The site is located in Taunton, MA and covers an area of 15 acres in close proximity to the Taunton River. (RTN: 4-0207) The industrial/commercial property was located along the Taunton River, an area targeted for redevelopment by the City of Taunton. Norfolk Ram Group was hired by the City to provide services necessary to redevelop the site through the EPA Brownfields Program.
There were four areas of concern identified at the site, including an area that had been used as a landfill for tannery wastes and three additional locations that showed metals contamination. Contamination was attributed to the historic use of the site as a leather tannery and the historic application of urban fill.
Norfolk completed Phase II - IV assessments of the property to address the areas of concern identified during previously completed Phase I site assessment. Project work involved coordinating MCP cleanup operations in conjunction with site work conducted under an EPA Brownfields Grant to the City of Taunton. Assessment at the site included an evaluation of site soil, groundwater, surface water and sediment over the entire 15-acre site and a detailed investigation of a portion of the site, which was previously used as a landfill for tannery wastes. The landfill portion of the site contained elevated concentrations of metals in excess of applicable Upper Concentration Limits (UCLs). On the basis of the assessment plan, remedial closure options were developed.
A plan for regulatory closure was implemented via a Class A-4 RAO which required an Activity Use Limitation for the tannery landfill portion of the site. All work was conducted in accordance with the deadlines imposed under an Administrative Consent Order (ACO). A Method 3 Risk Assessment was prepared which determined a condition of "no significant risk" for the site after site closure. Norfolk designed and oversaw the closure of the site via a RCRA-equivalent cap over the landfill portion of the property.