SITE UPDATE

THE SUPERFUND PROGRAM protects human health 

and the environment by investigating and cleaning up often-abandoned 

hazardous waste sites and engaging communities throughout the process. 

Many of these sites are complex and need long-term cleanup actions. 

Those responsible for contamination are held liable for cleanup costs. 

EPA strives to return previously contaminated land and groundwater 

to productive use.

U.S. EPA | HAZARDOUS WASTE PROGRAM AT EPA NEW ENGLAND

t printed on 100% recycled paper, with a minimum of 50% post-consumer waste, using vegetable-based inks

July 2012

Cleaning Up New England

Eastland Woolen Mill

KEY CONTACTS:

ED HATHAWAY

EPA New England 

Project Manger

(617) 918-1372

hathaway.ed@epa.gov

REBECCA HEWETT

Maine DEP, Project Manager

(207) 287-8554

rebecca.l.hewett@maine.gov

GENERAL INFO:

E P A N E W E N G L A N D 

5 Post Office Square

Suite 100

Boston, MA 02109-3912

(617) 918-1111

www.epa.gov/region1/

E P A T O L L - F R E E 

C U S T O M E R S E R V I C E 

1-888-EPA-7341

LEARN MORE AT:

www.epa.gov/region1/

superfund/sites/eastland

continued >

SITE INFO:

EPA has completed the majority of the cleanup activities for the Eastland Woolen Mill Superfund Site. The official 

boundary of the Site will now be redrawn to facilitate the potential re-use of the restored properties. The public is 

welcome to comment on the new Site boundaries and EPA’s determination that all cleanup activities for the properties 

to be removed from the Site boundaries are complete. Figure 1 shows: the properties to be removed from the Site 

boundaries; properties that will remain within the Site and the current extent of groundwater contamination above 

the Site specific cleanup goals.

The cleanup activities for the area remaining within the Site 

will continue. The current activities include groundwater 

and surface water monitoring and completion of the land 

use restrictions. EPA is also evaluating whether additional 

in-situ chemical oxidation injections will facilitate groundwater restoration to the cleanup goals. In addition, EPA will 

continue to evaluate whether the Site remains protective 

of human health and the environment as part of periodic 

reviews that are performed every five years.

EPA will be publishing a notice in the Federal Register to 

document the decision to delete certain properties from 

the Eastland Woolen Mill Superfund Site. The supporting 

information for this action will be provided in the Federal 

Docket that can be found at http://www.regulations.

gov. A 30 day period is provided for public comment. 

Publicly available docket materials are also available at 

the EPA Record Center and the Site information repository at the Stewart Free Library in Corinna, Maine. If 

no adverse comments are received, EPA will finalize the 

deletion of these properties from the Eastland Woolen 

Mill Superfund Site. EPA will post a notice announcing the 

start of the comment period in a local paper.

EPA may delete a Site from the National Priorities List 

(NPL) if no further response is required to protect human 

health and the environment for the entire site or the 

portions of the Site to be deleted. EPA, in consultation 

with the State of Maine, has determined that all appropriate Superfund-financed responses under CERCLA 

have been implemented and that no further response 

by responsible parties is appropriate for the properties 

proposed for deletion. The Federal Docket contains the 

information to document that the properties proposed for 

PUBLIC MEETING

EPA and Maine DEP invite you to attend a 

public meeting to learn about the status of the 

cleanup activities at the Eastland Woolen Mill 

Superfund Site. 

CORINNA ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

42 Stetson Rd. 

Corinna, ME 04928

TUES., JULY 24, 2012

7 PM
CORUNDEL LAKE

EAST BRANCH

SEBASTICOOK

RIVER

MAIN

STREET

DEXTER ROAD

EXETER ROAD

ROUTE 7

STETSON ROAD

ST. ALBANS ROAD

HILL 

STREET

NEWPORT ROAD

MILL STREET

NOKOMIS ROAD

SUNSHINE VILLAGE DRIVE

RELAND DRIVE

1

Extent of overburden groundwater

above Site specific cleanup levels 

as of June 2011

Extent of overburden groundwater

above Site specific cleanup levels

as of June 2011

Extent of bedrock groundwater

above Site specific cleanup levels

as of June 2011 RENEWAL STREET

NOKOMIS ROAD

AREA TO BE DELETED AND REMAINING

BOUNDARY OF SITE

EASTLAND WOOLEN MILL PARTIAL

DELETION TECHNICAL MEMORANDUM

0 100 200 300 400 50

Feet

Legend

These properties to remain within Eastland Woolen

Mill Superfund Site after partial deletion (Removal)

These properties will no longer be within the

boundaries of the Eastland Woolen Mill Superfund

Site after partial deletion

Boundary of Eastland Woolen Mill Superfund Site

after Partial Deletion

Properties Proposed for Deletion from Eastland

Woolen Mill Superfund Site
SUPERFUND | HAZARDOUS WASTE PROGRAM AT EPA NEW ENGLAND SITE UPDATE

contamination, EPA shifted the treatment focus to 

in-situ chemical oxidation. The Non-Time-Critical 

Removal Action was completed in 2006.

EPA signed a Record of Decision documenting the 

cleanup approach for Operable Unit I in September 

2002. Operable Unit I included the former Eastland 

Woolen Mill property and other areas that contained 

groundwater contamination. The cleanup approach 

included: continuation of the in-situ chemical oxidation 

program that was initiated by the Non-Time-Critical 

Removal Action; extension of the water line to specific 

residences in order to prevent further expansion of 

the groundwater contamination; implementation of 

land use restrictions; long-term monitoring and periodic review of the cleanup. The Record of Decision 

was amended in 2006 to document that a long-term 

groundwater treatment system was not necessary 

to achieve the containment and restoration of the 

contaminated groundwater. The water line extension was competed in 2006. The land use restrictions 

for the properties proposed for removal from the 

Site were completed in June 2012. The Site achieved 

construction completion status in 2006 and Remedial 

Action Completion in 2008. The Site will transition to 

the State of Maine in 2018.

EPA signed a Record of Decision for the Operable 

Unit II area in 2004. The Operable Unit II area included the downstream sediment and surface water along 

with a former disposal location. The 2004 Record of 

Decision for Operable Unit II documented that no 

further action was required to address the downstream contamination.

Publicly available docket materials are also available 

at the EPA Record Center and the Site information 

repository at the locations listed below:

EPA Region 1 Record Center 

5 Post Office Square 

Boston, MA 02109

(617) 918-1440

Hours: Mon - Fri 8:00 am to 5:00 pm

Stewart Free Library

8 Levi Stewart DriveCorinna, ME 04928

(207) 278-2454

Hours: Tuesday 9 a.m. – 2 p.m.; 

Wednesday 1 p.m. – 7 p.m.; 

Thursday 1 p.m. – 7 p.m.; 

Friday 9:00 a.m. – 2 p.m.

described in the September 2002 Record of Decision and the September 2006 Record of Decision 

Amendment.

BACKGROUND:

The Eastland Woolen Mill Superfund Site is located 

in the Town of Corinna, Penobscot County, Maine, 

approximately 6 miles north of Newport and 25 miles 

northwest of Bangor, Maine. The Town of Corinna is 

located within the East Branch of the Sebasticook 

River (EBSR) watershed, which drains to Sebasticook 

Lake approximately three miles south of the Town. 

The Site was initially dominated by the former Eastland Woolen Mill, which was demolished in 1999.

EPA began work at the Site in 1998 and signed an 

Action Memorandum to implement a Non-TimeCritical Removal Action in 1999. EPA excavated 

and treated the contaminated soil from 2000-

2004. The Non-Time-Critical Removal Action 

was very successful in removing the majority of 

contaminated soil. At the end of the excavation 

and treatment program, only a small area of soil 

contamination, which was not accessible through 

excavation, remained. To clean the remaining soil 

deletion do not contain soil or groundwater contamination above the Site specific cleanup levels. 

H O W D O E S E P A K N O W 

T H A T T H E P R O P E R T I E S 

ARE CLEAN?

During the remedial investigation, EPA collected 

soil and groundwater samples to determine if an 

area was contaminated. Contaminated areas were 

targeted for cleanup as part of the Non-Time-Critical Removal Action or Remedial Action. Soil and 

groundwater samples were collected to document 

whether the cleanup activities had achieved the Site 

specific cleanup goals. The information collected 

during the Remedial Investigation and Non-TimeCritical Removal Action is documented in the Remedial Investigation Report and the November 2006 

Final Overall Completion Report for the Non-TimeCritical Removal Action. Additional confirmation of 

the extent of groundwater contamination is documented in the 2009-2011 Area Wide Groundwater Monitoring Reports. Based on the information 

available to EPA, the properties proposed for deletion do not contain soil or groundwater contamination above the Site specific cleanup goals that were 

H O W I S A S I T E F U L LY O R P A R T I A L LY D E L E T E D 

FROM THE SUPERFUND LIST?

In 1999, EPA streamlined the approach for deleting sites from the National Priorities 

List, called a Notice of Direct Final Action to Delete. With this approach, the Notice of 

Intent to Delete (NOID) and the Notice of Deletion (NOD) are published in the Federal 

Register on the same date. 

This combination of steps reduces the amount of time it takes to finalize a site deletion. 

Using this process, EPA will publish both a NOID and a Notice of Direct Final Action to 

Delete in the Federal Register. The Notice of Direct Final Action to Delete includes the 

statement that the direct final action will become effective unless EPA receives significant 

adverse or critical comments during the 30-day public comment period.

If no significant adverse or critical comments are received, the deletion will become 

effective without any further EPA action and a portion the site will be deleted from 

the NPL. Should significant adverse or critical comments be received within the comment period, EPA will publish a notice of withdrawal of the direct final rule, prepare a 

response to the comments received, and continue with the rulemaking process on the 

basis of the proposal to delete and the comments received.