Background
The
Former Rockbestos Removal site is located at 172 Sterling Street in Clinton,
Worcester County, Massachusetts. It is owned by the Town of Clinton,
which foreclosed on the property following a tax taking procedure.
Approximately 8.4 acres, the site is in a mixed commercial/industrial and
residential area, approximately 0.3 miles from downtown Clinton. It consists of
nine parcels and is a generally flat vacant lot that contains the remnant
foundations from previously demolished industrial buildings.
The
site was historically occupied by wire and cable manufacturers from
approximately 1936 through the early 2000s. Rockbestos-Surprenant Cable
Corporation operated a mill on the property until 2003-04, when it moved
operations to Connecticut. The property had multiple owners from 2004-2018
until the town foreclosed on the site on August 14, 2018. The town then
contracted an environmental firm to conduct an American Society for Testing and
Materials Phase I/Phase II assessment of the Site.
What
Has Been Done to Clean Up the Site?
In
2021, the town hired an environmental contractor to perform another asbestos
survey prior to planned disposal of the seven debris piles. The contractor
identified asbestos-containing material in one of the seven piles (identified
as “Pile 6”). Six of the seven piles were disposed of the by the town. A
following site inspection with the town and the Massachusetts Department of
Environmental Protection (MassDEP) in 2021 identified a smaller, approximately
10-cubic-yard pile of asbestos-containing material that had been dumped by an
unknown party onto the backside of Pile 6 and some additional
asbestos-containing debris in a separate area nearby.
In
2023, MassDEP worked with an asbestos contractor and the town to properly
remove and dispose of the two illegally dumped smaller piles, which were
visually distinct from the remaining debris in Pile 6. MassDEP removed small
trees growing out of Pile 6 and wrapped the pile in plastic sheeting to prevent
the asbestos-containing material from moving.
The
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) conducted two sampling events as
part of its environmental investigation in February and May 2024.
EPA
addressed the asbestos-containing material through a removal action, which
included removing and disposing of Pile 6 and any surface soil in contact with
Pile 6 that contained hazardous materials. Following the excavation, EPA
returned the site to the town and MassDEP for any needed future actions.
Disposal
of Pile 6 and surface soil and backfill required trucks and machinery to enter
the site via 214 Sterling Street. EPA took action to control dust and prevent
runoff of decontamination water from impacting the culverted steam that runs
underneath the property and nearby residential and commercial properties.
Air monitors were deployed around the work area during active work to
monitor air quality. Contaminated soil was wetted to reduce dust. The town will
provided water via nearby hydrants. Fencing was installed to restrict public
access.
What
is the Current Site Status?
Work
began on January 6, 2025, and the removal action was completed on January 17,
2025. The Site has been turned back over the to the Town of Clinton.
The
Administrative Record is available for review online at:
Or
by scanning the QR code.
Locations
to access the online administrative record include:
- U.S.
EPA SEMS Records and Information Center, 5 Post Office Square, Suite 100,
Boston, MA, 02109-3912, (617) 918-1440, by appointment
