Resposible Parties), to properly cap, close and monitor the landfill under MADEP Bureau of Solid Waste and the Massachusetts Contingency Plan rules and regulations. Also because the site is listed on the National Priorities List (NPL) as a Federal Superfund Site, the Responsible Parties (RPs) will also need to meet EPA Superfund requirements once the final investigations, capping and closure are completed.
Cleanup Approach
The site is being addressed in two stages: initial actions and a long-term remedial phase which focuses on limiting unacceptable human health & ecological risks to humans and or the environment.
Response Action Status
| Initial Action | In 1990, the EPA discovered two drums of unknown material on the site. Tests revealed the contents of the drums were contaminated with VOC's. The contaminated drums were stabilized, removed and properly disposed of by the responsible parties. |
| Entire Site | EPA is perfroming continued oversight activites while the City of Haverhill and Aggregate Industries are closing the landfill under Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MADEP) Solid Waste and Massachusetts Contingency Plan requirements. |
| 2003 Phase I Hot Spot Investigation | During the summer of 2003, contractors for the RP's conducted the Hot Spot Investigation Activities. The purpose of this was to address concerns regarding hazardous waste disposal of drums at the landfill, prior to the final capping, closure and grading. |
| 2004 Phase II A Drum Removal Program | This work was conducted during the Fall of 2004. Activiites included the excavation, stabilization and proper dispoal of approximately 1,800 drums of wastes. |
| 2005 Phase II B Drum Remval Program | This work is scheduled to begin during the summer or spring of 2005, pending funding approval from the State Revolvoing Fund Program. Both MADEP & EPA will continue oversight activities while the RPs are performing this work. |
The Responsible Parties began an initial investigations of the site in 1981. Activities since then have included the installation and sampling and analysis of groundwater monitoring wells, surface water and sediment sampling from nearby Johnson Creek and the Merrimack River and monitoring for landfill gas emissions. During landfill gas monitoring activities that were conducted in 1992, elevated levels of landfill gas were found along the southern property line. To alleviate the potential build up of landfill gases along this area, a passive gas venting system was installed in 1994. The consultant for the City and Aggregate, Camp Dresser & McKee (CDM), has continually monitored the landfill gases on a quarterly basis and will evaluate whether there is a need for additional gas extraction system as part of the final caping activities.
Current Site Status
In 1999 The MADEP, with the concurrence of EPA, entered into a cooperative agreement with the City of Haverhill and Aggregate Industries to properly grade and cap the landfill under MADEP solid waste and the Massachusetts Contingency Plan rules and regulations.
It was suspected that there may have been hazardous waste disposed of in the northern parcel of the landfill, between the old railroad bed and the Merrimack River. Because of this concern, CDM initiated a "Hot Spot" investigation in December of 2002. The first step of this investigation involved the use of ground penetrating radar to locate buried metals that could potentially be drums.
In July of 2003 test pits were excavated to visually determine if the buried metals were actually drums containing hazardous materials. Drums in various states of decay were discovered and removed from the test pits. Some of the drums were empty while others contained liquids or solids. During the excavation activities, any stained soils or free liquids that were encountered in the excavation were also removed and properly disposed of. Also, recent samples collected from the nearby groundwater monitoring wells do not indicate increased levels of contamination but are consistent with historical sampling data. The visual test pitting identified two large areas of drums buried approximately 18 feet below the surface of the ground. CDM has estimated that both areas combined may contain approximately 6,500 drums.
Excavation efforts had to be suspended in September of 2003, due to the depth and amount of drums that had been discovered and also for CDM to prepare a more comprehensive plan to safely and properly remove the large quantity of burried drums. In June of 2004, CDM submittied to both MADEP and EPA a 2004 Action Plan for a partial drum removal. Construction activities for the excavation, removal, and stabilization work for the partial drum removal was completed by the end of December 2004. Aproximately 1,800 drums of hazzardous wastes were removed and properly disposed of.Pending funding approval, the remaining burried drums are scheduled to be removed during the summer or spring of 2005. Until then, extensive groundwater, slope monitoring, surface water and sediment sampling will continue to ensure the protection of human health and the environment.
Site Photos
Links to Other Site Information
| Disclaimer | Instructions about PDF |
| Recent Press Releases about this project (if any) nbsp | ||
| Site Newsletter: Haverhill Municipal Landfill, January 2004 (94KB) nbsp | ||
| Haverhill Municipal Landfill Fact Sheet # 2, September 2004 (287KB) nbsp | ||
| Final NPL Listing nbsp |
| View Records of Decision (RODS) on-line (EPA HQ) nbsp |
| NPL Site Narrative at Listing: nbsp | ||
The Bradford Wastewater Treatment Plant and the Haverhill Public Library
EPA New England Records Center, One Congress Street, Boston, MA 02114 (617) 918-1440
| [Back to Top |
| EPA Remedial Project Manager: | Derrick Golden |
| Address: | 1 Congress Street, Suite 1100 Boston, MA 02114-2023 |
| Phone #: | (617) 918-1448 |
| E-Mail Address: | golden.derrick@epa.gov |
| EPA Community Involvement Coordinator: | Pamela Harting-Barrat |
| Address: | 1 Congress Street, Suite 1100 Boston, MA 02114-2023 |
| Phone #: | 617-918-1318 |
| E-Mail Address: | Harting-Barrat.Pamela@epa.gov |
| State Agency Contact: | Janet Waldron MADEP |
| Address: | One Winter Street Boston, MA 02108 |
| Phone #: | 617-556-1156 |
| E-Mail Address: | janet.waldron@state.ma.us@state.ma.us |
source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Act Now! It is essential that you inquire about your pollutant lawsuit as soon as possible. Massachusetts law may limit your time to bring a legal claim to protect your rights. Your legal review is free and there is no commitment. You case will be evaluated immediately, so get started on your claim today!
see also:
Hanscom Field/Hanscom Air Force Base
Environmental Pollution in Massachusetts- Site: Hanscom Field/Hanscom Air Force BaseHanscom Field/Hanscom Air Force Base Superfund Site Info - Fight Air Pollution, Water Pollution
Hatheway & Patterson
Environmental Pollution in Massachusetts- Site: Hatheway & PattersonHatheway & Patterson Superfund Site Info - Fight Air Pollution, Water Pollution
Ha - Hz
Massachusetts Superfund Sites: Ha - HzMassachusetts Superfund Site Info - Fight Air Pollution, Water Pollution
