Peterson/Puritan, Inc. Case Study

Note: EPA no longer updates this information, but it may be useful as a reference or resource.

An abandoned facility prior to purchase bt the Hope Webbing Co.

The CCL Custom Manufacturing facility on Martin Street is one of the number of businesses on site.

PROBLEM

Groundwater contaminated with organic chemicals and metals
Soil contaminated with organic chemicals
Surface water contaminated with organic compounds

SOLUTION

Installed a groundwater extraction and treatment system
Installed a soil vapor extraction system to remove organic chemicals
Removed leachfield soils
Continued monitoring of groundwater, soil, and air
Placing legal restrictions on land and groundwater use in certain deeds

PARTNERS

U.S. EPA
RI Dept. of Environmental Management
Bestfoods
CCL Custom Manufacturing, Inc.
Lonza, Inc.
Pacific Anchor Chemical Corp.
Hope Webbing Company

POSITIVE ECONOMIC IMPACTS
Short-term

112 jobs per year during cleanup
$3.9 million in annual income

Long-term

800 permanent jobs supported at on-site businesses
$23.9 million in annual income from on-site jobs
$19.1 million in annual spending

Public Revenue

$668,000 in annual sales tax revenues from spending by on-site employees

Property Value

$6.6 million potential increase in residential property values within two miles of the site

ENVIRONMENTAL & SOCIAL BENEFITS

Protected public health in a residential and industrial area
Protected drinking water sources and a major river
Provided recreational and greenway space
Contributed to the preservation of a National Heritage Corridor

Last Updated January 2000

Peterson/Puritan, Inc.
Cumberland and Lincoln, RI

BEFORE
Groundwater, surface water, and soil contamination under and around an industrial park and solid waste landfill

AFTER
Six operating businesses, an industrial condominium complex, a riverside park and bike path, little league park and town dog pound

IMPACT
Local jobs and income, a recreational resource, and protection of area waters and National Heritage Corridor

In 1982, EPA identified the 980-acre Peterson/Puritan Superfund site as a major source of pollution of the Blackstone River and of contamination of the water supplies of thousands of residents in two nearby towns. Several businesses employing hundreds of people occupied part of the site. Closing down these businesses, even temporarily, to clean up the site, would have severely injured the local economy. Fortunately, EPA and the parties responsible for the pollution are accomplishing the cleanup in a way that allows existing commercial, light industrial, and recreational facilities to continue operating throughout the process. When the rest of the site is cleaned up, a portion of it may become part of a 17-mile riverside park. What follows is the story of the cooperation between EPA, the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management, responsible parties, and the local community to ensure that the site remains in productive use and able to support additional uses while it is being cleaned up, and the positive economic impacts and social and environmental benefits that have resulted.

Site Snapshot

The site is located in a mixed industrial and residential area along the Blackstone River, within the towns of Cumberland and Lincoln in northern Rhode Island. It is about two miles long and extends 2,000 feet to the east and west of the main river channel. The site includes an industrial park, an inactive landfill and solid waste transfer station, sand and gravel operations, part of a National Heritage Corridor and state park, municipal water supply wells, and a number of undeveloped areas along the river.

For cleanup purposes, EPA divided the site into two areas. Since 1960, the industrial part of the site (operable unit 1) has been used for packaging aerosol products and manufacturing general industrial and specialty chemicals. As a result of historical releases from these facilities and a rail car spill in 1974, groundwater became contaminated with chlorinated solvents, organic chemicals, and heavy metals. Soil and surface water became contaminated with low concentrations of organics. From 1954 to 1986, the other part of the site (operable unit 2), primarily a landfill, was used for the disposal of wastes containing hazardous substances. This area will also be investigated for concentrations of contaminants that may be above acceptable levels, potentially impacting groundwater, soils, and the river.

From Contamination...

In 1983, EPA placed the site on its list of hazardous waste sites needing cleanup. The Town of Lincoln was connected to an alternate water supply, the Town of Cumberland increased production from remaining uncontaminated town water supplies, and Peterson/Puritan installed a recovery well to extract contaminated groundwater from beneath the property. In 1993, the potentially responsible parties finished their investigation of the extent of contamination in the industrial part of the site (operable unit 1) and EPA completed its cleanup plan. The remedies included excavation of contaminated soils, installation of a groundwater extraction and treatment system and in-place treatment systems (soil vapor extraction for soils and in situ oxidation for arsenic in groundwater), and monitoring for natural attenuation of groundwater contaminants. The responsible parties began the construction phase of the cleanup in the fall of 1995, and completed it in January 1997. The treatment systems will operate from four to twelve years to complete the cleanup. The cleanup of the portion of the site with the landfill (operable unit 2) began in 1992 with the removal of drums containing contaminated materials and the installation of a fence. An investigation into the nature and extent of contamination in this area is still underway.

...To Commerce and Recreation

Keeping the businesses open during the cleanup was important to the community. The industrial portion of the site now contains manufacturing and warehouse facilities housing six businesses, an industrial condominium complex, the town dog pound, and the town's little league ball park. Approximately 800 people work at the site, generating personal income and public revenues. The ball park is in constant use during the season. Several times, EPA has approved expansion of activities at the site so long as cleanup operations are not disrupted. When contamination at the landfill is addressed and the greenway and bike path are finished, that part of the site may be integrated into a heavily used regional recreational area.

Community Benefits

By remaining in operation through the cleanup process, businesses at the site have continued to support jobs that generate revenues, income, and spending in the area. In addition to protecting people and the environment from the potentially adverse effects of the contaminants, the cleanup contributes to the rehabilitation of the Blackstone River, and to the preservation of a designated National Heritage Corridor. A portion of the 17-mile bikeway along this corridor is on the site, and other portions of the bikeway run parallel to it. It is anticipated that 250,000 people will use the bikeway each year.

Keys to Success

The cooperation among the EPA, RIDEM, and the potentially responsible parties was key to the successful cleanup and continued use of the commercial portion of the site. The responsible parties undertook a voluntary cleanup of the site in accordance with the remedies selected by EPA. EPA signed an agreement with the Hope Webbing Company allowing them to purchase a property and operate a business without being held responsible for previous contamination. These kinds of agreements allowed businesses to continue operating and expanding on the site, while recreational activities, cleanup operations, and environmental monitoring take place.

For more information about the cleanup and redevelopment of the Peterson/Puritan site, contact:

David J. Newton
U.S. EPA-Region 1
One Congress Street
Suite 1100 (HBO)
Boston, MA 02114-2023
(617) 918-1243